Monticello’s post office opened in 1827, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #7 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
9 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 41 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: the first Monticello post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Monticello’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monticello is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #7 of 638 in Florida. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Monticello’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Monticello’s 192 sits above most of its state (96% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 51 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Monticello’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The City of Monticello was first settled in 1827, while it was still part of the Florida Territory, and was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1859, 15 years after Florida was already admitted into the Union as a U.S. state.
The Perkins Opera House is a 19th-century mercantile building adapted for use as a theater. It regularly hosts musical performances and theater productions. The first-floor ballroom also holds receptions.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Monticello post office opened in 1827, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Monticello rank for history?
Monticello is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #7 of 638 in Florida. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Monticello?
9 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Wirick-Simmons House (listed 1972, the first), and 1 historic district, the Monticello Historic District, with 41 contributing buildings. 51 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Monticello?
17% of Monticello’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.0 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1976.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (9), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1867
