Peculiar, Missouri
| Peculiar, Missouri | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
 |
|
| Coordinates: 38°43′15″N 94°27′24″W / 38.72083°N 94.45667°WCoordinates: 38°43′15″N 94°27′24″W / 38.72083°N 94.45667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Cass |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.5 sq mi (9.2 km2) |
| • Land | 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 991 ft (302 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 4,608 |
| • Density | 744.8/sq mi (287.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 64078 |
| Area code(s) | 816 |
| FIPS code | 29-56756[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0724169[2] |
Peculiar is a city in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,608 at the 2010 census. The town motto is, appropriately enough, "Where the 'odds' are with you."
Contents |
[edit] History
Early settlers of the town came to Western Missouri by riverboat from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Peculiar also had families coming from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia.[3] On July 29, 1868, the county surveyor, Robert Cass, platted Peculiar and was filed as "The Town of Peculiar".[3]
Peculiar received its name when the first postmaster, Edgar Thomson, had his first choice, Excelsior, rejected because it already existed in Atchison County, Missouri. Several other choices were also rejected. The story goes that the annoyed Thomson wrote to the Postmaster General himself to complain saying, among other things, "We don't care what name you give us so long as it is sort of 'peculiar'." Thomson submitted the name "Peculiar" and the name was approved. The post office was established on June 22, 1868.[4]
In 1953 Peculiar was incorporated and became a fourth class city of the state of Missouri.[3]
The city celebrated its centenary in July 1968. The celebrations continued for nine days and included an antique show and sale, a Lions Club championship rodeo, and an open class Western horse show.[5]
[edit] Government
Peculiar is governed by a Mayor / Board Of Aldermen type system. The mayor is elected to a two year term. The Board Of Aldermen is composed of six members. Two members are elected from each of the three wards in the city. One alderman is elected each year for each ward to serve a two year term.[6]
[edit] Geography
Peculiar is located at 38°43′15″N 94°27′24″W / 38.72083°N 94.45667°W (38.720896, -94.456733) at an elevation of 991 ft. [7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.2 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.41%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,604 people, 953 households, and 730 families residing in the city. The population density was 744.8 people per square mile (287.3/km²). There were 983 housing units at an average density of 281.2 per square mile (108.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.20% White, 0.27% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.
There were 953 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,769, and the median income for a family was $48,534. Males had a median income of $36,921 versus $27,885 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,104. About 5.7% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable residents
- Paul Coffman, Packer Hall of Famer who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1978–1985, and for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1986-1987.
- Chase Coffman, American football player, currently a member of the Cincinnati Bengals
- Carson Coffman, American football player, quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats
- Jesse Beck, reality TV personality best known for his appearances on The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b c www.cityofpeculiar.com
- ^ 'Indecision leads to Peculiar', by Stan Durnin, Linn's Stamp News, n.d.
- ^ Centennial booklet, 1968
- ^ History of Peculiar. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
