Volusia County Florida   Located in East Florida

Volusia County Cities

Land area (rank): 1,113 square miles (9)
Population 1993 (rank): 390,066 (10)
Population density 1993 (rank): 350 persons per square mile (14)
Growth 1980-1990 (rank): 43.3% (24)

Physical Characteristics

Volusia County is on the Atlantic coast, north of the Melbourne-Titusville-Cocoa area, and is bordered by Brevard, Seminole, Lake, Putnam, Marion, and Flagler counties. The county has 152 square miles of water. The average January temperature is 59.3 degrees F, and the average August temperature is 81.5 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 53.36 inches.

History

Volusia County was established from a portion of Mosquito County in 1854 and named for a landing called "Volusia" near Lake George on the St. Johns River. The origin of the name is unknown, but may be from a Frenchman or Belgian named "Veluche."

Population

Most of Volusia County's population is along the coast. There are 14 incorporated areas in Volusia County ranging in size from Daytona Beach, with a 1993 population of 62,453, to Pierson, with a 1993 population of 1,222. Port Orange, Edgewater, Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, and South Daytona have all experienced considerable growth since 1970. Approximately 43% of Volusia County's population was in unincorporated areas in 1993. The largest of these areas is Deltona, development of which began in the 1960s. By 1990 Deltona had a population of 50,828, up from 15,710 in 1980. The U. S. Bureau of the Census has designated Volusia County as the Daytona Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 1993, 90% of Volusia County's population was white and 10% was nonwhite. In 1990, 4.0% of the population was Hispanic. Of the population increase between 1980 and 1990, 100.0% was due to net migration. The 1992 birth rate was 11.6 live births per 1,000 persons, and the 1992 death rate was 12.4 deaths per 1,000 persons. In 1992 the infant mortality rate was 7.2 per 1,000. The leading causes of death in 1993 were heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

Education

Of all 1992 high school graduates, 74.1% planned to continue their education. The 1992 high school dropout rate was 3.4%. In 1990, 75.4% of persons in the county were high school graduates, and 14.8% had completed four or more years of college. Colleges and universities. Phoenix College of Aeronautics, Daytona; Stetson University, DeLand; Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona Beach Community College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, West Virginia College Career Center, Daytona Beach.

Economy

The per capita income in Volusia County for 1993 was $17,518 (26th highest in the state). The median household income in 1989 was $24,818. In 1989, 7.9% of families had incomes below the poverty level. In 1990, 22.2% of personal income in Volusia County was derived from transfer payments. The major employers in the retail trade sector were eating and drinking establishments and food stores. In the services sector the employers of the greatest numbers of persons were medical and other health services and hotels and motels. In 1992 there were 978 farms in Volusia County, totalling 138,208 acres (19% of land in the county). In 1991, 3,228 thousand board feet of softwood logs, 137,515 cords of softwood for pulp, 280 thousand board feet of hardwood logs, and 5,828 cords of hardwood for pulp were produced. In 1991, 2,082,563 pounds of fish and 460,294 pounds of shellfish were landed.

Median value of a single-family home 1990: $69,400
Median monthly rent 1990: $382
Mobile homes as a % of total housing: 11.9
Housing starts 1992: 2,784
Housing starts 1993: 2,733

In 1992 the price level index for Volusia County was 97.25 (19th highest in the state).

Local Government

Volusia County is a charter county. In 1993, the ad valorem millage rate was 5.6270, and the total taxable value of property was $12,162,640,232. Taxable sales totalled $3163.40 million in 1992 and $3347.20 million in 1993. Lottery sales totalled $60,556 thousand in 1992-93. In 1990-91 Volusia County's revenues totalled $293,356 thousand ($778.8 per capita) and its expenditures $248,342 thousand ($659.3 per capita). Of those 18 years of age and older, 65.5% were registered to vote in 1992. Of these, 51.0% were registered Democrat and 41.7% were registered Republican. In the 1992 presidential election, 41.9% of the votes were cast for Clinton, 38.1% for Bush, and 19.8% for Perot.

Events and Places of Interest

Speed Weeks, Daytona Beach, February, July; Bike Week, Daytona Beach, March; Rivertown Festival, Deland, September, St. Johns River Boat Parade, Deland, December; Celtic Art and Music Festival, Ormond Beach, April; New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins, vicinity of New Smyrna Beach; Ormond Hotel, Ormond Beach.