Volusia County
County
Volusia County courthouse in DeLand, built in 2001
Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°3′N 81°9′W / 29.050°N 81.150°W / 29.050; -81.150
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	December 29, 1854
Named for	Community of Volusia
Seat	DeLand
Largest city	Deltona
Area
• Total	1,432.44 sq mi (3,710.0 km2)
• Land	1,101.03 sq mi (2,851.7 km2)
• Water	331.40 sq mi (858.3 km2)  23.14%
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	553,543
• Density	503/sq mi (194/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 7th
Website	www.volusia.org

Volusia County (/vəˈluːʃə/, və-LOO-shə) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 2010 census.^[1][2] It was founded on December 29, 1854, from part of Orange County, and was named for the community of Volusia, located in northwestern Volusia County. Its first county seat was Enterprise. Since 1887, its county seat has been DeLand.^[3]

Volusia County is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan statistical area, as well as part of the larger Orlando–Deltona–Daytona Beach Combined statistical area.

Etymology

The origins of the word "Volusia" are unclear, though several theories exist:

1. The name came from a word meaning "Land of the Euchee", from the Euchee Indians who migrated into the area after the Timucua Indian cultures declined in the early 1700s.^[4] The Euchees (or Uchees) lived in the area of Spring Gardens, about 10 miles south of Volusia.^[5]
2. It was named after a British settler named Voluz, who owned a plantation located on the St. Johns River in the late 1700s.^[6]
3. The name originated from the Veluche, the surname of a French or Belgian owner of the trading post in Volusia. According to some, this was during the British regime, and according to others, it was around 1818. Over time, the name Veluche became anglicized to Volusia.^[7]
4. The town was established by and named for Jere Volusia.^[8]
5. The settlement was named by the Spanish after the celebrated Roman jurist Lucius Volusius Maecianus, who wrote 30 books and tutored Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher.^[6]

History

Volusia County was named after its largest community, Volusia, when the Florida Legislature created it by dividing Orange County on December 29, 1854. At the time, Volusia County had about 600 residents.^[4]

The land area of present-day Volusia County was long inhabited by the indigenous Timucua and Mayaca peoples. Neither historic group exists today as distinct ethnic tribes, having been decimated by disease and war in the decades after contact with European traders and settlers. The large shell middens at Tomoka State Park and other evidence of their historic habitation can still be seen in various areas of Volusia County.

During the British occupation of Florida, a colony known as New Smyrna was started in southeast Volusia County by Andrew Turnbull. This colony was connected to St. Augustine, the capital of East Florida, via the Kings Road. After the failure of the colony the settlers, many of whom were ethnic Menorcan and Greek, traveled the 70 mi (110 km) to move to St. Augustine.

The Seminole Indians, descendants of the Creek tribe of Alabama and Georgia who resisted forced relocation to Indian Territory, also camped in various parts of Volusia County. During the Second Seminole War (1836–1842), the Seminole burned a large sugar plantation in what is today the city of Daytona Beach.

On the east shore of the St. Johns River in Volusia, in present-day DeBary, General Winfield Scott established a fort/depot in 1836 named Fort Florida.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,432 square miles (3,710 km²), of which 1,101 square miles (2,850 km²) are land and 331 square miles (860 km²) (23.1%) are covered by water.^[9]

Volusia County is bordered on the west by the St. Johns River and Lake Monroe, and by the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Roughly the size of Rhode Island, Volusia is situated 50 mi (80 km) northeast of Orlando, 60 mi (97 km) north of the Kennedy Space Center, and 89 mi (143 km) south of Jacksonville.

Regions

The Volusia County government divides the county into three regions. This parallels the three calling regions used by BellSouth, the regional phone company:

• East Volusia, also known as the greater Daytona Beach area, or the Halifax area (named for the Halifax River that runs through the area), includes the cities of Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, Holly Hill, Ormond Beach, Ponce Inlet, Port Orange, and South Daytona; and the surrounding unincorporated areas close to these cities.
• Southeast Volusia, also known as the greater New Smyrna Beach area, includes the cities of New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, and Oak Hill; also the unincorporated areas close to these cities.
• West Volusia, also called St. Johns River country (named for the St. Johns River, which lies nearby), includes the cities of Barberville, DeBary, DeLand, DeLeon Springs, Deltona, Glenwood, Enterprise, Lake Helen, Orange City, Pierson, and Seville, and the surrounding unincorporated areas close to these cities. Deltona is the largest city in Volusia County.

Adjacent counties

• Flagler County - north
• Brevard County - south
• Seminole and Orange Counties- southwest
• Lake County - west
• Marion and Putnam Counties - northwest

Parks and gardens

Rivers and waterways

Major attractions

• Athens Theater in DeLand
• Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach
• Bongoland Ruins in Port Orange
• Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach
• Decommissioned DC-7 at Epic Flight Academy in New Smyrna Beach
• Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach
• Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet
• Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach)
• New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach
• Ocean Center (convention center) in Daytona Beach
• Old Sugar Mill Grill & Griddle House in DeLeon Springs
• Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Garden in Ormond Beach
• Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in Ponce Inlet
• Skydive DeLand at DeLand Airport
• Volusia County Fair and Expo Center in DeLand
• Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville

Politics

Until 1952, Volusia County was reliably Democratic, with Republicans only winning it once in 1928. From 1952 to 1988, Democrats only carried the county twice, in 1964 and 1976. Democrats then gained ground again by winning the county five times in a row before the county shifted to the right from 2012 onwards.