Micanopy,_Florida

Micanopy, Florida

Micanopy is a town in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is south of Gainesville. The population in the 2000 census was 653. As of 2004, the population according to the U.S. Census Bureau was 652. The old town of Micanopy is an historic district, and contains a number of antique stores, as well as a large used book store and a couple of restaurants. Micanopy is pronounced as if it were spelled mick-a-no-pee with the accent on the third syllable.

History

Micanopy was the first distinct United States town in Florida, with settlement beginning after Spain ceded the Florida territory in 1821. When explorer and naturalist William Bartram visited in 1774, it was the site of a Seminole village called Cuscowilla. Bartram's favorable writings about this fertile area influenced future generations of settlers. Named after a Seminole chief, the territorial town of Micanopy was built under the auspices of the Florida Association of New York (the earliest Florida development corporation, headquartered in New York City). Both Fort Defiance (1835-1836) and Fort Micanopy (1837-1843) were located here during the Second Seminole War.

Micanopy's historic district was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1983. One of the town's founders, Moses E. Levy, is the subject of an acclaimed biography -- Moses Levy of Florida: Jewish Utopian and Antebellum Reformer (2005). Micanopy has been used as a location for several major motion pictures including Cross Creek (1983) and Doc Hollywood (1991), and is mentioned in the hit country song "Seminole Wind."

Noted residents include the late zoologist and author, Archie Carr and his conservationist wife, Marjorie Harris Carr, who lived for many years at their home at Wewa Pond just outside Micanopy.

Geography

Micanopy is located at (29.506489, -82.282013).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²). 2.7 km² (1.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (4.63%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 653 people, 302 households, and 172 families residing in the town. The population density was 244.8/km² (631.4/mi²). There were 346 housing units at an average density of 129.7/km² (334.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.30% White, 28.94% African American, 0.61% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.99% of the population.

There were 302 households out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the town the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,778, and the median income for a family was $38,611. Males had a median income of $30,938 versus $20,294 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,433. About 3.0% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Micanopy hosts a large arts festival every Fall featuring many local (and distant) artists. The festival brings in a crowd much larger than the town's population from across Payne's Prairie in Gainesville and surrounding areas.