DeLand

Understand

History

The city is named for Henry A. DeLand. It was founded in 1876, and incorporated in 1882. In 1883, Henry A. DeLand established DeLand Academy. Later, DeLand entrusted the academy to his friend John B. Stetson, a wealthy hat manufacturer from Philadelphia and a founding trustee. In 1889, it was renamed John B. Stetson University after its new patron. The name was later shortened to Stetson University, and in 1900 it became the first law school in Florida. The university's sports teams are called the Hatters.

DeLand grew during the 1920s Florida Land Boom.

Climate

DeLand has a warm and humid subtropical climate, and there are two major seasons each year. One of those seasons is hot and rainy, lasting from May until October (roughly coinciding with the Atlantic hurricane season). The other is a cooler season (November through March) that brings more moderate temperatures and less frequent rainfall. The area's warm and humid climate is caused primarily by its low elevation and its position relatively close to the Tropic of Cancer, and much of its weather is affected by the movement of the Gulf Stream.

Get in

By plane

Nearby international airports include:

By train

DeLand has an Amtrak station that provides service to other destinations such as Miami, but also connects to other points as far north as New York City via the Silver Star and Silver Meteor lines, and to Chicago (via Washington DC & Pittsburgh) on the Floridian. Journey times are about 23 hours from New York (40 hours from Chicago) and five hours from Miami. Trains are comfortable and include seating and sleeper options, but delays are common.

Also, nearby Sanford is the southern terminus of the Auto Train which carries passengers and automobiles between Sanford and Lorton, Virginia, effectively serving as a car-rail link from Orlando to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The train runs daily with no intermediate stops and takes 17½ hours one way.

Finally, while SunRail is mainly a commuter rail system in the greater Orlando area, it can be used to travel from Kissimmee to DeLand through Orlando.

By bus

* Rt 30 DeLand Circulator - local circulator route around town between DeLand Intermodal Station and Amelia Super Stop. * Rt 31 to Debary SunRail Station via US Hwy 17/92 through Orange City. * Rt 60 DeLand - Daytona Beach via US Hwy 92. Nearest Greyhound bus station is in Daytona Beach. * VoRide - On demand shuttle service to surrounding areas not served by a routed bus including the DeLand SunRail/Amtrak Station for connections into the Orlando Metropolitan Area.

The additional DeLand Intermodal Transit Facility (bus station) on Woodland Blvd & Euclid, south of downtown, is served only by Rt 30 & 31.

By car

Highway travel is the most common method of arriving in DeLand. Interstate 4 (I-4) begins about 20 miles away in nearby Daytona Beach, and passes near DeLand. U.S. Highway 92 also begins near Daytona Beach and is known in both places as "International Speedway Boulevard" because it passes in front of that raceway. U.S. 92 meets U.S. 17 coming in from Jacksonville 90 miles to the north, and the two highways become one, and is known as "17/92" as it travels through Orlando 40 miles south, to Haines City, where they again split into two highways. Florida Highway 44 crosses I-4 five miles east of DeLand, and crosses 17/92 in the center of historic downtown DeLand. To further confuse travelers, 17/92 is known as Woodland Boulevard (or simply "The Boulevard," being the only boulevard in DeLand), and Florida Highway 44 is known as "New York Avenue," as the streets were known well before the advent of the U.S. and Florida Highway systems.

Get around

By bus

• VOTRAN is the name of the local Volusia County bus service. It is a cheap way to get around and is handicap accessible. The website provides maps and timetables. Buses travel to most sites and places of interest. Service is offered in DeLand roughly M-Sa, 7AM-7PM. A one-day Votran bus pass costs $3.75.

By car

Go next

The city is midway between two largest springs in state park settings, part of the Florida Aquifer.

• Immediately west of DeLand is Lake Beresford, and the surrounding area, including Hontoon Island State Park.
• Seven miles to the north, DeLeon Springs is set in a pool environment, leading to Lake Woodruff Wildlife Preserve
• Seven miles south, Blue Spring State Park is probably the best place to see manatees in all of Florida, during cold weather.
• Seven miles to the west, a state park which is an island accessible only by passenger ferry, Hontoon Island.
• Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge