Milton, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Milton, Florida
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| City of Milton | |
Santa Rosa County Courthouse
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Santa Rosa |
| Incorporated | 1844 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.86 sq mi (15.17 km2) |
| • Land | 5.63 sq mi (14.58 km2) |
| • Water | 0.23 sq mi (0.59 km2) |
| Elevation | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 10,197 |
| • Density | 1,811.19/sq mi (699.27/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
32570, 32571, 32572, 32583
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| Area code(s) | 850 |
| FIPS code | 12-45750 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0286947 |
| Website | City of Milton |
Milton is a city in Florida, and it's the main town of Santa Rosa County. It's part of the larger Pensacola area. Milton became an official city in 1844. However, some nearby areas like East Milton, Point Baker, and Bagdad are not officially part of the city.
Milton is located in the middle of Santa Rosa County. It shares borders with Pace to the west and Navarre to the south. In 2020, about 10,197 people lived in Milton. This was an increase from 8,826 people in 2010.
Contents
Milton's Name: How It Got Its Start
Milton has had many different names over the years. Some of the most interesting ones were "Hell-Town," "Jernigan's Landing," "Scratch Ankle," and "Hard Scrabble."
"Scratch Ankle" came from the thorny plants that grew along the riverbanks. "Hell-Town" described the hot, swampy land full of briars, mosquitoes, and snakes.
No one is completely sure how Milton got its final name. Some people think it came from "Milltown," because of the many mills there. Others believe it was named after Milton Amos, an early settler. Another idea is that it was named after John Milton, who was a governor of Florida during the Civil War. This John Milton was not the famous English poet.
Milton's Past: A Look at Its History
Milton started as a small village in the early 1800s. It was a busy place for the lumber industry. The town was first called "Scratch Ankle" because of the thorny plants. It was also known as "Jernigan's Landing" after Benjamin Jernigan. He built a water-powered saw mill around 1828 to 1830. Other early names included Lumberton, Black Water, and Hard Scrabble. By 1839, people started calling it Milltown. Milton officially became a town in 1844. This was just one year before Florida became the 27th state in the United States.
Milton During the Civil War
During the Civil War, much of Milton was burned down. This happened when Confederate soldiers were leaving the area. They did this to stop the town's factories and businesses from falling into the hands of the Union army. Union troops later set up a small base nearby in Bagdad. Many people living in Milton moved to Alabama during this time.
Milton's "Hell Town" Days
In its early days, Milton was known as a very rough town. Judges from a nearby county would send criminals to Milton. Because of this, residents nicknamed it "Hell Town." There's an old story that even the famous Rough Riders behaved very well when they passed through Milton.
Naval Air Station Whiting Field was built during World War II. Many German prisoners of war helped build it. They lived in a camp on the site. The station officially opened on July 16, 1943. It was named after Captain Kenneth Whiting.
Healthcare in Milton
The first hospital care in Milton began in 1951. A group of local people created the Santa Rosa County Hospital Board. The first hospital, Santa Rosa Hospital, opened on December 2, 1952. It was located on Stewart Street. The hospital grew in the 1960s, but by 1970, it was too small. A new hospital was built and opened in December 1972. This new hospital is now known as the Santa Rosa Medical Center.
The 1962 Tornado
On March 31, 1962, a strong tornado hit the northwest side of Milton. It was an F3 tornado, which means it was very powerful. This tornado caused 17 deaths and injured 100 people. It was the deadliest tornado in Florida until 1998. In 1998, another F3 tornado killed 25 people in Kissimmee. The Milton tornado was also the deadliest tornado in the entire year of 1962.
Milton's Location: Where It Is
Milton is located at 30°34′56″N 87°05′12″W / 30.582332°N 87.086700°W. It is near the mouth of the Blackwater River.
The city covers about 4.6 square miles (11.9 square kilometers) in total. Most of this area, about 4.4 square miles (11.4 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.2 square miles (0.5 square kilometers), is water.
Milton's Weather: Climate Information
| Climate data for Milton, Florida (Milton Experimental Station), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–2008 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) |
84 (29) |
88 (31) |
94 (34) |
99 (37) |
103 (39) |
104 (40) |
102 (39) |
102 (39) |
98 (37) |
88 (31) |
82 (28) |
104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.2 (24.0) |
77.6 (25.3) |
83.6 (28.7) |
87.3 (30.7) |
92.5 (33.6) |
96.6 (35.9) |
97.9 (36.6) |
96.8 (36.0) |
95.0 (35.0) |
89.7 (32.1) |
83.5 (28.6) |
78.0 (25.6) |
99.1 (37.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 59.9 (15.5) |
64.4 (18.0) |
71.2 (21.8) |
77.0 (25.0) |
84.9 (29.4) |
89.8 (32.1) |
91.0 (32.8) |
90.8 (32.7) |
87.4 (30.8) |
79.6 (26.4) |
69.8 (21.0) |
62.7 (17.1) |
77.4 (25.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 48.1 (8.9) |
52.0 (11.1) |
58.2 (14.6) |
64.3 (17.9) |
72.3 (22.4) |
78.4 (25.8) |
80.1 (26.7) |
79.7 (26.5) |
76.1 (24.5) |
66.9 (19.4) |
56.4 (13.6) |
50.7 (10.4) |
65.3 (18.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 36.0 (2.2) |
39.6 (4.2) |
45.3 (7.4) |
51.7 (10.9) |
59.6 (15.3) |
66.9 (19.4) |
69.1 (20.6) |
68.6 (20.3) |
64.7 (18.2) |
54.1 (12.3) |
43.0 (6.1) |
38.7 (3.7) |
53.1 (11.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 21.3 (−5.9) |
24.0 (−4.4) |
30.3 (−0.9) |
37.6 (3.1) |
49.6 (9.8) |
59.7 (15.4) |
66.3 (19.1) |
64.9 (18.3) |
54.6 (12.6) |
38.3 (3.5) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
17.3 (−8.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 3 (−16) |
11 (−12) |
20 (−7) |
30 (−1) |
39 (4) |
50 (10) |
55 (13) |
57 (14) |
37 (3) |
28 (−2) |
19 (−7) |
8 (−13) |
3 (−16) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.89 (150) |
4.66 (118) |
5.39 (137) |
5.55 (141) |
3.78 (96) |
7.48 (190) |
7.68 (195) |
6.89 (175) |
6.50 (165) |
4.40 (112) |
4.81 (122) |
4.61 (117) |
67.64 (1,718) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.6 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 11.0 | 14.6 | 13.2 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 7.8 | 107.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS2 (mean maxima/minima 1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
Milton's People: Demographics and Population
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,815 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,014 | −44.1% | |
| 1880 | 1,058 | 4.3% | |
| 1890 | 1,455 | 37.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,204 | −17.3% | |
| 1910 | 831 | −31.0% | |
| 1920 | 1,594 | 91.8% | |
| 1930 | 1,466 | −8.0% | |
| 1940 | 1,851 | 26.3% | |
| 1950 | 2,040 | 10.2% | |
| 1960 | 4,108 | 101.4% | |
| 1970 | 5,360 | 30.5% | |
| 1980 | 7,206 | 34.4% | |
| 1990 | 7,216 | 0.1% | |
| 2000 | 7,045 | −2.4% | |
| 2010 | 8,826 | 25.3% | |
| 2020 | 10,197 | 15.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
A census is an official count of how many people live in a place. It also gathers information about them.
Milton's Population in 2010 and 2020
| Race | People in 2010 | People in 2020 | % in 2010 | % in 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 6,594 | 7,410 | 74.71% | 72.67% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,200 | 1,120 | 13.60% | 10.98% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 62 | 53 | 0.70% | 0.52% |
| Asian (NH) | 188 | 172 | 2.13% | 1.69% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 19 | 51 | 0.22% | 0.50% |
| Some other race (NH) | 23 | 47 | 0.26% | 0.46% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 314 | 725 | 3.56% | 7.11% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 426 | 619 | 4.83% | 6.07% |
| Total | 8,826 | 10,197 |
According to the 2020 United States census, there were 10,197 people living in Milton. These people lived in 4,161 households, and 2,239 of these were families.
In the 2010 United States census, there were 8,826 people. They lived in 3,465 households, and 2,252 of these were families.
Milton's Attractions: Things to See and Do
Santa Rosa Medical Center (SRMC) is a hospital in Milton with 129 beds. It is the main hospital for healthcare and emergency services in Santa Rosa County.
Milton is home to the West Florida Railroad Museum. You can also find the Blackwater-Heritage-State-Trail here, which is great for outdoor activities. The historic Imogene Theater is also in Milton. The Santa Rosa Historical Society owns and operates this theater.
Today, Milton is known as the "Canoe Capital of Florida." This is because of the many opportunities for canoeing and kayaking on the Blackwater River.
Milton's Famous Faces: Notable People
Many interesting people have connections to Milton, Florida. Here are some of them:
- Randy Allen, a professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings.
- Dan Amos, who helped start the company Aflac.
- Mark Everett, a professional sprinter and world indoor champion in 1997. He was born in Milton.
- Greg Evers, a Florida politician and farmer.
- Daniel Ewing, a professional basketball player for the NBA and Israeli Premier League.
- Cortland Finnegan, an NFL cornerback for teams like the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins.
- Dayton Hobbs, a pastor who is believed to have created tee-ball.
- Bolley Johnson, a member and speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
- Reggie Slack, a quarterback for the NFL and Canadian Football League.
- Heath Slocum, a professional golfer on the PGA Tour.
- Kevin Stitt, the current governor of Oklahoma.
- Lawrence Tynes, an NFL placekicker for teams like the New York Giants.
- Casper Van Dien, an actor known for movies like Starship Troopers. He was born in Milton.
- Rod Walker, an NFL defensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers. He was born in Milton.
- Bubba Watson, a professional golfer and two-time Masters champion.
- Boo Weekley, a professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He was born in Milton.
- Elijah Williams, an NFL cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons. He was born in Milton.
- Thomas F. West, a Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court. He was born and grew up in Milton.
See also
In Spanish: Milton (Florida) para niños
