Monticello ( ) is the only city in Jefferson County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, United States. The population was 2,506 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Jefferson County. The city is named after

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

, the estate of the county's namesake,

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

, on which the Jefferson County Courthouse (Monticello, Florida) was modeled. Monticello is home to

Indian mound A number of pre-Columbian cultures are collectively termed "Mound Builders". The term does not refer to a specific people or archaeological culture, but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks erected for an extended period of more than ...

s and many historic buildings, including the Perkins Opera House and Monticello Old Jail Museum.

Geography

Monticello is located in northern Jefferson County at . U.S. Route 90 runs through the center of the city as Washington Street, leading east to Greenville and west to

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

. U.S. Route 19 passes through the city center on Jefferson Street, leading south to Capps and north to Thomasville, Georgia. The two highways meet in the center of Monticello at Courthouse Circle, which surrounds the Jefferson County Courthouse. US-19 leads south from the courthouse to

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...

at Exit 225. I-10 leads west to Tallahassee and east to Lake City. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

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

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.'' As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 2,533 people, 973 households, and 664 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,088 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 47.06%

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

, 50.85%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.12% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.43% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population. There were 973 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were

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

living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,720, and the median income for a family was $32,356. Males had a median income of $25,932 versus $21,760 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $15,522. About 18.5% of families and 22.2% 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 27.2% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

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 is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

, Monticello has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa''). Monticello is the site of the highest temperature recorded in Florida, on June 29, 1931.

History and culture

The Perkins Opera House is a 19th-century mercantile building that was adapted for use as a theater. It hosts regular musical performances, as well as theater productions and musicals. The first floor ballroom also holds receptions on a regular basis.

Historic sites

* Bethel School * Christ Episcopal Church *

Denham-Lacy House The Denham-Lacy House is a historic Inn located in Monticello, Florida. Description and history It is one of three Italianate-style structures in Monticello. On May 6, 1982, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places ...

Jefferson County Courthouse (Florida) The Jefferson County Courthouse is an historic Classical Revival style courthouse building located in Monticello, Florida. Built in 1909, it was designed by Georgia-born American architect Edward Columbus Hosford, who is noted for the courthouse ...

* Letchworth Mounds * Lyndhurst Plantation *

Monticello High School (Florida) Jefferson County Middle / High School (JCMHS) is a public school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Florida, with a Monticello postal address. A part of Jefferson County Schools, it serves grades 6 - 12. The school's mascot is a tiger and the s ...

* Monticello Historic District * Monticello Old Jail Museum *

Palmer House The Palmer House – A Hilton Hotel is a historic hotel in Chicago's Loop area. It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Palmer House was the city's first hotel with elevator ...

* Palmer-Perkins House * Perkins Opera House * Wirick-Simmons House

Education

Jefferson County Schools operates public schools, including

Jefferson County Middle / High School Jefferson County Middle / High School (JCMHS) is a public school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Florida, with a Monticello postal address. A part of Jefferson County Schools, it serves grades 6 - 12. The school's mascot is a tiger and the s ...

References

External links

City of Monticello official website
{{authority control County seats in Florida Cities in Jefferson County, Florida Tallahassee metropolitan area Cities in Florida