| Pierce City, Missouri | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location of Pierce City, Missouri | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Lawrence |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.2 sq mi (3.2 km2) |
| • Land | 1.2 sq mi (3.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,217 ft (371 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,385 |
| • Density | 1,133.3/sq mi (437.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 65723 |
| Area code(s) | 417 |
| FIPS code | 29-57494[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0724319[2] |
Pierce City is a city in Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,385 at the 2000 census. In 2010, the town annexed down Missouri Route 97 into Barry County to a point just north of US Route 60.
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Pierce City is located at (36.946996, -94.002430).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), all of it land.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,385 people, 574 households, and 378 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,133.3 people per square mile (438.3/km²). There were 646 housing units at an average density of 528.6 per square mile (204.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.46% White, 0.22% African American, 1.08% Native American, 0.22% from other races, and 2.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.
There were 574 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,186, and the median income for a family was $34,219. Males had a median income of $23,429 versus $17,857 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,310. About 18.3% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 29.5% of those age 65 or over.
In 1901 a white lynch mob killed several African Americans in Pierce City and the rest of the black community fled the town. This incident prompted Mark Twain to write the essay The United States of Lyncherdom. A 2007 PBS documentary, Banished, featured the incident.[1] Many people do not realize that the lynching is still affecting people and is still brought up . Residents of Pierce City just want to forget it because that happened a long time ago - resident
One of the most notable tornadoes of the May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence was the one that hit in Pierce City. According to reports, nearly all of the buildings in the town were damaged, destroyed, or liable to collapse. Published and repeatedly broadcast reports of "all" or "nearly all" of the town's buildings sustaining severe damage were false. Approximately 90 percent of the historic downtown business district and homes nearby were severely damaged and later torn down. A nearby National Guard Armory, also known as the town's storm shelter in which several dozen people had fled to, sustained heavy damage, killing one person, J. Dale Taunton. Raging Winds... However, outside the main path of the tornado, many Pierce City structures, including homes and the Harold Bell Wright Museum sustained little or no damage.
The Pierce City tornado was an F-3 on the Fujita scale.
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