Monterey is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and 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 Highland County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, United States. The population was 165 at the 2020 census.

History

The selection of Monterey as the county seat of Highland County in 1847 was associated with the blazing of the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike in 1838. The new town was named in commemoration of the

Battle of Monterrey In the Battle of Monterrey (September 21–24, 1846) during the Mexican–American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by the Army of Occupation, a force of United States Regulars, Volunteers, an ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

(September 21–24, 1846) in which General (and future President)

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

gained a key victory for the United States in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

(1846–1848).The Vietnam veteran Peter Kobele settled here after his term of service. ''Monterey'' is a Spanish word meaning "mountain of the king". Monterey High School and Monterey Hotel are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Monterey is located at (38.411888, −79.580468). 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 0.3 square mile (0.8 km²), all land.

Transportation

U.S. Route 220 U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways, which run east-west. US 220 extends for ...

and

U.S. Route 250 U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Richmond, Virginia, to Sandusky, Ohio. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohi ...

are the main highways serving Monterey. US 220 is oriented northeast to southwest. To the southwest, the closest large city it passes through is Roanoke, while to the northeast, it is

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

. US 250 extends northwest to southeast, and its destinations include Staunton to the southeast and Elkins to the northwest. US 250 was built through the area in the 1840s as a portion of the historic

Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike The Staunton–Parkersburg Turnpike was built in what is now the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia during the second quarter of the 19th century to provide a roadway from Staunton, Virginia and the upper Shenandoah Valley to the Ohio River ...

which linked the upper

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...

with the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

Economy and tourism

The town of Monterey is heavily dependent on agriculture and on niche tourism generated from its many events and shops catering to tourists. The biggest festival is the Highland County Maple Festival, held on the second and third weekends of March, which brings roughly 50,000 visitors to the area.

Demographics

As of the 2010

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 ...

, there were 147 people, 79 households, and 46 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 490 people per square mile (183.8/km²). There were 121 housing units at an average density of 403.3 per square mile (151.25/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.6%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, and 0.7%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

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 0.7% of the population. There were 79 households, out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.37. In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 33.4% from 45 to 64, and 27.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 82.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $50,446, and the median income for a family was $64,792. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $35,625 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 $31,673. 7.2% of the families and 16.5% of the population were living 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 20% of those under 18 and 14.3% of those over 64.

Climate

The climate in this area has relatively high differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. Summers are generally warm, sometimes hot, and winters are relatively cold. 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 ...

system, Monterey has a warm summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Monterey, Virginia
/ref>

External Links

* Th
Official Website
for the Town of Monterey

References

{{authority control Towns in Highland County, Virginia Towns in Virginia County seats in Virginia