DeLand

By Jennifer Horton
BEACON STAFF WRITER

“There’s no place like home.” ~ Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz

The city of DeLand is 20 minutes from the World’s Most Famous Beach and 30 minutes from Orlando. It’s between the vacation hot spots, affording you the opportunity to soak up the sun, meet a giant mouse, and skip the nasty big-city traffic.

Incorporated in 1882, DeLand heralds itself as the “Athens of Florida,” a cultural epicenter of the Floridian universe. No art is unappreciated in DeLand, and music, performance art, visual art and literature are all integral parts of the DeLand culture.

For adventure lovers, DeLand has a second moniker, “The Skydiving Capital of the World.” Thrill-seekers can leap from perfectly good airplanes over the DeLand Municipal Airport. More cautious souls can mingle with international skydivers at one of the local, family-owned restaurants on the airport.

DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County. The headquarters of the School Board of Volusia County and the Volusia County Courthouse are located in DeLand.

History lovers have information at their fingertips, literally. Both the Genealogy Room of the DeLand Area Public Library and the West Volusia Historical Society offer vibrant, easy-to-access historical information about the city, its progress and its people.

The MainStreet DeLand Association keeps the Downtown core district moving and shaking with community events and strong businesses.

Day and camping trips at Hontoon Island State Park or Highland Park Fish Camp are a relaxing way to get away without leaving home.

The heart of DeLand includes Stetson University, lauded as one of the best universities in the South. But DeLand also has an excellent community college, Daytona Beach Community College, and a campus of the University of Central Florida.

More than 50 clubs call DeLand home. Whether you knit, golf, collect bottles or watch birds, you’ll be able to connect with like-minded folks from Day 1.

There’s never a dull moment, and if you find boredom creeping up on you, The Beacon carries a weekly listing of club events in the Club Notebook, community doings in the West Volusia Calendar, and a weekly story that details a major event coming up the following weekend.

DeLand is everything.

It’s small town; it’s community; it’s a close-knit college town for the best and brightest. It’s a fishing pole on the St. Johns River, an artistic revolution, a homey restaurant with pot roast just like Momma used to make, and a bustling city street filled with friends and neighbors.

It’s home.

And we all know, there’s no place like home.

— jenh@beacononlinenews.com

Jen Horton is a staff writer for The DeLand-Deltona Beacon and has lived in DeLand since 1999. She also writes an opinions column called Jen's Soap Box. Jen's Bio/Jen's Blog

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