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DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. The population was
20,904 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S.
Census Bureau is 22,857.[1] DeLand, nicknamed the "Athens of Florida", is the
home of Stetson University. The downtown area, including downtown DeLand's
Historic Garden District has been undergoing extensive renovations in recent
years. On February 2, 2007, DeLand and the surrounding area was hit by a major
tornado outbreak [2] .
History
The city is named for Henry A. DeLand. It was founded in 1876, and incorporated
in 1882. DeLand was the first city in Florida to have electricity.
Stetson University in DeLand is Florida's first private university, founded in
1883 by Henry A. DeLand and originally called the DeLand Academy. John B.
Stetson, whose name is also associated with the hats he manufactured, was a
founding trustee of the university; the university was named after him in 1889.
The sports teams are appropriately referred to as the Hatters. In 1900, Stetson
created the first law school in Florida.
Downtown DeLand's Historic Garden District
Downtown DeLand's Historic Garden District is a mixed-use neighborhood adjacent
to downtown DeLand. The area was originally developed between 1900 and 1920. It
fell into a long period of decline after WWII, and by the 1980s had become
blighted.
In 2000, Michael E. Arth, a California urban designer, bought twenty-seven
dilapidated structures, renamed the area purchased The Garden District, and
lobbied to create a new historic district. During the first 5 years he restored
or rebuilt thirty homes and businesses, which have became the core of a
neighborhood revival. By 2006 Arth had two additional in-fill projects planned
for the neighborhood that would add sixty-four residences and twenty-eight
commercial units.
Geography
Location of DeLand, Florida
DeLand is located at 29°1′44″N, 81°18′2″W (29.028949, -81.300446).GR1
DeLand is about half way between Orlando and Daytona Beach.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.6
km˛ (16.1 mi˛). 41.1 km˛ (15.9 mi˛) of it is land and 0.5 km˛ (0.2 mi˛) of it
(1.18%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 20,904 people, 8,375 households, and
4,631 families residing in the city. The population density was 508.6/km˛
(1,317.1/mi˛). There were 9,272 housing units at an average density of 225.6/km˛
(584.2/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city was 74.96% White, 19.18% African
American, 0.22% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.00% from
other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race
were 8.73% of the population.
There were 8,375 households out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 37.2% of all
households were made up of individuals and 20.4% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the
average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 14.9%
from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.6% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there
were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,712, and the median income
for a family was $35,329. Males had a median income of $26,389 versus $20,114
for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,936. About 14.2% of
families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including
31.3% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.