Bethune Beach is an unincorporated community in Volusia County

Volusia County, Florida

Volusia County is a county located in the state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 official county's population was 494,593 . Its county seat is DeLand, and its most populous city is currently Deltona....

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Bethune Beach is located just to the south of New Smyrna Beach, Florida

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 20,048 according to the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 23,161.-History:...

, and its southern border is the northern end of the Canaveral National Seashore

Canaveral National Seashore

The Canaveral National Seashore is a National Seashore located between New Smyrna Beach and Titusville, Florida, in Volusia County and Brevard County, United States. The park, located on a barrier island, is home to more than 1,000 plant species and 310 bird species. CANA occupies 58,000 acres ...

. Due to its remote location, Bethune Beach is accessible by only one road, SR A1A, entry being permitted only from the north. There is no outlet to the mainland, and the Canaveral National Seashore and the Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center

The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...

 lies to the south.

The area is now populated with large and expensive beach homes.

History

The town was once the only beach that African Americans were permitted to use in Volusia County during the first half of the century and is named after the famous black educator Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary Jane McLeod Bethune was an American educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a school for African American students in Daytona Beach, Florida, that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University and for being an advisor to President Franklin D...

, founder of Bethune-Cookman College

Bethune-Cookman College

Bethune-Cookman University or B-CU is a private historically black university in Daytona Beach, Florida.- History :Mary McLeod Bethune founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School in 1904...

. In 2007, Bethune Beach residents overwhelmingly voted to reject an annexation attempt by New Smyrna Beach.