The city is a popular vacation destination, especially for college
students on spring break. Today auto driving and parking is still allowed on
certain sections of the beach. There is a wide variety of accommodations in
all price ranges. Rooms are typically plentiful except for those weeks when
the racing or motorcycle special events are in town.
History
Datona Beach was the birthplace of musical theater writer Robert Wright.
On March 8, 1936 the first stock car race was held here. The Speedway
complex is now the site of the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame.
Daytona Beach was the setting for the 2003 movie "Monster" starring Oscar
winner Charlize Theron.
Geography
Daytona Beach is located at 29°12'26" North, 81°2'16" West (29.207309,
-81.037900)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
168.2 km˛ (64.9 mi˛). 152.0 km˛ (58.7 mi˛) of it is land and 16.2 km˛ (6.2
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 9.63% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 64,112 people, 28,605 households, and
13,844 families residing in the city. The population density is 421.8/km˛
(1,092.6/mi˛). There are 33,345 housing units at an average density of
219.4/km˛ (568.3/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 62.33% White, 32.75%
African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander,
1.05% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. 3.48% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 28,605 households out of which 18.0% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 30.1% are married couples living together, 14.5%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 51.6% are non-families.
39.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.4% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.06 and the average family size is 2.77.
In the city the population is spread out with 17.6% under the age of 18,
16.6% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100
females there are 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $25,439, and the median
income for a family is $33,514. Males have a median income of $25,705 versus
$20,261 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,530. 23.6% of
the population and 16.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 34.9% are under the age of 18 and 12.1% are
65 or older
