The History of Daytona Beach
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It was founded by its namesake Mathias Day in 1870. Day was a famous Indian fighter who saw action during the Apache Wars against the Apache leaders Victorio and Geronimo.
Soon after its founding Daytona Beach became a tourist stop on the Florida East Coast Railroad of tycoon Henry Flagler.
In 1926, the cities of Daytona, Daytona Beach and Seabreeze were merged to form present day Daytona Beach, Florida.
Since the early 1900s, the smooth hard packed sand beaches of Daytona and Ormond have been valued for automobile testing and racing.
It was not unusual to see the latest "horseless carriage" or motorcycle being put through the paces on the densely-packed sands.
The Daytona Beach Road Course was the site of the first stock car race in 1936, and led to many more such events.
These races and the souped-up hotrods of former moonshiners were instrumental in the creation of that most American of institutions, NASCAR.
The NASCAR connection turned Daytona Beach into a mecca for gearheads, hosting numerous racing competitions and events aside from the Daytona 500.
The biggest of these events over the years became Bike Week, in which thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts brave the humid Florida weather in their best leather apparel to converge on Daytona Beach for 10 days of revelry.
The history of Daytona Beach is so automobile oriented that a car friendly attitude permeates all of Daytona Beach; it's one of the few public beaches which allows motorists to traverse its sands.
If you're imagining your sunbathing being ground to a halt by a careless motorist, fear not - Daytona offers many pedestrian-only zones.
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