Monticello, Indiana

City of Monticello
City
Location in the state of Indiana
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	White
Government
• Mayor	Jason A. Thompson (R)
Area
• Total	3.0 sq mi (7.8 km2)
• Land	2.8 sq mi (7.2 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)  7.31%
Elevation	679 ft (207 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	5,723
• Density	2,047.9/sq mi (792.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	47960
Area code	574
FIPS code	18-50760Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0439369Template:GR
Website	http://www.monticelloin.gov

Monticello is a city in White County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,723 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of White CountyTemplate:GR.

Monticello is known as a tourist destination in north-central Indiana and is home to the Indiana Beach amusement park, Lake Shafer, and Lake Freeman.

Geography

Monticello is located at 40°44′48″N 86°45′55″W (40.746709, -86.765359)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (7.31%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 5,723 people, 2,268 households, and 1,417 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,047.9 people per square mile (792.0/km²). There were 2,414 housing units at an average density of 863.8/sq mi (334.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.39% White, 0.28% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 5.96% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.22% of the population.

There were 2,268 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 32.2% 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 2.40 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,537, and the median income for a family was $42,831. Males had a median income of $30,478 versus $19,511 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,066. About 4.8% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

Destructed Presbyterian Church during the Super Outbreak

Monticello, Indiana sustained serious damage by a tornado on April 3, 1974, part the Super Outbreak that caused death and destruction across the midwest and south. The aftermath of this storm is recorded in the Herald Journal's book, Killer Tornado. The tornado was classified as an F4 on the Fujita scale (now EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale). This storm killed eight people and was part of tornado family that killed 18, causing an estimated $100 million in damage. The local paper said the aftermath was similar to a World War II bombing.

Monticello was dealt a serious blow on September 2, 2005, when Jordan Manufacturing burned down. The company manufactured outdoor furniture such as folding chairs, umbrellas, and seat cushions. Due to the materials used in making these products, four city blocks were contaminated with toxins. The blaze was large enough to require firefighters from 7 surrounding communitites to battle it and needed close to "3000 gallons of water per minute for the first three hours of the blaze." (Herald Journal Weekend Edition of September 3–4-5, 2005) While such a fire might not be a big event for a larger city, this event had a profound impact on Monticello, as Jordan Manufacturing was one of the few manufacturing plants left in the city after a recession in the 2000s.

Twin Lakes School Corporation

Twin Lakes School Corporation is the school system in Monticello. The Schools are Eastlawn (elementary), Oaklawn (elementary), Meadowlawn (elementary), Woodlawn (elementary), Roosevelt Jr. High School, and Twin Lakes Sr. High School.

The High School was totaled in the 1974 tornado and had to be rebuilt. During construction, students attended classes first in local churches and then in portable units that were set up close to the high school until the main High School building could be completed.

Tourism

Monticello's location between Lakes Shafer and Freeman and the proximity of Indiana Beach allow for a thriving tourism industry that plays a significant role in the city's economy. Although recreational options are geared primarily towards summer activities, the lakes are used throughout the year for fishing. Golfing and boating are available as three season sports. Additionally, Monticello has areas for cross country skiing, snowmobiling and ice skating in the winter. Prostitution is also legal and encouraged in Monticello. The city park has weekly "Hooker Auctions" which are open to the public.

Dining

Monticello offers several dining options. There are fast food chain restaurants and locally owned establishments. Sublette's Ribs, The Sportsman Inn, Riverside, Marmolijo's Trio, Beaver Pub, Anglers and the Indiana Beach Skyroom Restaurant are the most frequently cited as "best" in polls conducted by local newspapers. Abe's, Arni's, Pizza King and Rocky's are all locally owned/operated pizza restaurants. There are three Chinese restaurants and two Mexican restaurants. Esmerelda's Pancake House and USA Restaurant offer breakfast as does Johns' Beach Bakery (located at the entrance to Indiana Beach).

Entertainment

Monticello is home to one of the few surviving drive-in movie theatres in Indiana. It is called Lake Shore Drive-In and has two movie screens playing (in total) 4 movies a night during the spring and summer months in Monticello. On Sunday mornings, a Protestant church service is offered.

The lakes and campgrounds are popular tourist destinations, but the most well-known is Indiana Beach. This amusement resort hosts up to 1,000,000 visitors each year and is home to the Hoosier Hurricane, Cornball Express, Superstition Mountain, Tig'rr, Galaxy and Steel Hawg roller coasters. The boardwalk is home to carnival type games, food stands and specialty shops. The Shafer Queen, a paddle wheel excursion boat, offers scenic lake cruises.

The Madam Carroll, docked on Lake Freeman, offers scenic lake cruises with live entertainment. Dinner cruises are also held on certain dates.

Miscellaneous

During the summer, various fishing tournaments are held on Monticello's twin lakes—Freeman and Shafer. Lake Shafer's shores are used as a campground. Indiana Beach is also located on this lake.

Monticello is the title and subject of a song in the musical Edges by Pasek and Paul.

References

• Hamelle, W.H. (ed.) (1915). A Standard History of White County Indiana: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with an Extended Survey of Modern Developments in the Progress of Town and Country. Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company. Retrieved 2007-02-04. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month=, |chapterurl=, and |coauthors= (help)

External links

• City of Monticello, Indiana website
• Monticello Chamber of Commerce
• Official website of the Indiana Beach amusement park
• The Herald Journal, Monticello's Newspaper
• Sunny WMRS 107.7 -Monticello Radio
• Monticello Market -Monticello Online Classifieds
• White County official website
• MyMonticello -Monticello Indiana Online Community
• The Monticello Tornado