Popular since the end of the 19th century, Daytona Beach saw its first hotel--the Palmetto House--in 1874. The trend continued when Commodore Charles Burgoyne build a community center after World War I, sponsored riverfront music concerts, paving the way for 100 years of hospitality and vital tourism. Today, Daytona Beach, known especially for its auto racing, attracts approximately eight million visitors each year.

Daytona Beach and Environs

Its year-round population of 65,000 residents stay for other reasons, among which are the delightful climate, beautiful Atlantic beaches, and very low tax burden. For the most part, they are young (median age 37), well educated, and ethnically and racially diverse. Among Daytona's earliest settlers, in fact, were a large number of freed slaves who settled here in 1866 just after the end of the Civil War.

To the north of Daytona Beach proper are two quieter neighborhoods--Ormond Beach, once home to the Rockefellers, and Ormand-by-the-Sea. In central Daytona, are the famous white sandy beach, a new LPGA golf course, the oceanfront boardwalk, and NASCAR. To the south is Daytona Beach Shores, incorporated in 1960, stretching about five miles along the oceanfront to Ponce Inlet, originally a small fishing village and now home to several of the area's top restaurants.

Across the Intercoastal waterway from Ponce Inlet is Port Orange, the fastest growing city in the Daytona area. Spruce Creek, unique in being the world's first fly-in residential community, is home to about 800 families. Holly Hill lies in the central stretch of the mainland between Port Orange and Ormand Beach. Named by a local farmer for his many holly trees, this area is dotted with the traditional giant live oaks typical of southern river landscapes.