One theory is the city was named for Lillian Mott, the secretary of the town promoter, while the competing theory say the city was named for C. W. Mott, a railroad employee.

[9] A distinctive symbol for Mott was the art deco arched "rainbow" bridge crossing the Cannonball River to the unincorporated area colloquially known as "West Mott".

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.90 square miles (2.33 km2), all land.

The racial makeup of the city was 97.9% White, 0.4% Native American, and 1.7% from two or more races.

37.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The racial makeup of the city was 99.50% White, 0.12% Native American, 0.25% Pacific Islander, and 0.12% from two or more races.

42.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Prior to unification the Mott School District's mascot was the Cardinals.