Reynolds County, Missouri

Reynolds County, Missouri
Location in the state of Missouri
Missouri's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 25, 1845
Named for	Thomas Reynolds, former Governor of Missouri
Seat	Centerville
Largest city	Ellington
Area
• Total	814.41 sq mi (2,109 km2)
• Land	811.20 sq mi (2,101 km2)
• Water	3.21 sq mi (8 km2), 0.39%
Population
• (2010)	6,696
• Density	8/sq mi (3/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Reynolds County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the Ozark Foothills Region in the Lead Belt in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,696.^[1] Its county seat is Centerville^[2]. The county was officially organized on February 25, 1845, and was named in honor of former Governor of Missouri Thomas Reynolds.

The county is home to Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, a popular tourist attraction in the state of Missouri.

History

Reynolds County was officially organized on February 25, 1845. It is still an area of rugged beauty near the geologic center of the Ozark Highland. Reynolds County was formerly part of Ripley County which was formed in 1831 and part of Wayne County which was formed in 1818. It was also previously part of Washington County and part of Ste. Genevieve County.

The Reynolds County Courthouse has burned twice. The first time was in December 1863 when the Confederate army burned it. A new courthouse was built in the fall of 1867 on the same foundation as the previous one. This courthouse was burned in late November 1871. Both times all records were destroyed. Temporary quarters again burned May 27, 1872, while a new "fireproof" courthouse was being built.

Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older in Reynolds County, 65.2% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 7.5% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

Public Schools

• Bunker R-III School District - Bunker
  • Bunker Elementary School (K-06)
  • Bunker High School (07-12)
• Centerville R-I School District - Centerville
• Lesterville R-IV School District - Lesterville
  • Lesterville Elementary School (K-06)
  • Lesterville High School (07-12)
  • Lesterville Ranch Campus (K-12) - Black
• Southern Reynolds County R-II School District - Ellington
  • Southern Reynolds County Elementary School (PK-06)
  • Southern Reynolds County High School (07-12)

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Reynolds County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Reynolds County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (78.80%), Baptist Missionary Association of America (8.24%), and Methodists (4.24%).

Geography

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the county has a total area of 814.41 square miles (2,109.3 km²), of which 811.20 square miles (2,101.0 km²) (or 99.61%) is land and 3.21 square miles (8.3 km²) (or 0.39%) is water.^[3]

Adjacent counties

• Dent County (northwest)
• Iron County (northeast)
• Wayne County (southeast)
• Carter County (south)
• Shannon County (west)

Major highways

• Route 21
• Route 49
• Route 72
• Route 106

National protected area

• Mark Twain National Forest (part)

Demographics

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 6,689 people, 2,721 households, and 1,915 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 3,759 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.65% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 1.29% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 2.14% from two or more races. Approximately 0.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Reynolds County were 37.6% American, 12.1% Irish, 11.6% German, and 11.4% English, according to Census 2000.

There were 2,721 households out of which 27.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 25.00% from 25 to 44, 27.90% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,546, and the median income for a family was $37,891. Males had a median income of $26,753 versus $18,322 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,847. About 16.10% of families and 20.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.90% of those under age 18 and 15.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Politics

Local

The Democratic Party completely controls politics at the local level in Reynolds. Democrats hold every elected position in the county.

State

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

• District 150 – Currently represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem) and consists of the extreme northwestern parts of the county and includes the town of Bunker.

• District 152 – Currently represented by Paul Fitzwater (R-Potosi) and consists of most of the entire county and includes Ellington, Lesterville and Centerville.

All of Reynolds County is a part of Missouri's 3rd District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by State Senator Kevin Engler (R-Farmington). In 2008, Engler defeated Democrat Dennis Riche 58.72-41.28 percent in the district. The 3rd Senatorial District consists of Carter, Iron, Reynolds, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Washington counties as well as parts of Jefferson County.

Federal

Reynolds County is included in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau). Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.

Political Culture

At the presidential level, Reynolds County is fairly independent-leaning but unlike many rural counties, it has a tendency to lean Democratic. While George W. Bush carried Reynolds County in 2000 and 2004, the margins of victory were smaller than in many of the rural areas. Bill Clinton also carried Reynolds County both times in 1992 and 1996, and like most of the rural counties in Missouri, Reynolds County favored John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008, although not as strongly as the rest of the rural areas.

Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Reynolds County generally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles but are more moderate or populist on economic issues, typical of the Dixiecrat philosophy. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Reynolds County with 85.41 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 Reynolds County with 54.15 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 Reynolds 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 Reynolds County with 77.50 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.

Missouri Presidential Preference Primary (2008)

In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary, voters in Reynolds County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

• Former U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 741, than any candidate from either party in Reynolds County during the 2008 Missouri Presidential Preference Primary. She also received more votes than the total number of votes cast in the entire Republican Primary in Reynolds County.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Reynolds County, Missouri

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 12, 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 12, 2013. 
5. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Reynolds County from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books

	Dent County		Iron County
	Shannon County
	Reynolds County, Missouri
		Carter County	Wayne County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Reynolds County, Missouri, United States County seat: Centerville Cities Bunker‡ Centerville Ellington Townships Black River Carroll Jackson Lesterville Logan Webb Unincorporated communities Black Corridon Lesterville Redford Reynolds 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°22′N 90°58′W / 37.36°N 90.97°W / 37.36; -90.97