Webster County, Missouri

Infobox U.S. County
county = Webster County
state = Missouri


founded year = 1855
seat wl = Marshfield
area_total_sq_mi =594
area_land_sq_mi =593
area_water_sq_mi =0
area percentage = 0.06%
census yr = 2000
pop = 31045
density_km2 =20
web = |

Webster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 31,045. Its county seat is MarshfieldGR|6. The county was organized in 1855 and named for Senator and Secretary of State Daniel Webster.

Webster County is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

On April 18, 1880, an intense tornado measuring F4 on the Fujita scale struck Marshfield. Its damage path was convert|800|yd wide and convert|64|mi|km long. The tornado killed 99 people and injured 100, and it is said that 10% of Marshfield's residents were killed and all but 15 of its buildings were destroyed.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 594 square miles (1,538 km²), of which, 593 square miles (1,537 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.06%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Dallas County (northwest)
*Laclede County (northeast)
*Wright County (east)
*Douglas County (southeast)
*Christian County (southwest)
*Greene County (west)

Major highways

*Interstate 44
*U.S. Route 60
*"U.S. Route 66" (1926-1979)
*Route 38

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 31,045 people, 11,073 households, and 8,437 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 12,052 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.20% White, 1.16% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. 1.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,073 households out of which 37.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.00% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.80% were non-families. 20.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 29.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 101.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,929, and the median income for a family was $36,934. Males had a median income of $28,168 versus $20,768 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,502. About 9.60% of families and 14.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 14.10% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

References

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/joefurr2/histtor.html] - Historical Tornadoes
* [http://www.shomepower.com/tornado.htm] - Eyewitness account of the Marshfield tornado