Cassadaga

Barberville - Barberville was established in 1763 as a trading post on the west side of the St. Johns River. Currently, the community is home to the Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts, a living history museum, and Volusia Speedway Park. www.pioneersettlement.org

Cassadaga - Visitors to this village, 25 miles southwest of Daytona Beach, are immediately struck by the calm and tranquility that permeate this community of practicing spiritualists. Designated a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp is the oldest active religious community in the Southeastern United States. www.cassadaga.org

DeBary - Named for Frederick DeBary, a wealthy wine importer from New York, the city of DeBary is situated in the southwest portion of Volusia County. The community is proud of the recently restored DeBary Hall Mansion, which is now open to the public. Nearby Gemini Springs Park offers visitors a wealth of outdoor activities centered around the twin natural springs. www.debary.org

DeLand - When Henry A. DeLand laid the foundation for the city that would bear his name, he envisioned a center of culture, education and beauty like the Athens of ancient Greece. DeLand, the Athens of Florida, is the cultural, spiritual and educational hub of St. Johns River Country. Home to Stetson University and the DeLand Cultural Arts Center, the city provides a full slate of cultural offerings. DeLand’s national award-winning MainStreet features an eclectic mix of boutiques, antique shops, restaurants and gift shops. The city is bordered to the west by the historic St. Johns River, recently designated an American Heritage River. www.deland.org

DeLeon Springs - DeLeon Springs was named for the famous explorer Ponce DeLeon who discovered the spring in 1513 while searching for the Fountain of Youth. The springs are now part of the DeLeon Springs State Recreation Area that offers a wide variety of water-based and outdoor activities as well as the charming Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant. DeLeon Springs is also home to Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge and Spring Garden Ranch Training Center, a site of year-round harness and trotter horse training. www.floridastateparks.org/deleonsprings/default.cfm

Deltona - Deltona is Volusia County’s newest and fastest growing community. The area is rich in Hispanic culture. Lyonia Preserve protects sizeable scrub habitat that hosts gopher tortoises and the endangered scrub jay as well as many other Florida species of wildlife and native plants. www.ci.deltona.fl.us

Enterprise - The community of Enterprise was founded in 1841 on the shores of Lake Monroe as a steamship port and served as the first Volusia County seat. The area was also the site of the historic Brock Hotel, a popular destination for early visitors from the North. The Methodist Children’s Home, located in Enterprise, has sheltered children for more than a hundred years. Today the community is a designated National Register Historic District. www.oldenterprise.org

Glenwood - Founded in 1872 by developer George Norris, Glenwood was originally called Spring Garden. A large sawmill owned by the Bond Lumber Company employed most of the town’s residents. The area is now primarily residential with the exception of the Duvall Children’s Home.

Lake Helen - Henry A. DeLand established the community of Lake Helen in 1883 and named it in honor of his daughter, Helen. Lake Helen is a National Historic District. Stately homes, nestled along tree-lined streets lend Lake Helen a special Southern charm. www.lakehelen.com

Orange City - Orange City was founded in 1874 by Dr. Seth French and the Wisconsin Company, a group of investors. Today the city is best known for Blue Spring State Park, a 518-acre park designated as a Manatee Refuge Area. Manatees, large docile mammals, find shelter in the warm spring waters during the winter months. www.ci.orange-city.fl.us/

Osteen - In the 1850s, pioneering families put down their roots on the Florida frontier, a place considered desolate at the time. The Sauls family settled here thriving on farming and tourism. Eventually, they joined other neighbors in the Saulsville Community to frame a society with a church and small school house. The arrival of the railroad fueled the cattle and citrus industries and in 1925, Osteen was founded. Today, while mostly rural, Osteen offers much to the eco-tourist with bountiful wildlife watching, equestrian trails, county parks and river cruises along the St. Johns.

Pierson - Pierson was established under the Homestead Act of 1842 which gave settlers 160 acres provided they made improvements and stayed at least five years. The town is best known for the ferns grown and exported worldwide for use in floral arrangements and other decorations. The area’s ferneries have earned the community the distinction of “Fern Capital of the World."

Samsula - Originally known as Briggsville, the area was renamed Samsula in 1922, in honor of Lloyd Samsula, the first veteran to return to this community from World War I. Samsula’s earliest settlers were Slovenian immigrants lured here by the vast land available for homesteading. Founded in 1926, the Slovene National Benefit Society organized the first Lodge and SNPJ (Slovenska Narodna Podporna Jednota in Slovenian) Chapter in the southeastern U.S. The SNPJ Lodge operates today in celebration of American patriotism and the cultural heritage of its members with an annual May Day celebration and numerous community events. Fourth-generation descendants of these early settlers still live in Samsula, a mostly agricultural community renowned for its produce and other pursuits including cattle and horse ranching, chicken farming, and tree and ornamental plant nurseries.

Seville - Established in 1885, Seville was the temporary headquarters for the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railroad. Seville was formerly known as the “Tangerine Capital of Florida" but today is better known for its ferneries.

Volusia/Astor - Volusia first appeared on a map in 1823 and was the second community established in the county bearing its name. Today it is primarily a residential community.