- Montgomery County, Missouri
-
Montgomery County, Missouri
Location in the state of Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.Founded December 14, 1818 Named for Richard Montgomery Seat Montgomery City Largest city Montgomery City Area
- Total
- Land
- Water
540.34 sq mi (1,399 km²)
537.46 sq mi (1,392 km²)
2.88 sq mi (7 km²), 0.53%Population
- (2000)
- Density
12,136
23/sq mi (9/km²)Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies in East Central Missouri, approximately halfway between Columbia and St. Louis. As of 2000, the population was 12,136. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec, Canada. Its county seat is Montgomery City[1].
With a branch of Stone Hill Winery in New Florence, the county is part of the Missouri Rhineland.
Contents
History
The county has evidence of human habitation from 10,000 years ago, the Archaic period of indigenous Americans. An ancient site was found during archaeological excavations at Graham Cave on the Loutre River.
In the early 19th century, European settlement started at a greater pace, after exploration during previous decades by French trappers and British and American fur traders.
The Loutre Island area is commonly associated with the German-founded towns of Rhineland and Starkenburg, established by immigrants of the mid-19th century and later. Starkenburg has several historically significant Catholic churches built in the German architectural tradition. These were originally German-language congregations.
The first house of worship was a log church, still maintained as a chapel. Also in Starkenburg is St. Martin's Church, built in 1873 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Above its entrance is the text: "This is the House Of God and the Gate Of Heaven." (This text also appears over the entrance of the Rennes-le-Château in France, traditionally believed to be the secret home of the Holy Grail.)
Starkenburg is also the site of the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic church, built in the early 20th century and listed on the NRHP. For further devotions and pilgrimage, the community created an outdoor area for representations of the Stations of the Cross, Mount Calvary and Holy Sepulchre. Starkenburg is located inland from the Missouri River. After the destructive Great Flood of 1993, Rhineland citizens used federal funds to relocate their houses 1½ miles inland away from the river.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 540.34 square miles (1,399.5 km2), of which 537.46 square miles (1,392.0 km2) (or 99.47%) is land and 2.88 square miles (7.5 km2) (or 0.53%) is water.[2]
Adjacent counties
- Audrain County (northwest)
- Pike County (northeast)
- Lincoln County (east)
- Warren County (southeast)
- Gasconade County (south)
- Callaway County (west)
- Osage County (southwest at a point in the Missouri River)
Major highways
Demographics
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1900 16,571 — 1910 15,604 −5.8% 1920 15,233 −2.4% 1930 13,011 −14.6% 1940 12,442 −4.4% 1950 11,555 −7.1% 1960 11,097 −4.0% 1970 11,000 −0.9% 1980 11,537 4.9% 1990 11,355 −1.6% 2000 12,136 6.9% As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 12,136 people, 4,775 households, and 3,337 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 5,726 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.97% White, 2.04% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 39.1% were of German, 18.4% American, 10.2% English and 9.2% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 4,775 households out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,772, and the median income for a family was $38,632. Males had a median income of $27,933 versus $19,809 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,092. About 8.40% of families and 11.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
Community Groups
- Montgomery County Human Resource Board
- Montgomery County Citizens for Health Improvement Project
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Montgomery County, Missouri
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- St. Martin's Church
- Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Montgomery County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
Audrain County Pike County Callaway County Lincoln County Montgomery County, Missouri
Gasconade County Warren County Municipalities and communities of Montgomery County, Missouri Cities Village Unincorporated
communitiesCategories:- Missouri counties
- Montgomery County, Missouri
- Missouri Rhineland
- 1818 establishments in the United States
- Populated places established in 1818
- Missouri counties on the Missouri River
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