Volusia County, Florida

Volusia County Education, Geography, and History

Volusia County is located in the east-central part of the US state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. Based on the 2010 census, the county population was 494,593 people, an increase of 11.6% from 2000. The county was created on December 29, 1854. The county seat is DeLand.  Volusia county is named for the community of Volusia, located in northwestern Volusia County.

Volusia County is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area, and is also part of the larger Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Volusia County Name

Volusia County was named after the then-largest-community, Volusia, when the Florida legislature divided Orange County on December 29, 1854. At the time, Volusia County had as few as 600 residents.

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

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 faded away in the early 1700s. The Euchees (or Uchees) lived in the area of Spring Gardens, about ten miles south of Volusia.
The name was taken from a British man named Voluz who owned a plantation located on the St. Johns River in the late 1700s.
The name originated from the last name Veluche belonging to the 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.
The town was established by and named for Jere Volusia.
The settlement was named by the Spanish after the celebrated Roman jurist Volusio, who wrote 30 books and tutored Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and philosopher.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Volusia County History

The land area of present day Volusia County was inhabited by the indigenous Timucua, and Mayaca people . Neither group exists today as distinct racial entities, having been decimated by war and disease after contact with European settlers. Evidence of their habitation can still be seen in various areas of Volusia County such as the large shell middens at Tomoka State Park.

During the British occupation of Florida, a failed colony was started in southeast Volusia County by Andrew Turnbull, known as New Smyrna. 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 Minorcan heritage made the 70-mile (110 km) journey to live in 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) a large sugar plantation in what is today the city of Daytona Beach was burned by the Seminole.

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.

Volusia County was established in 1854. The county is named for the port of Volusia along the St. John's River on the county's western side. The origins of the word "Volusia" are unclear, though there are several theories.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,432 square miles (3,710 km²), of which, 1,103 square miles (2,857 km²) of it is land and 329 square miles (853 km²) of it is water, much of it in the Atlantic Ocean. The total area is 22.98% water.

Volusia county is located close to the center of Florida. Volusia County is bordered on the west by the St. Johns River and Lake Monroe, and by the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Flagler County
• East: North Atlantic Ocean
• Southeast: Brevard County
• South: Orange County; Seminole County
• West: Lake County; Marion County
• Northwest: Putnam County

Education

Compare More Colleges and Universities

Find more schools to match to your needs.

Start Now