St. Clair County, Missouri

St. Clair County, Missouri
Location in the state of Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded	1841
Named for	Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory
Seat	Osceola
Largest city	Appleton City
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	701.90 sq mi (1,818 km²) 676.66 sq mi (1,753 km²) 25.25 sq mi (65 km²), 3.60%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	9,652 14/sq mi (6/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

St. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 9,652. Its county seat is Osceola. The county was organized in 1841 and named for Gen. Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory. St. Clair was also the 9th President of the United States in Congress Assembled. Under his Presidency, the Northwest Ordinance and United States Constitution were passed.=

According to the April 1907 issue of The Century Magazine, for well over thirty years, dating from 1870, St. Clair County was in open rebellion against the government of the United States, refusing to pay interest on bonds which it had issued to assist in the building of a railroad, which was never built.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 701.90 square miles (1,817.9 km²), of which 676.66 square miles (1,752.5 km²) (or 96.40%) is land and 25.25 square miles (65.4 km²) (or 3.60%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Henry County (north)
• Benton County (northeast)
• Hickory County (east)
• Polk County (southeast)
• Cedar County (south)
• Vernon County (southwest)
• Bates County (northwest)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 54
• Route 13
• Route 52
• Route 82

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,652 people, 4,040 households, and 2,791 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 5,205 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.36% White, 0.23% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 0.98% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,040 households out of which 26.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.60% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.00% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 21.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,321, and the median income for a family was $31,498. Males had a median income of $23,231 versus $18,351 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,025. About 16.20% of families and 19.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.30% of those under age 18 and 17.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Appleton City Collins

Gerster Lowry City

Osceola Roscoe

Taberville Vista

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Clair County, Missouri

External links

• Digitized 1930 Plat Book of St. Clair County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books