St. Joseph, Missouri

St. Joseph, Missouri

Downtown St. Joseph in 2006
Nickname(s): St. Joe

Location in the state of Missouri

U.S. Census Map
Coordinates: 39°45′29″N 94°50′12″W / 39.75806°N 94.83667°W / 39.75806; -94.83667Coordinates: 39°45′29″N 94°50′12″W / 39.75806°N 94.83667°W / 39.75806; -94.83667
Country United States
State Missouri
County Buchanan
Government
  Mayor Bill Falkner
Area[1]
  Total 44.77 sq mi (115.95 km2)
  Land 43.99 sq mi (113.93 km2)
  Water 0.78 sq mi (2.02 km2)
Population (2010)[2]
  Total 76,780
  Estimate (2014) 76,967
  Density 1,745.4/sq mi (673.9/km2)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
  Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Code 64501-64508
Area code(s) 816
Website stjoemo.info

St. Joseph (informally St. Joe) is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, United States.[3] It is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Buchanan, Andrew, and DeKalb counties in Missouri and Doniphan County, Kansas. As of the 2010 census, St. Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state, third largest in Northwest Missouri.[4] The metropolitan area had a population of 127,329 in 2010.

St. Joseph is located on the Missouri River. It is perhaps best known as the starting point of the Pony Express and the death place of Jesse James; the rapper Eminem was born here as well.[5] St. Joseph is also home to Missouri Western State University.

History

The intersection of Francis and North 4th Streets in downtown St. Joseph

St. Joseph was founded on the Missouri River by Joseph Robidoux, a local fur trader, and officially incorporated in 1843.[6] In its early days, it was a bustling outpost and rough frontier town, serving as a last supply point and jumping-off point on the Missouri River toward the "Wild West". It was the westernmost point in the United States accessible by rail until after the American Civil War.

The main east-west downtown streets were named for Robidoux's eight children: Faraon, Jules, Francois (Francis), Felix, Edmond, Charles, Sylvanie, and Messanie. The street between Sylvanie and Messanie was named for his second wife, Angelique.

St. Joseph, or "St. Joe", as it was called by many, was a "Jumping-Off Point" for those headed to the Oregon Territory in the mid-1800s. In these cities, including Independence, Missouri, and St. Joseph, were where pioneers would stay and purchase supplies before they would head out in wagon trains. The town was a very bustling place, and was the second city in the USA to have electric streetcars.

Between April 3, 1860, and late October 1861, St. Joseph was one of the two endpoints of the Pony Express, which operated for a short period over the land then inaccessible by rail, to provide fast mail service. The pony riders carried additionally, along with the mail, a small personal bible. Today the Pony Express Museum hosts visitors in the old stables.

In 1882, on April 3, the outlaw Jesse James was killed at his home, originally located at 1318 Lafayette, now sited next to The Patee House. In the post-Civil War years, when the economy was down, the hotel had served for a time as the home of the Patee Female College, followed by the St. Joseph Female College up to 1880.[7] James was living under the alias of Mr. Howard. An excerpt from a popular poem of the time is: "...that dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard has laid poor Jesse in his grave."

The Missouri River in St. Joseph

The Heaton-Bowman-Smith Funeral Home maintains a small museum about Jesse James. Their predecessors conducted the funeral. The museum is open to the public. His home, is now known as Jesse James Home Museum. It has been relocated at least three times, and features the bullet hole from that fateful shot. St. Joseph is identified by the slogan, "Where the Pony Express started and Jesse James ended."

Among properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Patee House, a former hotel is now maintained as a museum of transportation and the Missouri Theatre, an ornate movie palace.

St. Joseph's population peaked in 1900, with a census population of 102,979. This population figure is questionable, as civic leaders tried to inflate the numbers for that census.[8] At the time, it was the home to one of the largest wholesale companies in the Midwest, the Nave & McCord Mercantile Company, as well as the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, and the C.D. Smith & Company, which would become C.D. Smith Healthcare.

Honors

In 1997, St. Joseph was named an "All-America City" by the National Civic League.[9] St. Joseph was voted the top true western town of 2007 by the True West Magazine, in the January/February 2008 issue.

Geography and climate

Downtown St. Joseph in 2006

Saint Joseph is located at 39°45′29″N 94°50′12″W / 39.75806°N 94.83667°W / 39.75806; -94.83667 (39.757944, -94.836541),[10] on the Missouri/Kansas border in northwestern Missouri. The nearest major metropolitan area to St. Joseph is the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, which begins approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the south. The nearest major airport is Kansas City International Airport, which is approximately 35 miles (56 km) to the south. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.77 square miles (115.95 km2), of which 43.99 square miles (113.93 km2) is land and 0.78 square miles (2.02 km2) is water.[1]

Climate data for St. Joseph, Missouri (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 37.2
(2.9)
42.3
(5.7)
54.7
(12.6)
66.4
(19.1)
76.2
(24.6)
84.5
(29.2)
88.6
(31.4)
86.5
(30.3)
79.7
(26.5)
67.6
(19.8)
53.2
(11.8)
38.7
(3.7)
64.6
(18.1)
Average low °F (°C) 17.6
(−8)
21.9
(−5.6)
32.0
(0)
42.7
(5.9)
53.9
(12.2)
63.4
(17.4)
67.9
(19.9)
64.5
(18.1)
54.8
(12.7)
43.1
(6.2)
31.8
(−0.1)
19.5
(−6.9)
42.76
(5.98)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.63
(16)
1.15
(29.2)
2.19
(55.6)
3.30
(83.8)
4.94
(125.5)
4.64
(117.9)
3.47
(88.1)
4.41
(112)
3.36
(85.3)
3.05
(77.5)
1.73
(43.9)
1.41
(35.8)
34.28
(870.7)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 4.0
(10.2)
2.7
(6.9)
1.0
(2.5)
0.3
(0.8)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.3
(0.8)
0.5
(1.3)
3.5
(8.9)
12.4
(31.5)
Source: NOAA[11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
18608,932
187019,565119.0%
188032,43165.8%
189052,32461.3%
1900102,97996.8%
191077,403−24.8%
192077,9390.7%
193080,9353.8%
194075,711−6.5%
195078,5883.8%
196079,0350.6%
197072,748−8.0%
198076,6915.4%
199071,852−6.3%
200073,9903.0%
201076,7803.8%
Est. 201476,967[12]0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 76,780 people, 29,727 households, and 18,492 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,745.4 inhabitants per square mile (673.9/km2). There were 33,189 housing units at an average density of 754.5 per square mile (291.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.8% White, 6.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.7% of the population.

There were 29,727 households of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18; 11.7% between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% from 25 to 44; 24.9% from 45 to 64; and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age in the city was 35.6 years. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 73,990 people, 29,026 households, and 18,460 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,687.7 people per square mile (651.6/km²). There were 31,752 housing units at an average density of 724.2 per square mile (279.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.88% White, 5.03% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.61% of the population.

There were 29,026 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were single-family households. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,663, and the median income for a family was $40,995. Males had a median income of $31,300 versus $21,592 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,445. About 9.1% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Business

TransitAmerica Services, which provides conductors for various train systems nationwide, is based in the city.[15][16]

Retail

St. Joseph is home to several retail areas, many of which are grouped along Belt Highway on the city's east side. East Hills Mall is located at North Belt Highway and Frederick Boulevard. The mall opened in 1965, was expanded in 1988, and was renovated in 2001 with a far more extensive renovation in 2008 and 2009. Developed in 2005, the Shoppes at North Village is concentrated along North Belt Highway between approximately Cook and County Line roads. This serves as a regional shopping destination. Other shopping districts include Belt Center, Hy-Vee Shopping Center, Hillcrest Plaza, East Ridge Village, and Woodlawn Shopping Center.

Education

Public schools

The St. Joseph School District operates 3 public high schools, 4 public middle schools and 16 public elementary schools in St. Joseph. There are three private grade schools, a private high school and a private K-12 Christian school. Two new elementary schools (Oak Grove and Carden Park) have been constructed, and both opened by the 2014–15 academic year. In addition, there is an active home education community that serves the city and surrounding areas. In higher education, St. Joseph is the home of a regional public university as well as a public university outreach center, a public technical school and a private technical school.

Public elementary schools
  • Carden Park Elementary School — (K-06)
  • Coleman Elementary School — (K-06)
  • Edison Elementary School — (PK-06)
  • Ellison Elementary School — (K-06)
  • Eugene Field Elementary School — (K-06)
  • Hosea Elementary School — (PK-06)
  • Humboldt Elementary School — (PK-06)
  • Hyde Elementary School — (K-06)
  • Lake Contrary Elementary School — (PK-06)
  • Lindbergh Elementary School — (PK-06)
  • Mark Twain Elementary School — (PK-06)
  • Oak Grove Elementary School — (K-06)
  • Parkway Elementary School — (PK-06)
  • Pershing Elementary School — (K-06)
  • Pickett Elementary School — (PK-06)
  • Skaith Elementary School — (PK-06)

Public middle schools
  • Bode Middle School — (07-08)
  • Robidoux Middle School — (07-08)
  • Spring Garden Middle School — (07-08)
  • Truman Middle School — (07-08)
Public high schools

Private schools

Colleges and universities

Special focus institutions

Transportation

The St. Joseph Transit is publicly owned and provides bus service. Rosecrans Memorial Airport is a joint municipal/military owned airport for general aviation. It is the home of the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard, and does not have commercial service.

The city is served by two Interstate highways and four U.S. Routes:

In addition, four state routes serve the city:

Cityscape

Numerous parks, golf courses, sports complexes, skate parks, a water park, a riverwalk along the Missouri River, and a small conservation area can be found throughout St. Joseph proper. The city is also nationally known for its 26-mile (42 km) parkway system, which is accompanied by an urban trail system.[21] Two of the city's largest parks are Krug Park and Hyde Park; these respectively anchor the parkway and urban trail on the north and south. A dog park is also currently in development at one area along the parkway.[22]

The Buchanan County Courthouse in downtown St. Joseph

Media

St. Joseph currently ranks 201st largest designated market area out of 210 media markets in the United States (as ranked by Nielsen Media Research); the market covers six counties in northwestern Missouri (Holt, Worth, Nodaway, Andrew, DeKalb and Buchanan) and Doniphan County in northeastern Kansas. The St. Joseph area has one low-power and two full-power television stations, and ten radio stations.

Television

Due to its proximity to Kansas City and Omaha as well as Topeka, stations from those markets serve as default affiliates of NBC (KSHB-TV/Kansas City, KSNT/Topeka and WOWT/Omaha), CBS (KCTV/Kansas City, KMTV/Omaha and WIBW-TV/Topeka), MyNetworkTV (KSMO-TV/Kansas City and WIBW-DT2/Topeka, on Dish Network only) and The CW (KXVO/Omaha, on DirecTV only) due to the lack of affiliates of those networks licensed to the market.

Local broadcast stations

Channel Callsign Network Subchannels Owner Website
(Virtual/RF) Channel Programming
2.1 (7) KQTV ABC N/A N/A Nexstar Broadcasting Group
16.1 (21) KTAJ-TV TBN 16.2
16.3
16.4
16.5
The Church Channel
JCTV
TBN Enlace USA
Smile of a Child Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network
21.1 (16) KBJO-LD The CW Plus N/A N/A News-Press & Gazette Company
26.1 (26) KNPN-LD Fox 26.2
26.3
News-Press 3 NOW
Telemundo
News-Press & Gazette Company

Local independent cable channels

Radio

Frequency Callsign Nickname Format Owner Website
AM stations
680 KFEQ 680 KFEQ News/talk/sports Eagle Communications
1270 KGNM The Kingdom Contemporary Christian Orama, Inc.
1470 KAIR Hot Country 93.7 Country music KNZA Inc.
1550 KESJ ESPN 1550 Sports talk Eagle Communications
FM stations
89.7 KJCV-FM Bott Radio Network Contemporary Christian Community Broadcasting, Inc.
91.1 KSJI Joy 91.1 Contemporary Christian Good News Ministries, Inc.
91.9 KSRD Air1 Contemporary Christian Educational Media Foundation
92.7 KSJQ Q-Country 92.7 Country music Eagle Communications
99.3 KFOH-LP SJMF Radio All Genres St. Joseph Music Foundation
100.7 KLHM-LP Religious Lighthouse Radio Ministry
105.5 KKJO KJO 105.5 Hot adult contemporary Eagle Communications
106.1 KEXS-FM The Catholic Radio Network Catholic religious Catholic Radio Network

Newspapers

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. U.S. Census Bureau (2007). "Population Estimates: 2000-2007". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  5. The Mystery Of Marshall Mathers
  6. North America Travel Guide. "Saint Peters : Missouri". North America Travel Guide. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
  7. St. Joseph History - Jesse James Home.
  8. Bob Slater. "Civic pride ran amok with 1900 census". St. Joseph News-Press. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  9. "Winners", National Civic League
  10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  11. "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  15. "Caltrain Board Approves TransitAmerica to Run Train System". Caltrain News Archive. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  16. "TransitAmerica combines Herzog, Stagecoach's expertise". Metro Magazine. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  17. http://www.missouriwestern.edu/
  18. http://www.vatterott-college.edu/
  19. http://www.acot.edu/
  20. http://www.sjsd.k12.mo.us/Domain/546
  21. http://www.stjomo.com/see-do/sports-recreation/the-st-joseph-parkway/
  22. http://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/article_11608623-057d-527b-91e0-7e2fc138b8f7.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Joseph, Missouri.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for St. Joseph.
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