Park Hills, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Park Hills is a city in St. Francois County, Missouri, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was estimated at 8,851 in 2008. It was 7,861 at the 2000 census.

History

The city was formed in an unusual four-way merger that took place in January 1994, in which the cities of Flat River, Elvins, Esther and the village of Rivermines joined to form the new city of Park Hills. The formerly incorporated village of Fairview Acres had previously merged with Flat River on November 8, 1983. The name of the new city was selected by entries submitted to a committee made up of citizens of the four cities. The name Park Hills was submitted by Mildred Lee, a lifelong resident and a former teacher of Flat River. The inspiration came from its hilly terrain in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and the many parks that surround the area. It is 6 miles east of Irondale
Irondale, Missouri
Irondale is a city in Washington County, Missouri, United States. The population was 455 at the 2008 estimated census.-Geography:Irondale is located at ....

 and 13 miles east of Belgrade
Belgrade, Missouri
Belgrade is an unincorporated community in south central Washington County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Missouri Supplemental Route C about six miles west of Caledonia and ten miles south of Potosi. The community was founded in 1876 and was named after Belgrade in Serbia. Belgrade...

. It is adjacent to St. Joe State Park
St. Joe State Park
St. Joe State Park is a Missouri state park located in Park Hills, Missouri on the flanks of the Saint Francois Mountains. It encompasses with a off-road vehicle riding area located on the old St. Joe mine tailings dumps. It also contains camping facilities and trails for hiking, bicycling, or...

, and nearby the state parks of St. Francois
St. Francois State Park
St. Francois State Park is a state park in the US state of Missouri consisting of in St. Francois County....

, Hawn
Hawn State Park
Hawn State Park is located near Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The park was acquired in 1955. Activities in the park include camping, fishing, picnicking, and hiking.Hawn State Park has three trails:...

, Elephant Rocks
Elephant Rocks State Park
Elephant Rocks State Park in the U.S. state of Missouri encompasses an outcropping of Precambrian granite in the Saint Francois Mountains. It is named for a string of large granite boulders which resemble a train of pink circus elephants....

, Johnson's Shut-Ins
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is a Missouri state park on the East Fork Black River consisting of in Reynolds County. The park is jointly administered with adjoining Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, and together the two parks cover in the St...

, Taum Sauk Mountain
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is located in the Saint Francois Mountains in the Missouri Ozarks. It is centered around Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in the state....

, and Washington
Washington State Park
Washington State Park is a Missouri state park in the central eastern part of Missouri containing native American rock carvings. These carvings, or petroglyphs, carved in dolomite rock, are believed to have been made around 1000 to 1600 and give clues to the lives of the prehistoric native...

.

It is home to Mineral Area College
Mineral Area College
Mineral Area College is a two year public community college located in Park Hills, Missouri, USA. Founded in 1922 as Flat River Junior College, it changed its name in 1965, and has over 11,000 alumni. Current enrollment has quadrupled in the years since the name change and is currently just under...

, formerly known as Flat River Junior College. The town is located in Old Lead Belt
Lead Belt
The Southeast Missouri Lead District, commonly called the Lead Belt, is a lead mining district in the southeastern part of Missouri. Counties in the Lead Belt include Saint Francois; Crawford; Dent; Iron; Madison: Reynolds; and Washington...

, formerly a large lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

 mining district.

Geography

Park Hills is located at 37°50′40"N 90°30′40"W (37.844538, -90.511038).

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 20.1 square miles (52.1 km²), of which, 20 square miles (51.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.60%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 7,861 people, 3,181 households, and 2,070 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 392.5 people per square mile (151.5/km²). There were 3,520 housing units at an average density of 175.7 per square mile (67.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.62% White, 0.32% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.

There were 3,181 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% 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, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,277, and the median income for a family was $30,663. Males had a median income of $26,900 versus $17,613 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 $13,048. About 17.6% of families and 21.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

  • Darrell S. Cole
    Darrell S. Cole
    Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole was a United States marine who posthumously received the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his "conspicuous gallantry" at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.Although he was originally assigned to play the bugle, Sergeant Cole...

    , Medal of Honor
    Medal of Honor
    The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

     recipient and namesake of USS Cole (DDG-67)
    USS Cole (DDG-67)
    The second USS Cole is an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer homeported in NS Norfolk, Virginia. The Cole is named in honor of Marine Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, a machine-gunner killed in action on Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945, during World War II...

  • Ferlin Husky
    Ferlin Husky
    Ferlin Eugene Husky was an early American country music singer who was equally adept at the genres of traditional honky honk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes...

     of country music fame
  • Bill Upton
    Bill Upton
    William Ray "Bill" Upton was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in with the Philadelphia Athletics. He batted and threw right-handed....

    , Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     player
  • Tom Upton
    Tom Upton
    Thomas Herbert "Muscles" Upton is a former right-handed Major League Baseball shortstop who played for the St. Louis Browns from 1950 to 1951, and for the Washington Senators in 1952. He began his professional career in 1944, after being signed by the New York Yankees...

    , Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     player

External links

  • Historic maps of Flat River in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri
    University 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...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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