Mount Vernon is a city in, and the county seat of, Montgomery County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,900 at the 2020 census,[2] down from 2,451 in 2010. It is home to Brewton–Parker College.
Mount Vernon was founded in 1797. It became the county seat in 1813, replacing the plantation of Arthur Lott. It was incorporated as a town in 1872 and as a city in 1960.[5] The city is named after Mount Vernon, the estate of George Washington.[6]
Mount Vernon is located on the west side of Montgomery County at 32°10′53″N 82°35′38″W / 32.18139°N 82.59389°W (32.181403, -82.593759).[7] It sits on high ground 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the Oconee River, which forms the Wheeler County line. It is bordered to the east by Ailey.
U.S. Routes 221 and 280 intersect just north of the center of town. US 221 leads north 14 miles (23 km) to Soperton and south 25 miles (40 km) to Hazlehurst, while US 280 leads east 11 miles (18 km) to Vidalia and west 21 miles (34 km) to McRae–Helena.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Mount Vernon has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), of which 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2), or 0.76%, are water.[1]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 69 | — | |
| 1890 | 707 | 924.6% | |
| 1900 | 573 | −19.0% | |
| 1910 | 605 | 5.6% | |
| 1920 | 722 | 19.3% | |
| 1930 | 779 | 7.9% | |
| 1940 | 900 | 15.5% | |
| 1950 | 990 | 10.0% | |
| 1960 | 1,166 | 17.8% | |
| 1970 | 1,579 | 35.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,737 | 10.0% | |
| 1990 | 1,914 | 10.2% | |
| 2000 | 2,082 | 8.8% | |
| 2010 | 2,451 | 17.7% | |
| 2020 | 1,990 | −18.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 790 | 39.7% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 977 | 49.1% |
| Native American | 4 | 0.2% |
| Asian | 15 | 0.75% |
| Other/Mixed | 48 | 2.41% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 156 | 7.84% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,990 people, 841 households, and 554 families residing in the city.
Brewton–Parker College is a private, Christian, coeducational college whose main campus is located in Mount Vernon.
The Montgomery County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.[10] The district has 83 full-time teachers and over 1,294 students.[11]
Montgomery County High School didn't have an integrated prom until 2010. The school received national attention in the New York Times for unofficially sponsoring separate, segregated proms for white and black students. It is one of 178 school districts in the United States with an open, active desegregation order.[12][13][14]
Municipalities and communities of Montgomery County, Georgia, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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