Ormond-by-the-Sea is a census-designated place and an unincorporated town in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,312 as of the 2020 census, a decrease from 7,406 in the 2010 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and 0.50% is water.
The boundaries of Ormond-by-the-Sea include the Volusia/Flagler county line on the north, the city of Ormond Beach on the south, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and the Halifax River on the west. The area has traditionally been called the North Peninsula, although other nicknames such as OBC or OBTS are sometimes used.
There are two principal roads, State Road A1A (also known as Ocean Shore Boulevard), which runs along the Atlantic Ocean, and John Anderson Drive, which runs along the Halifax River.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Ormond-by-the-Sea had a population of 7,312. The median age was 60.5 years. 8.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 38.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.5 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,840 households in Ormond-by-the-Sea, of which 10.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.8% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Another early settler was Leonard B. Knox, who developed a citrus plantation known as Mound Grove, located along High Bridge Road near its crossing with Bulow Creek. It was Knox's son Donald who planted the Canary Island date palms which currently line the road. Part of the property also included a waterside building that operated as Uncle Guy's Fish Camp between the 1930s and 1950s. The property was subsequently acquired by Dick Cobb, who operated a bar and restaurant out of the building, which became known as "Cobb's Corner." The business closed in the 1970s, although portions of the structure remain.
Despite these early settlements, nearly all of present-day Ormond-by-the-Sea remained undeveloped until the 1950s, when the area began to develop in earnest as a retirement community. The "by the sea" appellation was used to distinguish the area from the adjacent city of Ormond Beach, located immediately to the south. Though unincorporated, it was first represented by the North Peninsula Zoning Commission, created in 1955.
For many years, one of Ormond-by-the-Sea's most distinguishing landmarks was the Ormond Pier, a steel structure constructed in 1959 near the intersection of Laurie Drive and A1A. A large section of the Ormond Pier was torn away by a storm in November 1984, and the remaining portions subsequently demolished for safety reasons in the early 1990s.
Approximately one mile north on A1A, near the intersection of A1A and Spanish Waters Drive, stands a watch tower constructed in 1942 by the Coast Guard Reserve to look out for German U-boats operating off the coast. The tower was restored in 2004 and is one of the last remaining examples of a World War II era observation tower on the Florida coast.
At the northern end of Ormond-by-the-Sea is the North Peninsula State Park, comprising approximately of undeveloped coastal dunes and marsh lands, which were acquired in the mid-1980s through the Conservation & Recreation Lands Program, later known as the "Preservation 2000" and "Florida Forever" programs. Among other species, the park provides crucial habitat for the Florida scrub jay, a threatened federal species of which less than 4,000 breeding pairs are thought to survive.
Ecology
Though most of Ormond-by-the-Sea is little more than a half-mile wide, it supports no fewer than six distinct ecological zones. The beach, or tidal zone, features distinctive reddish-colored sand created by crushed coquina shells. Here may be found sand fleas and ghost crabs, as well as a variety of coastal birds including plovers, stilts, avocets, terns, and gulls. Just above the tide line, several species of sea turtles are known to lay their eggs, including the leatherback, Atlantic loggerhead, and green turtle.
Immediately inland is the Temperate Beach Dune, a "pioneer zone" of vegetation growing along the primary dunes. Species of note include sea oats, beach morning glory, and beach sunflower.
Slightly inland from the primary dunes is the Coastal Strand, a shrubby area dominated by saw palmetto, Spanish bayonet, prickly pear cactus, and greenbrier vines. The Coastal Strand frequently overlaps with nearby sand ridges featuring Florida scrub plant communities, including scrub live oaks, slash pine, and Florida's state tree, the sabal palm (often called a "cabbage palm"). Species of note include the Florida scrub jay and the endangered gopher tortoise.
Close to the Halifax River, the soil is more moist and supports Maritime Hammock species, including live oaks, magnolias, American holly, red cedars and coontie ferns. In many areas, Brazilian pepper trees, an invasive exotic species, may also be seen growing.
The river's edge features many plants associated with tidal marshes, including salt marsh cordgrass, needle rush and mangroves. Oysters and blue crabs are common in the shallow waters, as are a variety of wading birds including egrets and herons.