Jefferson City, Missouri
Encyclopedia : J : JE : JEF : Jefferson City, Missouri
- "Jefferson City" redirects here. For , see .
Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the population is 39,636. It is the county seat of Cole County. Part of the city is in Callaway County, Missouri, United States.
In pre-Columbian times, this region was home of an ancient people known only as the Mound Builders. By the time European settlers began arriving here, the Mound Builders had already vanished into history and the indigenous peoples were called the Osage Indians. (See Also: Osage Nation)
Jefferson City was named after the third president of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson. When the Missouri Territory was organized in 1812, St. Louis was the seat of government. St. Charles served as the capital until Jefferson City was chosen as the new capital in 1821. In 1821 Jefferson City was known as Lohman´s Landing. When the city was first chosen to be the state capital, they proposed the name "Missouriopolis", but later settled on Jefferson City.McMillen, Margot Ford & Murphy, Dennis. A to Z: The Dictionary of Missouri Place Names. Columbia, MO. Pebble Publishing, 1996. ISBN 096466254X. It was little more than a trading post located in the wilderness about midway between St. Louis and Kansas City. In 1826 the Missouri legislature first met here. In 1839 the site was incorporated as a city.
Jefferson City is in the Ozarks on the Missouri River near the geographic center of the state, and is dominated by a beautiful domed Capitol, rising from a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark passed beneath that bluff on their historic expedition.
Historical moments & overview
- Main Articles: Jefferson City, Missouri#Notables
- Main Articles: History of Missouri
- Jefferson City is home of the Jefferson City Jays, the Helias Crusaders and the Lincoln University (Missouri) Blue Tigers.
- Jefferson City was occupied by Union troops during the American Civil War.
- It was [part] of the Great Flood of 1993.
- The Capitol building houses the Missouri State Museum.
- The Capitol building is based on Italian-Renaissance design and made of Carthage marble. It was completed 1917.
- The statue on top of the Capitol building is Ceres, the Goddess of Grain.
- The Museum of Missouri Military History is located in Jefferson City.
- A submarine, the USS Jefferson City (SSN-759), is named for the State Capital of Missouri.
- Jefferson City is a point along the Katy Trail.
- Jefferson City has hosted a Jazzfest in September since 1994. (See also: Jazz)
Notables
- Thomas Hart Benton (painter) painted murals in the Capitol Building in Jefferson City. So did N. C. Wyeth.
- Winston Churchill visited Jefferson City on March 5, 1946.
- Lorenzo Greene had a street named after him in Jefferson City.
- Jack S. Kilby was born in Jefferson City.
- Cedric the Entertainer (Cedric Kyle) was born in Jefferson City.
- Lloyd L. Gaines attended Lincoln University in Jefferson City.
- John M. Dalton was a governor of Missouri and lived in Jefferson City.
- James T. Blair, Jr. was the mayor of Jefferson City in 1947 and then later a governor of Missouri.
- William Rose (screenwriter) was born in Jefferson City.
- Jefferson City is one of five US state capitals that is not served by the Eisenhower Interstate System
- Maverick World War 2 Fighter Pilot and member of the 332nd Fighter Group Wendell O. Pruitt attended Lincoln University in Jefferson City.
Geography
Jefferson City is located at (38.572954, -92.189283)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 73.2 km² (28.3 mi²). 70.6 km² (27.2 mi²) of it is land and 2.6 km² (1.0 mi²) of it (3.61%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 39,636 people, 15,794 households, and 9,207 families residing in the city. The population density was 561.6/km² (1,454.4/mi²). There were 16,987 housing units at an average density of 240.7/km² (623.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.50% White, 14.70% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 15,794 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,628, and the median income for a family was $52,627. Males had a median income of $35,050 versus $25,521 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,268. About 7.3% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
- [Jefferson City News Tribune (Newspaper)]
- [Jefferson City, MO (Official Webpage)]
- [History of the Missouri State Capitol Building]
- [Jefferson City Convention and Visitor's Bureau]
- [Missouri River Regional Library - Public Library, located in Jefferson City, serving Cole and Osage counties]
Map links
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