Port Orange is a mid-sized city in Volusia County, Florida, on the state's east coast between the Halifax River and the Spruce Creek corridor. It sits immediately south of Daytona Beach and is a principal city in the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropolitan area, part of the region known as the Fun Coast. Its location gives residents easy access to the Atlantic shoreline while keeping daily life centered on a suburban, family-oriented core. The city's history reaches back to the years after the Civil War, when settler John Milton Hawks brought freed African Americans to the area to work at a sawmill, and Esther Hawks established an integrated school — early milestones in a community that would grow into a full-service city. Today Port Orange is one of Volusia County's larger municipalities, with a population of roughly 62,600. Port Orange extends from the riverfront and its older core east of Interstate 95 out to newer residential neighborhoods along the Spruce Creek and Dunlawton corridors. Schools, parks, and a substantial commercial district along Dunlawton Avenue form the community's backbone. Spruce Creek High School is among the region's well-regarded public campuses, and the city's parks system — anchored by Spruce Creek Park's boardwalk and nature trails — gives residents close access to coastal and creek-side recreation. The city attracts a mix of families, professionals, and retirees drawn by the Volusia County school system, proximity to the beach, and established neighborhoods with mature landscaping. With Daytona Beach and the Daytona International Speedway just minutes north, Port Orange combines a quieter residential character with proximity to one of Florida's best-known beach destinations.