King City, Missouri
Encyclopedia
King City is a city in Gentry County
, Missouri
, United States
. The population was 1,012 at the 2000 census
.
. According to local legend, the United States Postmaster General
submitted his name. The Postmaster General at the time was Horatio King
(although the local history refers to Rufus King
)
The town became a stop on the St. Joseph and Des Moines Railway in 1878. The railway eventually became part of the Burlington Northern network and is currently abandoned.
In the first half of the 20th century King City was the heart of a Kentucky bluegrass seed harvesting region stretching from Kearney, Missouri
through King City to Maitland, Missouri
which claimed to harvest more bluegrass seeds than the entire state of Kentucky with King City resident John Weller claiming to the be the "King of Blue Grass Raisers.". Bluegrass seed production moved to the farming areas of the Pacific Northwest
in the 1950s.
In the 1990s, the Big Pump a 25 feet (7.6 m) high building resembling an electric gasoline pump was moved from Maryville, Missouri
to King City where it is on the National Register of Historic Places
. Rufus Limpp, an oil jobber, who built the station is from King City (the Limpp Community Lake by King City is also named for him).
The big pump is located on the Tri-County Museum grounds.
King City has only one grocery store, McCrea's, a family operated business started by Dean and Virginia McCrea. They have owned the store for more than 50 years, and Mr. McCrea still works there every day.
One prominent former King Citian was celebrated children's author Clyde Robert Bulla
, who died in 2007 while living in Warrensburg, Missouri
.
In 2006, St. Louis, Missouri
-based Wind Capital Group
began operation of 27 windmills a mile north of King City. The Bluegrass Ridge Wind Farm is the first commercial electric windmill operation in the state. Its windmills are 300 feet (91.4 m) high. The windfarm name celebrates the region's bluegrass heritage.
standout and NFL Hall of Famer Roger Wehrli
of the St. Louis Cardinals
is an alumnus of King City High School. King City's football field is named Wehrli Field after him. Currently, committees are earning money that goes towards re-doing the track.
, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 1,012 people, 418 households, and 285 families reside in the city. The population density
was 732.8 inhabitants per square mile (283.1/km²). There were 485 housing units at an average density of 351.2 per square mile (135.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.72% White, 0.20% African American, 0.20% Native American, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.
There were 418 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples
living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,605, and the median income for a family was $32,614. Males had a median income of $28,068 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,177. About 11.3% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
Gentry County, Missouri
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,861 people, 2,747 households, and 1,884 families residing in the county. The population density was 14 people per square mile . There were 3,214 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,012 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
History
John Pittsenbarger was the first European settler when he set up a tent in town in 1856. His application to name the town Petersburg was rejected because there was already a town of that name in Boone County, MissouriBoone County, Missouri
Boone County is a county centrally located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the eighth most populous county in Missouri. In 2010, the population was 162,642. Its county seat, Columbia, is the fifth largest city in Missouri and the anchor city of the Columbia Metropolitan Area.-History:Boone...
. According to local legend, the United States Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
submitted his name. The Postmaster General at the time was Horatio King
Horatio King
Horatio King was Postmaster General of the United States under James Buchanan.Born in Paris, Maine, he received a common school education, and at the age of 18 entered the office of the Paris Jeffersonian, where he learned printing, afterward becoming owner and editor of the paper...
(although the local history refers to Rufus King
Rufus King
Rufus King was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He also attended the Constitutional Convention and was one of the signers of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
)
The town became a stop on the St. Joseph and Des Moines Railway in 1878. The railway eventually became part of the Burlington Northern network and is currently abandoned.
In the first half of the 20th century King City was the heart of a Kentucky bluegrass seed harvesting region stretching from Kearney, Missouri
Kearney, Missouri
Kearney is a city in Clay County, Missouri, United States. The population was estimated to be 8,599 in 2008. It is most famous for being the birthplace of Jesse James, and there is an annual festival in the third weekend of September to recognize the notorious outlaw.Kearney was unofficially...
through King City to Maitland, Missouri
Maitland, Missouri
Maitland is a city in Holt County, Missouri, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census which at one point billed itself as the "Bluegrass Mecca" -- home to the largest bluegrass farm in the world.-History:...
which claimed to harvest more bluegrass seeds than the entire state of Kentucky with King City resident John Weller claiming to the be the "King of Blue Grass Raisers.". Bluegrass seed production moved to the farming areas of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
in the 1950s.
In the 1990s, the Big Pump a 25 feet (7.6 m) high building resembling an electric gasoline pump was moved from Maryville, Missouri
Maryville, Missouri
Maryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries...
to King City where it is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Rufus Limpp, an oil jobber, who built the station is from King City (the Limpp Community Lake by King City is also named for him).
The big pump is located on the Tri-County Museum grounds.
King City has only one grocery store, McCrea's, a family operated business started by Dean and Virginia McCrea. They have owned the store for more than 50 years, and Mr. McCrea still works there every day.
One prominent former King Citian was celebrated children's author Clyde Robert Bulla
Clyde Robert Bulla
Clyde Robert Bulla was the author of over fifty books for children. His first book, The Donkey Cart, was published in 1946. His autobiography, A Grain of Wheat: A Writer Begins, was published in 1985. The book referred to an essay he wrote in 1924 for the St...
, who died in 2007 while living in Warrensburg, Missouri
Warrensburg, Missouri
Warrensburg is a city in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 16,340 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County. The Warrensburg Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Johnson County. It is home to the University of Central Missouri.-History:Warrensburg...
.
In 2006, St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
-based Wind Capital Group
Tom Carnahan
Tom Carnahan is the founder of Wind Capital Group, a privately owned builder and developer of wind farms in the Midwest and in 2008 produced the power for the first 100 per cent wind powered city in the United States....
began operation of 27 windmills a mile north of King City. The Bluegrass Ridge Wind Farm is the first commercial electric windmill operation in the state. Its windmills are 300 feet (91.4 m) high. The windfarm name celebrates the region's bluegrass heritage.
Education
There are two schools, an elementary and junior high/high school, all named King City R-1. The school consisted of neighboring buildings for many years, until a fire confined both schools into a single building while a new high school was constructed. In a subsequent remodeling, the two separate buildings were joined with a classroom/hallway addition. They have finished construction; making a new Ag building and more classrooms in both the High School and Elementary.Sports
University of MissouriUniversity of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
standout and NFL Hall of Famer Roger Wehrli
Roger Wehrli
Roger Wehrli is a former National Football League cornerback who played his entire 14-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1969 until 1982. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler after playing college football at the University of Missouri, where he was a consensus All-American and a first-round...
of the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
is an alumnus of King City High School. King City's football field is named Wehrli Field after him. Currently, committees are earning money that goes towards re-doing the track.
Geography
King City is located at 40°3′6"N 94°31′22"W (40.051672, -94.522867). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,012 people, 418 households, and 285 families reside in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 732.8 inhabitants per square mile (283.1/km²). There were 485 housing units at an average density of 351.2 per square mile (135.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.72% White, 0.20% African American, 0.20% Native American, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.
There were 418 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,605, and the median income for a family was $32,614. Males had a median income of $28,068 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $14,177. About 11.3% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.2% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- Historic maps of King City in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...