Ormond Beach

History

The Timucuan town of Nocoroco was located where the Tomoka River joins the Halifax River, just north of present-day Ormond Beach, when Álvaro Mexía passed through it in 1605 on a mission to establish relations between Spanish Florida and the Surruque and Ais peoples of the coast of what are now Volusia and Brevard counties. Little is known of what happened to inhabitants of the area after Mexía's visit. The city is named for James Ormond I, an Anglo-Irish-Scottish sea captain commissioned by King Ferdinand VII of Spain to bring Franciscan settlers to this part of Florida. Ormond had served Britain and Spain in the Napoleonic Wars as a ship captain, and was rewarded for his services to Spain by King Ferdinand VII. Ormond later worked for the Scottish Indian trade company of Panton, Leslie & Company, and his armed brig was called the "Somerset". After returning to Spanish control, in 1821, Florida was acquired from Spain by the United States, but hostilities during the Second Seminole War delayed settlement until after 1842. In 1875, the community was founded as New Britain by inhabitants from New Britain, Connecticut, but would be incorporated on April 22, 1880, as the Town of Ormond for its early plantation owner. With its hard, white beach, Ormond became popular for the wealthy seeking relief from northern winters during the Floridian boom in tourism following the Civil War. The St. Johns and Halifax Railway arrived in 1886, and the first bridge across the Halifax River was built in 1887. John Anderson and James Downing Price opened the Ormond Hotel on January 1, 1888. Henry Flagler bought the hotel in 1890 and expanded it to accommodate 600 guests. It would be one in a series of Gilded Age hotels catering to passengers aboard his Florida East Coast…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land, and (18.12%) is water. Drained by the Tomoka River, Ormond Beach is located on the Halifax River lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Ormond Beach has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,284
• Brown Pelican

  Pelecanus occidentalis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,227
• Laughing Gull

  Leucophaeus atricilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,906
• Snowy Egret

  Egretta thula (Molina, 1782) · Aves
  2,667
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,513
• Osprey

  Pandion haliaetus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,481
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,479
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,390

Largest nearby schools

• MAINLAND HIGH SCHOOL
  High · DAYTONA BEACH · 1,855 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• SEABREEZE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · DAYTONA BEACH · 1,654 students · 22.4:1 ratio
• HOLLY HILL SCHOOL
  Elementary · HOLLY HILL · 1,149 students · 16:1 ratio
• ORMOND BEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · ORMOND BEACH · 990 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• DAVID C. HINSON SR. MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · DAYTONA BEACH · 950 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• CAMPBELL MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · DAYTONA BEACH · 855 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• PATHWAYS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · ORMOND BEACH · 724 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• TOMOKA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · ORMOND BEACH · 709 students · 16.1:1 ratio