| Festus, Missouri | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location of Festus, Missouri | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Jefferson |
| Incorporated | 1887 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Cpt. Mike Cage |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.8 sq mi (12.4 km2) |
| • Land | 4.8 sq mi (12.4 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 425 ft (130 m) |
| Population (July 2009)[1] | |
| • Total | 11,367 |
| • Density | 2,368.1/sq mi (916.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 63028 |
| Area code(s) | 636 |
| FIPS code | 29-24094[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0736296[3] |
Festus is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,367 at the 2009 estimated census.[1] Festus and its neighbor Crystal City are often collectively known as the "Twin Cities"; however, they are incorporated separately.
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Festus is located at (38.219490, -90.400936)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12 km2), all of it land.
The first settler in the area was Charley Conners, who built a log cabin in 1803.
Festus was settled shortly after the establishment of New Detroit (later Crystal City), which was a dry company town. Initially established around 1878 by W. J. Adams as Limitville, it was nicknamed "Tanglefoot" because several of its first businesses were saloons. As incorporation was discussed, a more dignified name was sought. Town legend claims the name was chosen by a church ceremony where a Bible was opened blindly and the first proper name encountered was that of Porcius Festus, the governor of Judea around 60 AD (Acts 24:27). There is another town legend that says there was a disagreement over what to name the city and it was agreed upon that a Bible would be shot and whatever proper name closest to the last page penetrated would be chosen. The City of Festus was incorporated in 1887 as a 4th class city.
The current government structure consisting of a mayor, a city council and a city administrator, was adopted in 1976. The City Council is the legislative branch and meetings of the Council are presided over by the Mayor. The City Administrator is responsible for implementing the policies of the Council as well as overseeing day-to-day operations of the city.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 9,660 people, 3,861 households, and 2,606 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,020.2 people per square mile (780.3/km²). There were 4,040 housing units at an average density of 844.9 per square mile (326.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.66% White, 3.93% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.
There were 3,861 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 5.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $4,687, and the median income for a family was $2,940. Males had a median income of $36,159 versus $25,108 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,035. About 7.0% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.
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