Lake Monticello, a private gated community, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fluvanna County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,920 at the 2010 census, an increase of over 44% from 2000. The community is centered on a lake of the same name, which is formed by a dam on a short tributary of the nearby Rivanna River. Lake Monticello is part of the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lake Monticello was developed in the 1960's as a summer vacation home community but quickly evolved into a bedroom community of Charlottesville, and to a smaller extent of Richmond. It also has a sizable retirement age population.GeographyLake Monticello is located in northwestern Fluvanna County at . It is bordered to the northwest by the Albemarle County line, to the northeast by the Rivanna River, to the south by Riverside Drive and South Boston Road, and to the southwest by Virginia State Route 53, the Thomas Jefferson Parkway. VA 53 leads northwest to Charlottesville, passing Monticello, the estate of Thomas Jefferson, along the way. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 24.5sqkm, of which 22.9sqkm is land and 1.6sqkm, or 6.59%, is water. Via the Rivanna River, Lake Monticello is part of the James River watershed.