Montopolis, Austin, Texas

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 south 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. and is located in city council District 3.

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:

Del Valle schools zoned for Montopolis include:

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 82% Hispanic/Latino, 10% black, 7% 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.

Montopolis was settled in the 1830s as a separate community southeast of Downtown Austin in south central Travis County when Jessie C. Tannehill built a cabin and laid out a townsite to be called Montopolis for its location on top of a hill. Montopolis was almost made the capital of the fledgling Republic of Texas, before it was moved to Austin. The town did not develop as expected, probably because Austin was so close. A small community of fifty, however, was in place in the mid-1890s, and a post office called Montopolis opened in January 1897. The two cities embarked on starkly different paths. After the Civil War, Montopolis became home to newly freed slaves who worked as sharecroppers. In the early 20th century, the neighborhood saw a large influx of Mexican immigrants, a trend that continues today. 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.

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