Meta, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Meta is a city in Osage County
, Missouri
, United States
. The population was 249 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri
Metropolitan Statistical Area
and is also the world headquarters of Diamond Pet Foods
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 249 people, 106 households, and 59 families residing in the city. The population density
was 742.7 people per square mile (282.8/km²). There were 130 housing units at an average density of 387.8 per square mile (147.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.99% White, 1.20% Native American, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 106 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples
living together, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,208, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $24,063 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,902. About 9.1% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.3% of those sixty five or over.
This area of Osage county was settled by German Lutherans in the 1860s, and a small country church called St. John's Lutheran Church at Babbtown was founded in 1871. The congregation still meets in the original building that was constructed in 1873. When termites were discovered in the hewn log sills in the 1990s, congregation members rebuilt the foundation by jacking up the walls section-by-section and cutting out and replacing the termite-riddled timbers and wall structure.
By the late 19th century the neighboring town of Babbtown had developed into a prominent town in the area, with a general store and post office across from the church, a blacksmith shop, and a Lutheran school, which was built in the late 1890s and held classes from 1900-1930. The old schoolhouse was expanded in the 1970s and again in the 1990s, and is now used as a parish house. Around 1900, however, the Rock Island Railroad was built through what is now the town of Meta, and as that town grew, Babbtown dwindled away. The town of Meta was named after Meta Rowan, wife of Nathan J. Rowan.
If you make it to the church grounds, be sure to check out the Babbtown Bible Garden, a garden of biblical-related plants in front of the parish house. The Bible Garden is still a work in progress; it hasn't quite recovered from the Bible gardener's three-year absence due to a tour in Germany with the US Army. This information was placed with permission of the congregation, and the neighbors know about it. Feel free to visit if they come out to talk to you!
Osage County, Missouri
Osage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was named for the Osage River. As of 2000, the population was 13,062. Its county seat is Linn. The center of population of Missouri is located in Osage County, in the city of Westphalia .Osage County is part of the...
, 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 249 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Area
The Jefferson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties – Cole, Callaway, Moniteau, and Osage – in central Missouri anchored by the city of Jefferson City...
and is also the world headquarters of Diamond Pet Foods
Diamond Pet Foods
Diamond Pet Foods, Inc. is the name under which Schell and Kampeter, Inc. does business as a U.S.-based commercial pet food manufacturer with plants located in Meta, Missouri, Lathrop, California and Gaston, South Carolina...
.
Geography
Meta is located at 38°18′45"N 92°10′5"W (38.312471, -92.167999).According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²), all of it 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 249 people, 106 households, and 59 families residing 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 742.7 people per square mile (282.8/km²). There were 130 housing units at an average density of 387.8 per square mile (147.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.99% White, 1.20% Native American, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 106 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% 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, 3.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 25.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,208, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $24,063 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 $13,902. About 9.1% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 9.3% of those sixty five or over.
History
The Following information is about the town of Babbtown and what effect the Rock Island Railroad Rock Island Railroad had on the town of Meta.This area of Osage county was settled by German Lutherans in the 1860s, and a small country church called St. John's Lutheran Church at Babbtown was founded in 1871. The congregation still meets in the original building that was constructed in 1873. When termites were discovered in the hewn log sills in the 1990s, congregation members rebuilt the foundation by jacking up the walls section-by-section and cutting out and replacing the termite-riddled timbers and wall structure.
By the late 19th century the neighboring town of Babbtown had developed into a prominent town in the area, with a general store and post office across from the church, a blacksmith shop, and a Lutheran school, which was built in the late 1890s and held classes from 1900-1930. The old schoolhouse was expanded in the 1970s and again in the 1990s, and is now used as a parish house. Around 1900, however, the Rock Island Railroad was built through what is now the town of Meta, and as that town grew, Babbtown dwindled away. The town of Meta was named after Meta Rowan, wife of Nathan J. Rowan.
If you make it to the church grounds, be sure to check out the Babbtown Bible Garden, a garden of biblical-related plants in front of the parish house. The Bible Garden is still a work in progress; it hasn't quite recovered from the Bible gardener's three-year absence due to a tour in Germany with the US Army. This information was placed with permission of the congregation, and the neighbors know about it. Feel free to visit if they come out to talk to you!
External links
- Historic maps of Meta 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...