Lafayette County, Missouri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lafayette County, Missouri | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Missouri |
|
 Missouri's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | November 16, 1820 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Lexington |
| Largest city | Odessa |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
639 sq mi (1,655 km²) 629 sq mi (1,630 km²) 10 sq mi (25 km²), 1.49% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
32,960 52/sq mi (20/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Named for: Marquis de La Fayette, French aristocrat and military officer | |
Lafayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 32,960. Its county seat is Lexington[1].
Lafayette is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
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[edit] History
Lafayette County was settled primarily from migrants from the Upper South states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. Lafayette was one of several counties settled mostly by southerners to the north and south of the Missouri River. Given their culture and traditions, this area became known as Little Dixie. In 1860 slaves made up 25 percent or more of the county's population.[2] Residents generally supported the Confederacy during the Civil War.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639 square miles (1,655 km²), of which, 629 square miles (1,630 km²) of it is land and 10 square miles (25 km²) of it (1.49%) is water.
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Ray County (northwest)
- Carroll County (northeast)
- Saline County (east)
- Johnson County (south)
- Jackson County (west)
- Pettis County (southeast)
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 32,960 people, 12,569 households, and 9,099 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 13,707 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.52% White, 2.27% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 1.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.3% were of German, 17.5% American, 9.9% English and 9.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 12,569 households out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,235, and the median income for a family was $45,717. Males had a median income of $31,972 versus $22,684 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,493. About 6.90% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those ages 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ T. J. Stiles, Jesse James: The Last Rebel of the Civil War, New York: Vintage Books, 2003, pp.10-11
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
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