Deland is located in Volusia County (is the county seat) at the junction of US Hwy 17/92 and Hwy 44 southwest of Daytona Beach. This community is also located at the southeast corner of the Ocala National Forest (part of the (us:z2020]).
John Rich was the first settler in the area known as Persimmon Hollow. Several others followed. The century-old history of DeLand, however, can be traced to its founder, Henry Addison DeLand. In 1882 a small number of townspeople voted to incorporate the town and to name it DeLand.
Once known as the "Athens of Florida," DeLand's historic downtown area retains the small town qualities of the old South.