Kimmswick, Missouri

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kimmswick is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 94 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Kimmswick is located at 38°21′60″N, 90°21′51″W (38.366654, -90.364217)^GR1. it is on the Mississippi River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²), all land.

Nearby Imperial, Missouri was once known as West Kimmswick.

[edit] History

Kimmswick was founded in 1859 by dry goods merchant Theodore Kimms, who named the town after himself. He laid the town out on 160 acres on land purchased from the widow of Captain George Waters. The area was settled by German immigrant stonecutters and wealthy St. Louisans.

There are numerous salt springs in the area, which were used by Native Americans as a source of salt. These salt springs also attracted prehistoric animals; nearby is the Mastodon State Historic Site, where bones of this extinct elephant were discovered. A spa and resort area in Kimmswick was a popular steamboat daytrip destination for Saint Louisians in the late 19th century.

By the early 1970s, the town's existence was threatened by construction of Interstate 55 and flooding of the Mississippi River. The Kimmswick Historical Society, founded in 1969, was instrumental in saving the town and preserving its historic architecture. The town is now a popular tourist destination, and features numerous antique and craft stores and country-style restaurants. The town survived the Flood of 1993 by the efforts of many volunteers and government agencies. Kimmswick defeated a proposed casino to be built on the site, fearing that gambling would damage the town's character.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 94 people, 35 households, and 24 families residing in the city. The population density was 453.7/km² (1,186.5/mi²). There were 36 housing units at an average density of 173.7/km² (454.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.36% White, 1.06% African American, and 9.57% from two or more races.

There were 35 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.3% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 23.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,688, and the median income for a family was $66,250. Males had a median income of $44,250 versus $34,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,359. There were 3.6% of families and 7.0% of the population living below the poverty line, including 8.3% of under eighteens and 21.4% of those over 64.