Milton, FL
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Milton is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in and the county seat of
Santa Rosa County Santa Rosa County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population is 188,000. The county seat is Milton, which lies in the geographic center of the county. Other major communities within S ...
, Florida, located in the PensacolaFerry PassBrent Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as the Pensacola Metropolitan Area. Milton is located in the geographic center of Santa Rosa County, it is bordered by Pace to the west, and Navarre to the South. As of April 1, 2020, the population of Milton was 10,197. The town was incorporated in 1844 and is home to Naval Air Station Whiting Field. Milton is part of the PensacolaFerry PassBrent Metropolitan Statistical Area.


Etymology

Milton was known by various names during its development. Most notable were "Hell-Town" (muggy, inhospitable land covered with briars, mosquitoes, thorns, snakes) "Jernigan's Landing", "Scratch Ankle" (due to the briars that grew along the riverbank), and "Hard Scrabble." According to Florida historian Allen Morris, "Just which Milton was honored by the final name is a dispute. Some say it is a contraction of an earlier Milltown; others that it was Milton Amos, pioneer and ancestor of the present Amos family; still others that it was
John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...
—not the English poet, but the Civil War governor of Florida."


History

Milton was settled in the early 1800s as a small village centered on the lumber industry. The settlement originally was known as Scratch Ankle because of the briars and bramble that grew in the area. Another name was Jernigan's Landing after Benjamin Jernigan (died April 1847), who built a water-powered saw mill at what is now Locklin Lake between 1828 and 1830. Other names were Lumberton, Black Water, and Hard Scrabble, but by 1839, it was being referred to as Milltown. Milton was incorporated as a town in 1844, one year before the Territory of Florida joined the United States as the 27th state. During the Civil War, much of Milton was burned by
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
forces retreating from the Union capture of Pensacola in May 2-4 of 1862. The Confederates intended to prevent the town's industries from falling into Union hands. After the Southern forces evacuated the Union troops had a small garrison in nearby Bagdad where they had a base for expeditions in the surrounding area. Many Milton residents fled to Alabama. Naval Air Station Whiting Field was constructed during World War II with the help of many German
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...
who were housed in a camp on the site. The station was commissioned on July 16, 1943, by Rear Admiral
George D. Murray George Dominic Murray (July 6, 1889 – June 18, 1956) was an admiral in the United States Navy and an early naval aviator. Biography Murray was born in Boston, Massachusetts, attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1911 and becomin ...
and the widow of Captain
Kenneth Whiting Kenneth Whiting (July 22, 1881 – April 24, 1943) was a United States Navy officer who was a pioneer in submarines and is best known for his lengthy career as a pioneering naval aviator. During World War I, he commanded the first America ...
, after whom the station was named. On March 31, 1962, an F3 tornado hit the northwest side of Milton, causing 17 deaths and 100 injuries. It was Florida's deadliest tornado until February 22, 1998 when 25 people were killed in
Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...
by another F3 tornado. It was also the deadliest tornado in 1962.


Geography

Milton is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (4.59%) is water.


Climate


Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 7,045 people, 2,674 households and 1,831 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 3,151 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 67.84% White, 25.95% African American, 0.71% Native American, 1.73%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 3.45% of the population. There were 2,674 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female homeowner, and 31.5% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04. 27.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males. The median household income was $37,629, and the median family income was $44,261. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $28,337 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,367. About 11% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.


City information

Santa Rosa Medical Center Santa Rosa Medical Center or SRMC is an American 129-bed general hospital located in the small Florida city of Milton. SRMC is the primary provider of hospital-based healthcare services and emergency medicine in Santa Rosa County, Florida. The ma ...
(SRMC) is a 129-bed general
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
in Milton. SRMC is the primary provider of hospital-based healthcare services and emergency medicine in Santa Rosa County. Milton is the home of the
West Florida Railroad Museum The Louisville and Nashville Depot is an historic Louisville and Nashville Railroad train station, depot located at 206 Henry Street in Milton, Florida, Milton, Santa Rosa County, Florida. It was built in 1909 on the site of the former Pensacola a ...
and the historic Imogene Theater, owned and operated by the Santa Rosa Historical Society.


Notable people

* Dan Amos, cofounder of AflacPaul S. Amos, a Co-Founder of Aflac, Dies at 88
/ref> * Mark Everett, professional sprinter, 1997 world indoor champion; born in Milton and graduated from Milton High School in 1986 *
Greg Evers Robert Gregory Evers (June 16, 1955 – August 21, 2017) was a Republican politician who served as a member of the Florida Senate from 2010 to 2016, representing parts of Northwest Florida. Prior to his election to the Senate, he served as a ...
, Florida legislator and farmer *
Daniel Ewing George Daniel Ewing, Jr. (born March 26, 1983) is an American professional basketball player. College career A guard from Duke University, Ewing played for four seasons at the college under coach Mike Krzyzewski from 2001 to 2005. Prior to Duk ...
, professional basketball player,
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
and
Maccabi Ashdod Maccabi Ashdod B.C. ( he, מכבי אשדוד) is a professional basketball team based in the port city of Ashdod, Israel. The team currently plays in the Israeli National League. History The team was founded in 1961 by "Maccabi Ashdod Sports ...
of Israeli Premier League *
Cortland Finnegan Cortland Temujin Finnegan (born February 2, 1984) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Samford, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Finnegan also played for the ...
, NFL cornerback for Tennessee Titans, St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers; graduated from Milton High School in 2002 * Dayton Hobbs, founder and pastor of independent Bible church in Milton, putative creator of tee-ball * Bolley Johnson, member of Florida House of Representatives 1978–1994, speaker 1992–1994 * Reggie Slack, quarterback of National Football League and Canadian Football League; graduated from Milton High School in 1986 * Heath Slocum, professional golfer on PGA Tour; graduated from Milton High School in 1992 *
Kevin Stitt John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 28th governor of Oklahoma. A member of the Republican Party, he began his first term as governor in January 2019 and was reelected to a second t ...
, governor of
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
; Tulsa-based businessman * Lawrence Tynes, NFL placekicker for Kansas City Chiefs,
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
and Tampa Bay Buccaneers; graduated from Milton High School in 1996 * Casper Van Dien, actor, star of films such as ''
Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...
'' and '' Sleepy Hollow''; born in Milton *
Rod Walker Roderick Dion Walker (born February 4, 1976 in Milton, Florida) is a former professional American football player who played defensive tackle for three seasons for the Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American f ...
, NFL defensive tackle for 3 years with the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
; born in Milton and graduated from Milton High School *
Boo Weekley Thomas Brent "Boo" Weekley (born July 23, 1973) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Overview Born in Milton, Florida, Weekley turned professional in 1997 and played on mini-tours until 2002, when he qualified for the ...
, professional golfer on PGA Tour; born in Milton and graduated from Milton High School in 1992 * Elijah Williams, NFL cornerback for
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
; born in Milton and graduated from Milton High School in 1993


References


External links


City of Milton



''Santa Rosa Press Gazette''
newspaper that serves Milton, Florida available in full-text with images i
Florida Digital Newspaper Library

''The Milton Chronicle''
provides analysis of issues relating to Milton, Florida. {{authority control County seats in Florida Cities in Pensacola metropolitan area Cities in Santa Rosa County, Florida Cities in Florida 1844 establishments in Florida Territory Populated places established in 1844