Ormond Beach, FL

Ormond Beach’s hard-packed sand hosted some of the country’s early automobile races beginning in 1902, giving the city its “Birthplace of Speed” association. Directly north of Daytona Beach, the Volusia County city meets the Atlantic Ocean, Halifax River lagoon, and Tomoka River and counted 43,080 residents in 2020. Near the Tomoka–Halifax confluence, the Timucuan town of Nocoroco was recorded when Álvaro Mexía passed through in 1605. Later transportation reshaped the settlement: the St. Johns and Halifax Railway arrived in 1886, and the first bridge across the Halifax River followed in 1887. Granada Boulevard’s historic shopping district extends from State Road A1A to Orchard Street.