Farmington, Missouri

Farmington, Missouri
City
Motto: Tradition and Progress
Location of Farmington, Missouri
Coordinates: 37°46′55″N 90°25′20″W / 37.78194°N 90.42222°W / 37.78194; -90.42222Coordinates: 37°46′55″N 90°25′20″W / 37.78194°N 90.42222°W / 37.78194; -90.42222
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	St. Francois
Government
• Type	City council
• Mayor	Mit Landrum (R)
Area[1]
• Total	9.39 sq mi (24.32 km2)
• Land	9.35 sq mi (24.22 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation	915 ft (279 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	16,240
• Estimate (2012[3])	17,203
• Density	1,736.9/sq mi (670.6/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Zip Code	63640
Area code(s)	573
FIPS code	29-23752
GNIS feature ID	0756036[4]
Website	http://farmington-mo.gov

Farmington is a city in St. Francois County located 60 miles (97 km) south of St. Louis in the Lead Belt region in Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,240. It is the county seat of St. Francois County^[5]. The Farmington Micropolitan Statistical Area includes St. Francois County and Washington County and has a population of 90,554 as of 2010. Farmington is a component of the St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL Combined Statistical Area, also known as Greater St. Louis.

Farmington was established in 1822 after its agricultural history and was previously known as Murphy's Settlement for William Murphy of Kentucky who first visited the site in 1798. When St. Francois County was organized, the town was briefly called St. Francois Court House and then later renamed to Farmington.

Geography

Farmington is located at 37°46′55″N 90°25′20″W / 37.78194°N 90.42222°W / 37.78194; -90.42222 (37.781932, −90.422145)^[6]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.39 square miles (24.32 km²), of which, 9.35 square miles (24.22 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) is water.^[1]

History

Arriving upon land west of the Mississippi River in 1798—which was, at that time, part of the upper Louisiana Territory and under Spanish rule—was the Irish born William Murphy. Murphy was searching for the ideal site to relocate his family and, as the tradition goes, came to find a spring near the now-standing St. Francois County Courthouse with the aid of a local Native American. Deciding that this was an excellent place to set up home, Murphy acquired a Spanish Land Grant, allowing him and his family to establish a settlement along the St. Francois River.

In his travels back to Kentucky, Murphy died, leaving it up to his wife, Sarah Barton Murphy, and their grown sons to establish the settlement–which they did when arriving to the site around 1800. Named Murphy’s Settlement, Sarah Barton Murphy is known to have assembled the premier Protestant Sunday School west of the Mississippi River. Due to Spanish law barring any religious services that were not of Roman Catholic tradition, Murphy and her students orchestrated the learning in secret.

A post office in Murphy’s Settlement opened in 1817, following the annexation of the land to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Missouri became a state in 1821 as part of the Missouri Compromise. With the advent of statehood, David Murphy made a contribution of 52 acres (210,000 m²) of land for the installation of the county seat of what was soon to be St. Francois County in 1822. The name of the town, Farmington, was selected in 1825, with incorporation as a town granted in 1836–soon becoming a village 20 years later in 1856.

In the mid-19th century, Farmington enjoyed growth and economic well-being through the building of the historic Plank Road, which stretched from Pilot Knob to Ste. Genevieve. The road was built to transport both supplies from the shipping facilities located along the river to the mines and to move the mine’s iron ore to the shipping facilities. The route was soon taken over by the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad.

The first public school was constructed in 1870 and in 1879, Farmington gained the recognition as a fourth-class city–an accolade that was surpassed in 1981 when Farmington became a third-class city.

Economy

The airline Multi-Aero, which flies passenger airline services as Air Choice One, has its headquarters in Farmington.^[7]

Government

Farmington's publicly elected government consists of a Mayor and eight City Council members representing the city's four Wards who set city policy. The city's policies are carried out by a City Administrator who works closely with the City Clerk, City Council and City Attorney.^[8]

List of City Mayors

Chronological list of city mayors since becoming a fourth-class city in 1879.^[9] (Upgraded to a third-class city in 1981.)

• John A. Weber (1879–1883)
• Edward Zeller (1883–1891)
• George Herzog (1891–1893)
• Peter Schmitt (1893–1899)
• Kossuth W. Weber (1899) Died shortly after taking office.
• G.M. Wilson (1899–1905)
• John T. Burks (1905–1907)
• G.M. Wilson (1907–1909)
• William R. Taylor Jr. (1909–1911)
• G.M. Wilson (1911–1913)
• Barton H. Boyer (1913–1915)
• Jones E. McKinney (1915–1917)
• Charles H. Giessing (1917–1919)
• Dr. Clarence A. Tetley (1919–1934) 15-year mayorship - died in office.
• B.T. Gentges (1934–1939)
• Shelton T. Horn (1939–1947)
• James C. Morris (1947–1953)
• Orville Woodard (1953–1959)
• Fred L. Revoir (1959–1961)
• Orville Woodard (1961–1965)
• W.K. Giessing (1965–1971)
• Dr. Douglas K. Ross (1971–1973) won 2nd term in 1973, but resigned during term for health reasons.
• Floyd Hager (1973–1979)
• Witten Ledbetter (1977–1979) Died in office.
• Floyd Hager (1979–1981)
• Ron Stevens (1981–1989)
• Mike O'Brien (1989–1993)
• Gay Wilkinson (1993–1997)
• Kevin P. Engler (1997–2002) Resigned after election to State Legislature.
• Scott Semar (2002–2003)
• Charles Rorex (2003–2006)
• Larry Forsythe (2006)- mayor pro tem
• Jeannie Roberts (2007–2009)
• Stuart 'Mit' Landrum (2009-present)

Education

Public schools

The Farmington R-VII School District serves the city's need for public education. According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, there are five elementary schools, two being private. one public intermediate school, one middle school, and one high school in the school district for a total of nine schools. During the 2008–2009 school year, there was a total of 3,743 students and 306 certified staff members enrolled in the Farmington R-VII School District. The school colors are gold and black and the mascot is the knight (knightette for females). Athletics offered in the school district include boys' and girls' basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, track, boys' baseball, golf, football, wrestling, and girls' softball and girls' volleyball. Other activities include band (marching, jazz, and concert) cheerleading, colorguard, winter guard, dance team, FFA, AFJROTC, and FBLA.

Elementary

Secondary

Private schools

Farmington is also home to two private schools that serve both the educational and religious needs of some students and their families in the community.

Religion

Approximately 51.21% of the people in Farmington are religious, meaning they affiliate themselves with a religion. Many of these religious residents identify as Christians—38.08% are Protestants, 7.65% are Roman Catholics, 5.03% identify with another Christian faith, 0.43% are Mormons, 0.03% belong to an Eastern religion, and 0.01% are Jewish.

Climate

Average annual temperature is 54 °F (12 °C). Average high temperature (July) is 88.5 °F (31.4 °C). Average low temperature (January) is 18.8 °F (−7.3 °C).

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 16,240 people, 5,620 households, and 3,313 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,736.9 inhabitants per square mile (670.6 /km²). There were 6,172 housing units at an average density of 660.1 per square mile (254.9 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.3% White, 7.1% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 5,620 households of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the city was 37.6 years. 19% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 56.3% male and 43.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,924 people, 4,647 households, and 2,909 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,555.0 people per square mile (600.7/km²). There were 5,003 housing units at an average density of 558.7 per square mile (215.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.73% White, 7.36% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.

There were 4,647 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 131.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,251, and the median income for a family was $39,899. Males had a median income of $27,448 versus $20,330 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,706. About 8.9% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Employment and industries

Farmington is located at the crossroads of US 67 and Missouri Hwy 32. It is home to S&R products. ACCENT, a call center, is a recent addition to Farmington's industrial base. Other major employers in the city are BJC Parkland Health Center, Mineral Area Regional Medical Center, Centene Corp, USA Drug, and Farmington Correctional Center.

Attractions

• Farmington is the home of the Farmington Browns, a minor league baseball team in the collegiate woodbat KIT League, which has teams in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. The Browns play a 50-game season in June and July of each year.
• Farmington is also home to a professional equity summer theatre called ColeBeanBay Theatre Company. The theatre utilizes two venues in Farmington, the Centene Center and Long Memorial Hall.
• Farmington also has a park system, with major parks including Engler Park, Wilson-Rozier Park, and Trimfoot park.
• St. Joe State Park is right outside the city limits and attracts ATV riders, campers, horseback riders, bicyclists, and swimmers.
• Several major chain hotels are available to house tourists.

Notable residents

Barney Pelty

• Sam Agnew, Major League Baseball catcher
• Jake Arrieta, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Herbert Asbury, writer, was born in Farmington. He later published a controversial chapter about a prostitute from Farmington in Up From Methodism, which was seen as a liability for The American Mercury.
• Ed Blaine, football player
• Jesse McI. Carter, United States Army Major General in World War I
• Walter Lewis Hensley, U.S. Representative
• Lloyd McBride, labor leader
• Greggory Nations, writer and co-producer of "Lost" TV Series, also affiliated with the series "Bates Motel"
• James Robinson McCormick, U.S. Representative
• Barney Pelty, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Charles E. Sebastian, Mayor of Los Angeles
• J. Ernest Wilkins, Sr.; attorney, civil rights advocate, labor leader, and undersecretary of labor in the Eisenhower administration.
• Robert Moore Williams, writer
• Dan Peek, founding member of the band America, lived in Farmington from 1978 until his death in 2011.
• Kyle Richardson, former National Football League punter and Member of the NFL Super Bowl XXXV champions the Baltimore Ravens (special teams)

References

External links

• City of Farmington
• Farmington Chamber of Commerce
• Farmington Missouri News
• Historic maps of Farmington in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri

v t e Municipalities and communities of Saint Francois County, Missouri, United States County seat: Farmington Cities Bismarck Bonne Terre Desloge Farmington Iron Mountain Lake Leadington Leadwood Park Hills Townships Big River Iron Liberty Marion Pendleton Perry Randolph St. Francois CDPs Doe Run Frankclay Terre du Lac Wortham Other unincorporated communities Blackwell French Village Iron Mountain Knob Lick Middle Brook