Montopolis, Austin, Texas
Montopolis | |
|---|---|
 Dolores Catholic Church | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| City | Austin |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 78741 |
| Area code(s) | 512, 737 |
Montopolis is a neighborhood in Austin, Texas. Located southeast of the city's urban core, Montopolis encompasses part of ZIP code 78741.
Montopolis is located southeast of Lake Lady Bird and is bounded on the west by Grove Street and the Pleasant Valley neighborhood, to the south by Texas State Highway 71 and the Southeast Austin neighborhood and U.S. Route 183 to the east. It is located adjacent to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.[1] and is located in city council District 3.[2]
History
Montopolis was established in 1830 as a separate community southeast of Downtown Austin in south-central Travis County when Jessie C. Tannehill built a casino and laid out a townsite to be originally called "Montopolis", for its location on top of a hill.[3] Prior to its establishment, the area was home to the Native American Tonkowda tribe who lived along the Colorado River that was part of the El Camino Real de los Tejas. After the Civil War, the area became a freedmen's town known as "Montopolis", home to newly freed slaves who worked as sharecroppers.[3] In the early 20th century, the neighborhood saw a large influx of Mexican immigrants. The census of 1900 listed the Montopolis population as 142, but in 1902 its post office was discontinued and mail for area residents was sent to Austin.[4]
Despite the close proximity, Austin waited until 1952 to partially annex Montopolis, and it wasn't fully annexed until the 1970s. The working-class neighborhood has long been one of the poorest in Austin, with about two of every five residents living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census. Educational attainment also lags far behind the city average — in 2000, 53 percent of Montopolis residents more than 25 years old didn't have a high school diploma.
Given Austin's tremendous growth, Montopolis has experienced increased development in the 21st Century. The community is located in a strategic location in Austin — adjacent to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and along two major highways: Texas State Highway 71 and U.S. Route 183. In 2005, the City of Austin was working on finalizing a Master Plan for the entire East Riverside Drive corridor, from the East Riverside-Oltorf Combined Planning Area to Montopolis to ABIA.[5]
An increase in development has spurred fears of gentrification. Although activists stopped a zoning change in early 2014 that would have allowed building condos instead of duplexes,[6] the condos were approved in late 2014.[7] As of 2015, Google announced that their Google Fiber internet service will be available in the area.[8]
Education
Montopolis is served by both the Austin Independent School District and the Del Valle Independent School District as well. AISD schools zoned for Montopolis are as follows:* Allison Elementary School
- Martin Middle School
- Eastside Memorial High School at the Johnston Campus
Del Valle schools zoned for Montopolis include:
- Baty Elementary
- Gilbert Elementary School
- Hillcrest Elementary School
- Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary School
- Dailey Middle School
- Ojeda Middle School
- Del Valle High School
Demographics
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the area defined as Montopolis was 6,869 in 2009, across an area of 2.555 square miles. The population density per square miles is 2,689 people per square mile, just above Austin's citywide average of 2,610 people per square mile. The racial breakdown is 61% Hispanic/Latino, 21% black, 15% white and 1% other. Median household income in 2009 in Montopolis was $28,922, below Austin's average of $50,132. The community is on average younger than the rest of the city, as the median age for males is 25.1 and for 26.4 for females (compared with 29.6 and 30.2, respectively). The average estimated value of detached houses in 2009 (52.6% of all units) was $110,949, lower than Austin average of $286,025.[9]
References
- ^ "Neighborhood Planning: Montopolis" (PDF). City of Austin. Retrieved Mar 22, 2015.
- ^ http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2014-09-26/ten-districts-many-visions-district-3/
- ^ a b Barnes, Michael (September 24, 2016). "Older than Austin, Montopolis opens up its history". Austin American Statesman. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth. "Montopolis, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved Nov 23, 2011.
- ^ Schwartz, Jeremy (May 5, 2005). "Developers building bridges to overlooked Montopolis". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved Nov 23, 2011.
- ^ Smith, Amy. "Then There's This: Montopolis Is Cool With Uncool". The Austin Chronicle. Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-28. Retrieved 2014-12-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://austininno.streetwise.co/2015/07/13/google-fiber-offered-in-east-riverside-east-oltorf-montopolis-dove-springs/
- ^ "Montopolis Detailed Profile". City-data.com. Retrieved Nov 21, 2011.
External links
- Montopolis Recreation Center
- ACC Riverside Campus
- Austin's Montopolis Neighborhood 2014 Arcadia Publishing
30°15′29″N 97°46′52″W / 30.25806°N 97.78111°W
