Mayo, Florida is a town and the only

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in Lafayette County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Lafayette County. The population was 1,055 at the 2020 census.

History

Although the current Town of Mayo was settled and established in 1874 by John B. Whitfield, the town was not officially incorporated as a municipality until 1903. Whitfield decided to name the town after James M. Mayo, who was a colonel in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

. An African American man named

Charles Strong Charles Strong (26 September 1844 – 12 February 1942) was a Scottish-born Australian preacher and first minister of the Australian Church. Early life Strong was the third son of the Rev. David Strong and Margaret Paterson, ''née'' Roxburg ...

was

lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of in ...

on January 17, 1922. In August 2018, Mayo temporarily changed the town's name to "

Miracle Whip Miracle Whip is a condiment manufactured by Kraft Heinz and sold throughout the United States and Canada. It is also sold by Mondelēz International (formerly also Kraft Foods) as "Miracel Whip" throughout Germany. It was developed as a less expe ...

" as an advertisement

publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utiliz ...

for the

Kraft Heinz The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), commonly known as Kraft Heinz (), is an American multinational food company formed by the merger of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. and the H.J. Heinz Company co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh. Kraft Heinz is t ...

brand.

Geography

The approximate coordinates for the Town of Mayo is located at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, the Town of Mayo has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

zone (''Cfa'').

Demographics

2010 and 2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,055 people, 419 households, and 211 families residing in the town. As of the 2010 United States census, there were 1,237 people, 376 households, and 254 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 988 people, 338 households, and 228 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 365 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 61.23%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 27.43%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.40% Native American, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 9.62% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 16.80% of the population. In 2000, there were 338 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.23. In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males. In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $25,398, and the median income for a family was $28,438. Males had a median income of $21,802 versus $17,697 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $13,298. About 30.6% of families and 34.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 42.5% of those under age 18 and 54.7% of those age 65 or over.

Historic buildings and structures

Historic buildings and structures in Mayo include:''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 47, * The 1883

Old Lafayette County Courthouse The Old Lafayette County Courthouse, built 1893–1894, is an historic former courthouse building located on State Road 51 at 136 Fletcher Avenue, North, corner of Bloxham Street in Mayo, Florida, It was Lafayette County's second courthouse, ...

, now a bed and breakfast; * The 1888

Old Mayo Free Press Building The Old Mayo Free Press Building, built in 1888 to house the Mayo Free Press newspaper, is an historic 20x40-foot wooden frame building located at 124 Fletcher Street, North ( State Road 51) in Mayo, Florida. In 1989, it was listed in ''A Guide to ...

, just south of the Old Courthouse; * The 1908 Lafayette County Courthouse; * The 1880s

House of the Seven Gables The House of the Seven Gables (also known as the Turner House or Turner-Ingersoll Mansion) is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem, Massachusetts, named for its gables. It was made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1851 novel ''The House of the Sev ...

and * The 1915

M. Pico Building The M. Pico Building, built in 1915 on the site of a wooden lodge hall that had burned down, is an historic 2-story redbrick building located on the corner of Monroe and Main streets, N.W., across the street from the Lafayette County Courthouse (Fl ...

on the corner of Monroe and Main streets.

Notable people

Kerwin Bell Kerwin Douglas Bell (born June 15, 1965) is an American football coach and former player who has been the head coach of the Western Carolina Catamounts football team since 2021. He played professionally as a quarterback for 14 seasons in the Can ...

, former college and professional

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

and collegiate coach * Bill Birchfield, lawyer,

Florida state representative The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in ...

and self-described, "Duke of Mayo" * Reggie McGrew, former college and professional NFL

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

for

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

and the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

* Ricky Nattiel, former college and professional football player,

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, for the University of Florida and the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

* Herbert Perry, former college football player for the University of Florida and former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

baseball player *

, was lynched on January 17, 1922, in Mayo *

Dan White Daniel James White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985) was an American politician who assassinated George Moscone, the 37th mayor of San Francisco, and Harvey Milk, a fellow member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, inside San ...

, (March 25, 1908 – July 7, 1980), award-winning American actor in vaudeville, theater, radio, film and television

References

External links

''Mayo Free Press''
newspaper that serves Mayo, Florida is available in full-text with images i
Florida Digital Newspaper Library
heritage travel website with information about Mayo, Florida. {{authority control Towns in Lafayette County, Florida County seats in Florida Towns in Florida