| Shannon County, Missouri | |
Location in the state of Missouri |
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Missouri's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | January 29, 1841 |
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| Named for | George Shannon of the Lewis and Clark Expedition |
| Seat | Eminence |
| Largest city | Winona |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,003.99 sq mi (2,600 km²) 1,003.83 sq mi (2,600 km²) 0.15 sq mi (0 km²), 0.01 |
| PopulationEst. - (2008) - Density |
8,423 8/sq mi (3/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Shannon County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States, and the second-largest by area in Missouri. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 8,324. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 8,423. Its county seat is Eminence[1]. The county was officially organized on January 29, 1841, and was named in honor of George F. "Peg-Leg" Shannon, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Missouri's first copper mine was opened here in 1846 and Missouri's only manganese mine was opened here during World War II.
As of 2000, Shannon County ranked 78th on the list of counties with the lowest per capita income and 46th on the list of counties with the lowest median household incomes in the United States, making it the poorest county in Missouri.
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Of adults 25 years of age and older, 67.6% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 7.6% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,003.99 square miles (2,600.3 km2), of which 1,003.83 square miles (2,599.9 km2) (or 99.98%) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km2) (or 0.01%) is water.[2]
According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Shannon County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Shannon County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (56.22%), Methodists (12.03%), and Christian Churches & Churches of Christ (10.84%).
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 8,324 people, 3,319 households, and 2,356 families residing in the county. The population density was 3/km² (8/mi²). There were 3,862 housing units at an average density of 1/km² (4/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.05% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 1.83% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. Approximately 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Shannon County were 38.3% American, 13.4% Irish, 11.8% German, and 9.7% English, according to Census 2000.
There were 3,319 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.80% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.40% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,835, and the median income for a family was $30,102. Males had a median income of $21,917 versus $16,024 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,127. About 21.00% of families and 26.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.10% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or over.
| Timber, Missouri [Timber) |
Politics at the local level in Shannon County is predominantly controlled by the Democratic Party. In fact, all but two of Shannon County's elected officeholders are Democrats.
Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
| Office | Incumbent | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessor | Summer J. Crider | Democratic | |
| Circuit Clerk & Ex Officio Recorder | Melany Williams | Democratic | |
| Clerk | Shelly McAfee | Democratic | |
| Collector | Susie Needels | Republican | |
| Commissioner – Northern District | Dale Counts | Democratic | |
| Commissioner – Southern District | Herman Kelly | Democratic | |
| Coroner | Tim Denton | Democratic | |
| Presiding Commissioner | Jeff Cowen | Democratic | |
| Prosecuting Attorney | Jodie R. Barnes | Democratic | |
| Public Administrator | James Orchard | Democratic | |
| Sheriff | Steve Blunkall | Democratic | |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
| 2008 | 33.67% 1,292 | 60.65% 2,327 | 5.68% 218 |
| 2004 | 57.99% 2,391 | 40.07% 1,652 | 1.94% 80 |
| 2000 | 43.56% 1,623 | 54.510% 2,031 | 1.93% 72 |
| 1996 | 39.63% 1,465 | 58.05% 2,146 | 2.33% 86 |
In the Missouri House of Representatives, Shannon County is divided into two legislative districts.
| Missouri House of Representatives - District 147 - Shannon County (2008) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Don Wells* | 19 | 100.00 | ||
| Missouri House of Representatives - District 152 - Shannon County (2010) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Democratic | Shane Van Steenis | 1,731 | 57.76 | -6.40 | |
| Republican | Paul Fitzwater | 1,266 | 42.24 | +12.78 | |
In the Missouri Senate, all of Shannon County is a part of Missouri's 33rd District and is currently represented by State Senator Chuck Purgason (R-Caulfield). In 2008, Purgason defeated Eric Reeve (D) 67.31-32.69 percent. The 33rd Senatorial District consists of Camden, Howell, Laclede, Oregon, Shannon, Texas, and Wright counties.
| Missouri Senate - District 33 - Shannon County (2008) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Chuck Purgason | 2,050 | 56.61 | ||
| Democratic | Eric Reeve | 1,571 | 43.39 | ||
In the U.S. House of Representatives, Shannon County is represented by Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau) who represents all of Southeast Missouri as part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District.
| U.S. House of Representatives - District 8 - Shannon County (2010) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Jo Ann Emerson | 1,925 | 63.70 | -5.20 | |
| Democratic | Tommy Sowers | 960 | 31.77 | +3.54 | |
| Libertarian | Rick Vandeven | 79 | 2.61 | +1.59 | |
| Independent | Larry Bill | 58 | 1.92 | +1.92 | |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 54.06% 2,075 | 42.65% 1,637 | 3.29% 126 |
| 2004 | 60.26% 2,511 | 38.83% 1,618 | 0.92% 38 |
| 2000 | 59.38% 2,245 | 37.82% 1,430 | 2.80% 106 |
| 1996 | 35.27% 1,339 | 49.58% 1,882 | 15.15% 575 |
At the presidential level, Shannon County is a fairly independent-leaning or battleground county. While George W. Bush carried Shannon County in 2000 and 2004, the margins of victory were smaller than in many of the other rural areas. Bill Clinton also carried Shannon County both times in 1992 and 1996. Like most of the other rural counties in Missouri, Shannon County favored John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008, although not as strongly as many of the other rural counties.
Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Shannon County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Shannon County with 85.64 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it failed in Shannon County with 55.87 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Shannon County’s longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Shannon County with 74.62 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 75.94 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.
In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary, voters in Shannon County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.
| Shannon County, Missouri | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Republican primary in Missouri | ||
| John McCain | 223 (23.57%) | |
| Mike Huckabee | 515 (54.44%) | |
| Mitt Romney | 83 (8.77%) | |
| Ron Paul | 109 (11.52%) | |
| Shannon County, Missouri | ||
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| 2008 Democratic primary in Missouri | ||
| Hillary Rodham Clinton | 914 (69.72%) | |
| Barack Obama | 323 (24.64%) | |
| John Edwards (withdrawn) | 50 (3.81%) | |
| Uncommitted | 16 (1.22%) | |
| Dent County | ||||
| Texas County | Reynolds County | |||
| Shannon County, Missouri | ||||
| Howell County | Oregon County | Carter County |
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