Vernon

History

The pioneer city was the site of a major Native American settlement before colonization. In the 1820s, during the Florida Territory era, Vernon started off as a colonial settlement called "Roche's Bluff" after one of the earliest settler's surname, Stephen J. Roche, who built and owned a trading post along Holmes Creek. The community was renamed "Vernon" in 1851. It was renamed for George Washington's Virginia home, Mount Vernon, playing off the county's name being Washington County. Vernon held the county seat from 1851 until 1927, when the seat was moved to Chipley. Vernon gained infamy in the late 1950s and early 1960s due to the improbably high percentage of residents who made insurance claims for lost limbs, leading to an investigation of whether residents of the city were intentionally dismembering themselves for the insurance money. These insurance claims from Vernon, with a population of 500 to 800, accounted for as many as 2/3 of claims nationally, but there was no way of proving that any particular amputation was deliberate. This led to Vernon being referred to as "nub city" during this period. In 1980, Errol Morris attempted to make a documentary about this phenomenon, but after being threatened by city residents and physically attacked by one, he changed the focus of the film, resulting in the 1981 documentary film Vernon, Florida.

Geography

Florida State Road 79 is the main route through the city, and leads north to Bonifay along Interstate 10 and southwest to Ebro. Another more local road, Florida State Road 277, begins in the city and leads northeast to Chipley, the Washington County seat. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, the City of Vernon has a humid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• VERNON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · VERNON · 579 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• VERNON HIGH SCHOOL
  High · VERNON · 344 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• VERNON MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · VERNON · 256 students · 18.3:1 ratio