Although Flagler County is sometimes included with the First Coast region, and Volusia County is sometimes included with the Central Florida region for demographics and statistics, those regions frequently omit the two counties in publications and guides (see also:
Forgotten Coast). This caused the local governments and
NGOs in Flagler and Volusia to pool their resources and cooperate in many affairs. The
Convention and visitor bureaus in both counties started to promote the region as Florida's Fun Coast.
The Fun Coast region has a
humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa), with warm temperatures and the threat of
thunderstorms during the
summer, and rare
winterfrosts on occasion. The area is listed by the
USDA as being in
hardiness zone 9[1], which is about the northern limit of where
Date palms can be grown. Highs usually range between 71 and 91 °F (21 and 33 °C) year round.[2]
The Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Volusia County. The Palm Coast, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Flagler County.
Government
The region is governed by the two counties in the area. In total there are 21 municipalities or incorporated places in the region. Each one of the municipalities has its own city or town government, although there is little distinction between the two types. Much of the land in the region is unincorporated, which means it does not belong to any municipality, and is governed by the county it is located in.
Cities and Towns
Incorporated Cities and Towns in the Fun Coast region:
In Florida, each county is also a
school district. Each district is headed by an elected
school board. A professional
superintendent manages the day-to-day operations of each district, who is appointed by the School Board.
Some colleges and universities in the Fun Coast include:
Sunrail offers train passenger service to the Fun Coast from Orlando to a station in
DeBary.
Buses
The Fun Coast is served by
Greyhound Bus Lines, which has terminals or stops located in Daytona Beach, DeLand, and Palm Coast. The Greyhound routes from the area connect with hubs in
Jacksonville and
Orlando.
Volusia County Public Transit System (VOTRAN) provides public transportation for Volusia County, Florida. VOTRAN is operated by McDonald Transit, under contract with Volusia County. It maintains 28 fixed-line bus routes plus a dial-a-ride paratransit service (VOTRAN Gold).
Sports
Motorsports
The Fun Coast region is dominated by
Motorsports, with several race track venues in the area.
DeBary Golf and Country Club was the host of the
PGA Tour Qualifying School (1994),
USGA US Open Qualifying (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001), and USGA Senior Open Qualifying (2003, 2005, 2007).
Spruce Creek High School Winner of State Championship in 2010 plays their tournaments at Cypress Head Golf Club in Port Orange. Cypress Head is a municipal course owned by the City of Port Orange.
Area code
Once the area became too large to be served by the 904
area code, The Daytona Beach/Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce discovered that
area code 386 was not assigned to any other territory. The numbers 386 spell out "FUN" on a phone keypad, and was a perfect device to promote the Fun Coast area. Other government officials, agencies, and residents were recruited to lobby the State Public Service Commission to obtain this area code for the area.[6][7][8]
The Orlando television market serves Volusia County and Flagler County. The only television station physically located in the Fun Coast region is
WDSC-TV Channel 15, a PBS affiliate operated by
Daytona State College.
The Fun Coast is covered by Arbitron's Daytona Beach Radio Market.