Montezuma had its start in 1851, when the railroad was extended to that point. The city was named after the famous Aztec leader by soldiers returning from the Mexican War. It was incorporated in 1854. Montezuma is also home to a thriving Mennonite community, because ten to fifteen Mennonite families moved from Virginia in the 1950s.
Geography
Montezuma is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles, of which, 4.5 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square miles of it is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,999 people, 1,501 households, and 1,050 families residing in the city. The population density was 887.9 people per square mile. There were 1,673 housing units at an average density of 371.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 28.03% White, 69.84% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.70% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.40% of the population. There were 1,501 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couplesliving together, 29.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,022, and the median income for a family was $27,469. Males had a median income of $26,226 versus $16,995 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,168. About 21.8% of families and 25.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.1% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.
Educational Information
There are 2 schools in the Montezuma, Ga which have a combined architecture sharing only the lunching facility and 1 in Oglethorpe, Ga. There are 2,026 students enrolled in the Macon Countyschool systems as of July 31, 2006. Macon County Elementary School has 979 students enrolled, Macon County Middle School has 447 students enrolled, and Macon County High School has 600 students enrolled. As all schools in the State of Georgia are required to meet—did not meet AYP for the 2006 seniors but met it the previous year with the 2005 seniors. AYP under NCLB is more stringent than AYP under previous ESEA laws. AYP now requires schools to meet criteria in three areas: Test Participation, Academic Performance, and a Second Indicator.
