Daytona Beach Shores was first organized in 1960 by local business leaders convinced that a smaller community could provide better services to its residents. The City was incorporated on April 22, 1960 and is located between unincorporated Wilbur-by-the-Sea to the south and Daytona Beach to the north.
In the 1970s and the 1980s, the City enjoyed a massive building program. Now about 80 percent of the residents live in high-rise condominiums that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean. In 1997, residents voted in a straw ballot to limit the height of future buildings to 12 stories. The City Council approved the height limit in 1998
A resort and retirement community, the City has no schools or manufacturing industry, but caters to visitors year-round with miniature golf courses and other types of family entertainment.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 4,299 people, 2,423 households, and 1,439 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,824.0/km² (4,722.2/mi²). There were 4,385 housing units at an average density of 1,860.5/km² (4,816.6/mi²).
There were 2,423 households out of which 4.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.77 and the average family size was 2.18.
In the city the population was spread out with 4.3% under the age of 18, 2.4% from 18 to 24, 11.5% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 49.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 65 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,796, and the median income for a family was $52,731. Males had a median income of $39,118 versus $24,826 for females. The per capita income for the city was $37,010. About 5.4% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
