Callaway County, Missouri

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


founded year = 1820
founded date =
seat wl = Fulton
largest city wl = Jefferson City
area_total_sq_mi = 847
area_total_km2 = 2194
area_land_sq_mi = 839
area_land_km2 = 2173
area_water_sq_mi = 8
area_water_km2 = 21
area percentage = 0.97
census yr = 2000
pop = 40766
density_sq_mi = 49
density_km2 = 19
time zone = Central
UTC offset = -6
DST offset = -5
footnotes =
web = callaway.missouri.org/
named for = Capt. James Callaway, grandson of Daniel Boone, killed in Indian fighting in 1815.

Callaway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 40,766. Its county seat is FultonGR|6.

The county was organized in 1820. It was named for Capt. James Callaway, a grandson of Daniel Boone. Callaway was killed in Indian fighting in 1815.

Callaway County is also referred to as "The Kingdom of Callaway", after an incident in which residents confronted Union troops during the American Civil War. [ [http://history.fulton.missouri.org/Legend.html Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society] ]

Summit Lake Winery was founded in Holts Summit, linking the county to the Missouri Rhineland along the river. Vineyards and wineries were first established in the area by German immigrants in the 19th century. Since the 1960s, there has been a revival of winemaking throughout the state.

History

Callaway County was settled primarily from migrants from the Upper South states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. Callaway was one of several counties to the north and south of the Missouri River settled mostly by southerners in the early antebellum years. Given their culture and traditions, this area became known as Little Dixie and Callaway was at its heart. [ [http://www.missouridivision-scv.org/littledixie.htm "The Story of Little Dixie, Missouri", Missouri Division-Sons of Confederate Veterans] , accessed 3 Jun 2008] In 1860 slaves made up 25 percent or more of the county's population. [T. J. Stiles, "Jesse James: The Last Rebel of the Civil War", New York: Vintage Books, 2003, pp.10-11] Residents generally supported the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Other settlers in the Missouri River valley included German immigrants, who established a strong wine industry in the area and towns with German-influenced architecture. Missouri was a large wine-producing state until Prohibition. In the late 20th century, numerous vineyards and wineries have been established, including Summit Lake Winery in Holts Summit. The county is part of the Missouri Rhineland, an area of vineyards along the Missouri River extending from St. Charles County west to Cole County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 847 square miles (2,194 km²), of which, 839 square miles (2,173 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (21 km²) of it (0.97%) is water.

Callaway County lies on the border of transition between prairie and rugged Ozarks. The north part of the county is relatively flat and devoid of large tracts of forests. The southern border of the county is the Missouri River and the area is heavily forested over large hills and valleys. Cedar Creek makes up the southern half of the western border.

Adjacent counties

* Audrain County (north)
* Montgomery County (east)
* Osage County (south)
* Cole County (southwest)
* Boone County (west)

Major highways

* Interstate 70
* U.S. Route 40
* U.S. Route 54
* U.S. Route 63
* Route 94

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 40,766 people, 14,416 households, and 10,336 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 16,167 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.79% White, 5.66% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 0.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.9% were of German, 22.0% American, 9.1% Irish and 9.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 14,416 households out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 23.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.40% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 31.00% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 107.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,110, and the median income for a family was $44,474. Males had a median income of $29,574 versus $22,317 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,005. About 6.00% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 8.30% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Townships

Callaway County is divided into 18 townships as well as the City of Fulton.

References

External links

* [http://www.kchsoc.org Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society]
* [http://callaway.county.missouri.org Callaway County Information]