Jump to content

Farmington, Missouri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 67.54.192.52 (talk) at 05:17, 14 August 2009 (→‎Attractions: I've added the fact that Farmington and the surrounding area are host to a rapidly growing metal band experience with dozens of bands forming, some who are being nationally acclaimed). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Farmington, Missouri
City
Motto(s): 
Tradition and Progress
Location of Farmington, Missouri
Location of Farmington, Missouri
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
CountySt. Francois
Government
 • TypeCity council
 • MayorMit Landrum (R)
Area
 • Total9.0 sq mi (23.3 km2)
 • Land9.0 sq mi (23.2 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation
915 ft (279 m)
Population
 (2007)
 • Total15,870
 • Density1,722.0/sq mi (668.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Zip Code
63640
Area code573
FIPS code29-23752Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0756036Template:GR
Websitehttp://farmington-mo.gov

Farmington is a city in St. Francois County located 60 miles south of St. Louis in the Lead Belt region in Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 13,924; a 2007 estimate, however, showed the population to be 15,870. It is the county seat of St. Francois CountyTemplate:GR. The Farmington Micropolitan Statistical Area embraces St. Francois County and Washington County.

Farmington was established in 1822 after its agricultural history and was previously known as Murphy's Settlement for William Murphy of Kentucky who first visited the site in 1798. When St. Francois County was organized, the town was briefly called St. Francois Court House and then later renamed to Farmington.

Geography

Farmington is located at 37°46′55″N 90°25′20″W / 37.78194°N 90.42222°W / 37.78194; -90.42222Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (37.781932, -90.422145)Template:GR. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.0 square miles (23.3 km²), of which, 8.9 square miles (23.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.44%) is water.

History

Arriving upon land west of the Mississippi River in 1798—which was, at that time, part of the upper Louisiana Territory and under Spanish rule—was the Irish born William Murphy. Murphy was searching for the ideal site to relocate his family and, as the tradition goes, came to find a spring near the now-standing St. Francois County Courthouse with the aid of a local Native American. Deciding that this was an excellent place to set up home, Murphy acquired a Spanish Land Grant, allowing him and his family to establish a settlement along the St. Francois River. In his travels back to Kentucky, Murphy passed, leaving it up to his wife, Sarah Barton Murphy, and their grown sons to establish the settlement–which they did when arriving to the site around 1800. Named Murphy’s Settlement, Sarah Barton Murphy is known to have assembled the premier Protestant Sunday School west of the Mississippi River. Due to Spanish law barring any religious services that were not of Roman Catholic tradition, Murphy and her students orchestrated the learning in secret. A post office in Murphy’s Settlement opened in 1817, followed by the annexation of the land to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase–creating the state of Missouri. With the advent of this, David Murphy made a contribution of 52 acres of land for the installation of the county seat of what was soon to be St. Francois County in 1822. The name of the town, Farmington, was selected in 1825, with incorporation as a town granted in 1836–soon becoming a village 20 years later in 1856. In the mid-1800s, Farmington enjoyed growth and economic well-being through the building of the historic Plank Road, which stretched from Pilot Knob to Ste. Genevieve. The road was built to transport both supplies from the shipping facilities located along the river to the mines and to move the mine’s iron ore to the shipping facilities. The route was soon taken over by the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad. The first public school was constructed in 1870 and in 1879, Farmington gained the recognition as a fourth-class city–an accolade that was surpassed in 1981 when Farmington became a third-class city. Laying down roots more than two centuries ago, Farmington has certainly become a prosperous Midwestern city. Since its 1860 population of 500, the city has transformed into a community of more than 19,000. Its economic sector has continued to thrive and its educational institutions and medical centers maintain the highest level of quality. Holding tight to its values, residents and businesses take pleasure in living in "The City of Tradition and Progress."[1]

Education

Public Schools

The Farmington R-VII School District serves the city's need for public education. According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, there are six elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools in the school district for a total of nine schools. During the 2008-2009 school year, there was a total of 3,743 students and 306 certified staff members enrolled in the Farmington R-VII School District. The school colors are gold and black and the mascot is the knight (knightette for females). Athletics offered in the school district include boys' and girls' basketball, cheerleading, cross country, soccer, tennis, and track; boys' baseball, golf, football, wrestling, and girls' softball and volleyball.

Elementary

Secondary

Private Schools

Farmington is also home to two private schools that serve both the educational and religious needs of some students and their families in the community.

Religion

Approximately 51.21% of the people in Farmington are religious, meaning they affiliate themselves with a religion. Many if not all of these religious residents identify as Christians—38.08% are Protestants, 7.65% are Roman Catholics, 5.03% identify with another Christian faith, 0.43% are Mormons, 0.03% belong to an Eastern religion, and 0.00% are Jewish.

Climate

Average annual temperature is 54°F. Average high temperature (July) is 88.5°F. Average low temperature (January) is 18.8°F.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 13,924 people, 4,647 households, and 2,909 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,555.0 people per square mile (600.7/km²). There were 5,003 housing units at an average density of 558.7/sq mi (215.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.73% White, 7.36% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.

There were 4,647 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 131.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,251, and the median income for a family was $39,899. Males had a median income of $27,448 versus $20,330 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,706. About 8.9% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Employment and Industries

Farmington is located at the crossroads of US 67 and Missouri Hwy 32. It is home to Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems (a division of PlayPower), and S&R products. ACCENT, a call center, is a recent addition to Farmington's industrial base. Other major employers in the city are Wal-Mart, BJC Parkland Health Center, Mineral Area Regional Medical Center, USA Drug, and Farmington Correctional Center.

Attractions

  • Farmington is the home of the Farmington Firebirds, a minor league baseball team in the collegiate woodbat KIT League, which has teams in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. The Firebirds play a 50-game season in June and July of each year.
  • Farmington is also home to a professional Equity summer theatre called ColeBeanBay Theatre Company. ColeBeanBay employs professional actors and technicians from all over the United States and brings them to Farmington to produce high-quality, Broadway-caliber productions along with some talented local actors. The theatre utilizes two amazing venues in Farmington, the Centene Center and Long Memorial Hall. CBB also offers summer camps and workshops for students looking to get bit by the theatre bug.[2]
  • Farmington, Missouri, along with a few surrounding communities, is also the foundation for several metal bands, such as Condemn the Silence link title, Lyluth link title, Vulturous link title, and Requiem For a Dream link title, all of which have experienced reasonable success in their individual efforts. On a similar note, some bands of national recognition have been known to play in Farmington, such as IWRESTLEDABEARONCE link title and An Airbag Saved My Life link title.

Notable residents

  • Writer Herbert Asbury was born in Farmington. He later published a controversial chapter about a prostitute from Farmington in Up From Methodism, which was seen as a liability for The American Mercury.

References

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Farmington,_Missouri&oldid=307881514"