Community Description
Short Description: Micanopy (Mick-can-oh'-pee) is located 12 miles southeast of Gainesville and 70 miles southwest of Jacksonville. Micanopy is possibly the oldest inland town in the state since it was a Timucuan Indian settlement when DeSoto passed through in 1539. When botanist William Bartram passed in 1774, the Seminole Indians had made Micanopy their home and the capital of their nation due to its location on the edge of Payne's Prairie.
The name Micanopy comes from Mikanope, the Head Chief of the Seminole Indians at the beginning of the Seminole War of 1835. Micanopy means, "head chief." White colonists reached the area in 1817 to settle on a land grant of 290,000 acres owned by Don Fernando de la Maza Arredondo of Cuba. Dr. Payne, a Virginian, established a settlement at the present site in 1835 and the government there established a military post in 1837.
Micanopy served as the backdrop for films Doc Hollywood, with Michael J. Fox, and Cross Creek, with Mary Steenburgen and Rip Torn.
Community events include the Fourth of July celebration and a fall arts and crafts festival. Nearby communities include McIntosh (6 miles), Reddick (11 miles), Gainesville (12 miles), Williston (14 miles), Hawthorne (14.5 miles), Archer (16.5 miles) and Waldo (21 miles).
Population: 653
Year of Incorporation: 1837
Location: North Central Florida
Median Home Price: $114,210
Tax Rate: 6.00
Taxes Levied (per capita): $127.96
Total Area: 0.99 square miles
City Hall: Town of Micanopy
706 NE Cholokka Blvd, PO Box 137
Micanopy, FL 32667 352.466.3121; 352.466.4912 Fax
Library:
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