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St. Joseph, Missouri

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City of St. Joseph, Missouri
Downtown St. Joseph in 2006
Downtown St. Joseph in 2006
Nickname: 
St. Joe
Location in the state of Missouri
Location in the state of Missouri
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
CountyBuchanan
Government
 • MayorKen Shearin
Population
 (2006)
 • Total72,651
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Websitehttp://www.stjoemo.info/

Saint Joseph (informally, St. Joe) is the largest city in Northwest Missouri, and seventh largest city in the state, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 72,651.[1] The St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Buchanan, Andrew, and DeKalb counties in Missouri and Doniphan County, Kansas, had an estimated population of 122,306 in 2006. Saint Joseph is also home to Missouri Western State University.

History

The intersection of Felix and North 4th Streets in downtown St. Joseph

Saint Joseph was founded by Joseph Robidoux, a local fur trader, and officially incorporated in 1843.[2] In its early days, it was a bustling outpost and rough frontier town, serving as a last supply point and jumping-off point over the Missouri River toward the "Wild West", this due largely to the fact that it was the westernmost point in the United States accessible by rail until after the American Civil War.

Several events of particular historical note occurred in Saint Joseph. Between April 3, 1860, and late October 1861, Saint Joseph was one of the two endpoints of the Pony Express. In 1882, also on April 3, the notorious Jesse James was killed. Jesse was living under the alias of Mr. Howard. An excerpt from a popular poem of the time is: "...that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard has laid poor Jesse in his grave." The Heaton-Bowman-Smith Funeral Home maintains a small museum about Jesse James. Their predecessors conducted the funeral. The museum is open to the public. His home, which has been relocated at least three times, is now maintained as a tourist attraction that features the bullet hole from that fateful shot. These two events lend Saint Joseph the slogan, "Where the Pony Express started and Jesse James ended."

Saint Joseph peaked as an expansionist city in 1900, with a census population of 102,979. In 1997, Saint Joseph was named an "All-America City" by the National Civic League. [1] Saint Joseph was voted the tenth top true western town of 2007 by the True West Magazine, in the January/February 2007 issue.

Geography

St. Joseph as viewed from King Hill in 2006
Downtown St. Joseph in 2006

Saint Joseph is located at 39°45′29″N 94°50′12″W / 39.75806°N 94.83667°W / 39.75806; -94.83667Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (39.757944, -94.836541)Template:GR, on the Missouri/Kansas border in northwestern Missouri. The nearest major metropolitan area to Saint Joseph is the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, which begins approximately 30 miles to the south. The nearest major airport is Kansas City International Airport, which is approximately 35 miles to the south. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 115.3 km² (44.5 mi²). 113.5 km² (43.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.7 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (1.48%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 73,990 people, 29,026 households, and 18,460 families residing in the city. The population density was 651.6/km² (1,687.7/mi²). There were 31,752 housing units at an average density of 279.6/km² (724.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.88% White, 5.03% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.61% of the population.

There were 29,026 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,663, and the median income for a family was $40,995. Males had a median income of $31,300 versus $21,592 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,445. About 9.1% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

The St. Joseph School District operates public schools in St. Joseph

The following private schools are in St. Joseph.

Places of interest

The Buchanan County Courthouse in downtown St. Joseph
The Missouri River in St. Joseph

Notable natives

Media outlets

Television stations

  • KQTV, Channel 2, KQ2 (ABC)
  • KTAJ, Channel 16, TV16 (TBN)

Radio stations

  • KFEQ, 680 AM (News/talk radio)
  • KGNM, 1270 AM (Christian radio)
  • KKJO, 105.5 FM, K-Jo (Hot AC)
  • KSFT, 1550 AM (Oldies)
  • KSJQ, 92.7 FM, Q Country (Country)
  • KSRD, 91.9 FM (Christian Radio)

Newspapers

  • St. Joseph News-Press
  • The Saint Joseph Telegraph
  • The Mule

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Census Bureau (2006). "Missouri -- Place and County Subdivision". U.S. Census Bureau. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ North America Travel Guide. "Saint Peters : Missouri". North America Travel Guide. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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