Mount Vernon was founded in 1797. It became the county seat Montgomery County in 1813, replacing the plantation of Arthur Lott. It was incorporated as a town in 1872 and as a city in 1960. The city is named after Mount Vernon, the estate of George Washington.
Mount Vernon is part of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,082 people, 704 households, and 461 families residing in the city. The population density was 505.4 people per square mile. There were 840 housing units at an average density of 203.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 56.34% White, 41.83% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.82% from other races, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.59% of the population. There were 704 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couplesliving together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.19. In the city, the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 22.0% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,466, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $27,112 versus $19,766 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,509. About 18.3% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 22.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
College
is a private, Christian, coeducational college whose main campus is located in Mount Vernon.
Montgomery County High School didn't have an integrated prom until 2010. The school received national attention in the New York Times for unofficially sponsoring separate, segregated proms for white and black students. It is one of 178 school districts in the United States with an open, active desegregation order.
