Ormond Beach, Florida is a seaside retirement community and senior vacation spot.

Ormond Beach FL History

Originally named New Britain after the Connecticut home of early settlers, the name was changed in 1880 to honor an early plantation owner. Among early settlers were the Bostroms, who built a modest home and rented rooms to travelers and potential settlers.

With the first bridge across the Halifax River and the impending arrival of the railroad from the North, John Anderson and Joseph D. Price set about building the Ormond Hotel. At age 14, George Penfield won the competition for the design of the 75-room Ormond Hotel and Golf Course. A great success, it drew giants of American industry from the cold, Northern winters.

Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton were two of the first racers on the hard packed sand - dead heating down Ormond Beach at 57 MPH. Forerunners in the community, Anderson and Price then organized the first auto races on the beach. By 1904, the Florida East Coast Automobile Association boasted 200 members with names like Vanderbilt, Flagler, Astor, and Gould among them. John D. Rockefeller, a long time visitor to the hotel and devotee of it's golf course bought the nearby Huntington property called "Casements." Having survived vandalism and a couple of fires, Casements is now the Ormond Beach Community Enrichment Center.

Ormond Beach Florida – Seaside Mecca for Seniors

Ormond Beach, Florida continues today to be a thriving seaside mecca, especially for senior citizens. Senior Travel Genie offers resources for condo rentals and much more in Ormond Beach.