Lawrence County, Missouri

Lawrence County, Missouri
Location in the state of Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 14, 1845
Named for	James Lawrence, naval officer
Seat	Mount Vernon
Largest city	Aurora
Area
• Total	613.38 sq mi (1,589 km2)
• Land	613.08 sq mi (1,588 km2)
• Water	0.30 sq mi (1 km2), 0.05%
Population
• (2010)	38,634
• Density	57/sq mi (22/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Lawrence County is a county located in Southwest Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,634.^[1] Its county seat is Mount Vernon.^[2] The county was organized in 1845 and named for James Lawrence, a naval officer from the War of 1812 known for his statement, "Don't give up the ship." A previous Lawrence County, established in 1815 and dissolved in 1818, was divided into Wayne County, Madison County, and later into others, including its current formation.

Geography

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the county has a total area of 613.38 square miles (1,588.6 km²), of which 613.08 square miles (1,587.9 km²) (or 99.95%) is land and 0.30 square miles (0.78 km²) (or 0.05%) is water.^[3]

Adjacent counties

• Dade County (north)
• Greene County (northeast)
• Christian County & Stone County (southeast)
• Barry County (south)
• Newton County (southwest)
• Jasper County (west)

Major highways

• Interstate 44
• U.S. Route 66 (1926–1985)
• Route 39
• Route 96
• Route 97
• Route 266

National protected area

• Ozark Cavefish National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 35,204 people, 13,568 households, and 9,728 families residing in the county. The population density was 57 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 14,789 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.68% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Approximately 3.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,568 households out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% 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 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.20% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,239, and the median income for a family was $36,846. Males had a median income of $27,309 versus $18,990 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,399. About 11.00% of families and 14.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.50% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Education

Public Schools

• Aurora R-VIII School District – Aurora
  • Pate Early Childhood Center (PK-02)
  • Robinson Elementary School (03-04)
  • Robinson Intermediate School (05-06)
  • Aurora Junior High School (07-08)
  • Aurora High School (09-12)
• Marionville R-IX School District – Marionville
  • Marionville Elementary School (PK-05)
  • Marionville Middle School (06-08)
  • Marionville High School (09-12)
• Miller R-II School District – Miller
  • Central Elementary School (K-06)
  • Miller High School (07-12)
• Mt. Vernon R-V School District – Mt. Vernon
  • Mt. Vernon Elementary School (PK-02)
  • Mt. Vernon Intermediate School (03-05)
  • Mt. Vernon Middle School (06-08)
  • Mt. Vernon High School (09-12)
• Pierce City R-VI School District – Pierce City
  • Central Elementary School (PK-05)
  • Pierce City Middle School (06-08)
  • Pierce City High School (09-12)
• Verona R-VII School District – Verona
  • Verona Elementary School (PK-06)
  • Verona High School (07-12)

Private Schools

• Aurora Christian Academy – Aurora (K-12) – Baptist (Special Education Emphasis)

• Harvest Christian Academy – Aurora (K-12) – Nondenominational Christian
• Round Grove Christian Academy – Miller (PK-09) – Baptist
• Trinity Lutheran School – Freistatt (PK-08) – Lutheran
• St. Mary’s Catholic School – Pierce City (PK-08) – Roman Catholic

Politics

Local

The Republican Party completely controls politics at the local level in Lawrence County. Republicans hold all of the elected positions in the county.

State

Lawrence County is divided into two legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, both of which are held by Republicans.

• District 132 – Don Ruzicka (R-Mt. Vernon). Consists of most of the entire county.

• District 141 – Kevin Elmer (R-Nixa). Consists of a tiny sliver of the county.

All of Lawrence County is a part of Missouri’s 29th District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Jack Goodman (R-Mount Vernon.

Federal

All of Lawrence County is included in Missouri's 7th Congressional District and is currently represented by Billy Long (R-Springfield) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Political culture

Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008)

Voters in Lawrence County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

• Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) received more votes, a total of 2,628, than any candidate from either party in Lawrence County during the 2008 presidential primary.

See also

• List of counties in Missouri
• Missouri census statistical areas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lawrence County, Missouri

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 10, 2013. 
2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ↑ "Census 2010 Gazetteer Files". Retrieved July 2, 2013. 
4. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved September 10, 2013. 
5. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Lawrence County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
• http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/29/29109.html

		Dade County	Greene County
	Jasper County
	Lawrence County, Missouri
	Newton County	Barry County	Christian County and Stone County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Lawrence County, Missouri, United States County seat: Mount Vernon Cities Aurora Marionville Miller Monett‡ Mount Vernon Pierce City Stotts City Verona Villages Freistatt Halltown Hoberg Townships Aurora Buck Prairie Freistatt Green Hoberg Lincoln Mount Pleasant Mount Vernon Ozark Pierce Red Oak Spring River Turnback Vineyard CDP Chesapeake Other unincorporated communities Albatross Heatonville Logan McKinley Minden Paris Springs Junction Phelps Plew Rescue Spencer Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e  State of Missouri Jefferson City (capital) Topics Government Delegations Geography Transportation History People Battles Visitor attractions Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions Boonslick Bootheel Crowley's Ridge Dissected Till Plains Four State Area Henry Shaw Ozark Corridor Honey Lands Lead Belt Lincoln Hills Little Dixie Loess Hills Mid-Missouri Mississippi Embayment Missouri Rhineland Northern Plains Osage Plains Ozark Plateau Platte Purchase Pony Express St. Francois Mountains Westplex Metro areas Columbia Jefferson City Joplin Kansas City Springfield St. Joseph St. Louis Largest cities Kansas City St. Louis Springfield Independence Columbia Lee's Summit O'Fallon St. Joseph St. Charles St. Peters Blue Springs Florissant Joplin Chesterfield Jefferson City Cape Girardeau Wildwood University City Ballwin Raytown Liberty Wentzville Kirkwood Maryland Heights Hazelwood Counties and independent cities Adair Andrew Atchison Audrain Barry Barton Bates Benton Bollinger Boone Buchanan Butler Caldwell Callaway Camden Cape Girardeau Carroll Carter Cass Cedar Chariton Christian Clark Clay Clinton Cole Cooper Crawford Dade Dallas Daviess DeKalb Dent Douglas Dunklin Franklin Gasconade Gentry Greene Grundy Harrison Henry Hickory Holt Howard Howell Iron Jackson Jasper Jefferson Johnson Knox Laclede Lafayette Lawrence Lewis Lincoln Linn Livingston Macon Madison Maries Marion McDonald Mercer Miller Mississippi Moniteau Monroe Montgomery Morgan New Madrid Newton Nodaway Oregon Osage Ozark Pemiscot Perry Pettis Phelps Pike Platte Polk Pulaski Putnam Ralls Randolph Ray Reynolds Ripley St. Charles St. Clair St. Francois St. Louis (City) St. Louis (County) Ste. Genevieve Saline Schuyler Scotland Scott Shannon Shelby Stoddard Stone Sullivan Taney Texas Vernon Warren Washington Wayne Webster Worth Wright

Coordinates: 37°07′N 93°50′W / 37.11°N 93.83°W / 37.11; -93.83