Mexico, Missouri

Mexico, Missouri
—  City  —
Location of Mexico, Missouri
Coordinates: 39°9′57″N 91°53′5″W / 39.16583°N 91.88472°W / 39.16583; -91.88472Coordinates: 39°9′57″N 91°53′5″W / 39.16583°N 91.88472°W / 39.16583; -91.88472
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Audrain
Area
– Total	11.7 sq mi (30.3 km2)
– Land	11.4 sq mi (29.4 km2)
– Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation	801 ft (244 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	11,543
– Density	995.7/sq mi (384.4/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	65265
Area code(s)	573
FIPS code	29-47648[1]
GNIS feature ID	0729554[2]

Mexico is a city in Audrain County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,543 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Audrain County^[3]. The Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Audrain County. Mexico hosts the annual Miss Missouri Pageant; the winner goes on to represent the state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.

Geography

Mexico is located at 39°9′57″N 91°53′5″W / 39.16583°N 91.88472°W / 39.16583; -91.88472 (39.165814, -91.884761)^[4]. N.E. of the centre of the state, and about 110 m. N.W. of St Louis. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.7 square miles (30 km²), of which, 11.4 square miles (30 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) of it (2.90%) is water.

History

Mexico was laid out as "New Mexico" in 1836 and was a major stop for settlers heading to the Republic of Texas (thus the name New Mexico), and became the county seat under its present name in 1837. The word "New" was dropped after the Mexican-American War that saw Texas become a part of the United States.

There is an apocryphal story concerning the name. When a University of Missouri student, questioned on radio, was unable to give an account of her hometown's name, the question was put to L. Mitchell White, then editor and publisher of the Mexico Ledger: "'The first settlers found a wooden sign along the trail. It pointed southwest, and on it had been painted Mexico.'" To avoid unnecessary labor, the sign was left in place. "It was easier to call their town 'Mexico' than to take down the old sign." ^[5]

Mexico was incorporated as a town in 1855, was entered by the Wabash road in 1858 and by the Alton in 1872, and was first chartered as a city in 1874. The city is situated in the blue grass region of Missouri, and was a shipping-point for horses and mules. Mexico was a one-time major source for the nation's fire brick production, so much so, that it adopted the moniker "Fire Brick Capital of the World". However, the industry fell on hard times and both major refractory plants in the area closed in 2002. There is currently no active quarrying for clay used in fire brick or refractories production in the area.

The historic downtown square, with the typical court house as the focal point, is surrounded by dozens of multi-story brick buildings—some dating to the founding of the community. In the late 1970s, Mexico began ripping up crumbling sidewalks and installing red paver bricks accented with turn-of-the-century lamp posts and park benches. In the 1980s, Mexico was one of six nationwide finalists for Saturn's new U.S. auto plant. Mexico lost out to winner Spring Hill, Tennessee because Mexico was not served by a four-lane freeway. So as not to lose future development, Mexico officials quickly lobbied state and federal officials to secure funding for a new four-lane divided highway (U.S. Route 54) which now serves the community from Interstate 70. Formerly known as the "Saddle Horse Capital of the World," Mexico still hosts Hollywood celebrities and other visitors from around the world who come to purchase riding horses. The Simmons Stables, currently being revitalized, are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Education

Mexico was the home of Hardin College and Conservatory of Music, a Baptist college established in 1873 for young women, an institution founded and endowed by Charles H. Hardin (1820–1892), governor of the state in 1872–1874. Hardin College closed during the Great Depression and never re-opened. Its 1200 seat auditorium has been painstakingly restored and is now used for community theater and concerts. The remainder of the college houses the Mexico Public Schools [1] administrative offices which are located on South Jefferson Street.

Mexico is also home to the Missouri Military Academy (1889).

Present public schools in the city include Mexico High School, Mexico Middle School, Hawthorne Elementary School, Eugene Field Elementary School, and McMillan Elementary School. Private schools include St. Brendan's Catholic School. The Davis H. Hart/Mexico Area Vocational-Technical School and the Advanced Technology Center are located here as well.

Notable residents

• Howard L. Bickley, Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court
• Christopher "Kit" Bond, Missouri's former United States Senator and Governor.
• Jason Brookins, former running back for the NFL Baltimore Ravens
• Charles Henry Hardin, Missouri governor served a two-year term (1875–1877).
• Edward D. "Ted" Jones, son of Edward D. Jones, opened Edward Jones Investments' first single broker office in Mexico.
• Howard Kindig, NFL football player
• Tyronn Lue, a NBA basketball player who played on the 2000 and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, NBA Championship team

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were 11,543 people, 4,804 households, and 3,021 families residing in the city. The population density was 995.7 people per square mile (384.4/km²). There were 5,301 housing units at an average density of 466.3 per square mile (180.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.79% White, 9.19% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 4,804 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,714, and the median income for a family was $39,406. Males had a median income of $30,266 versus $21,190 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,845. About 10.0% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

External links

• City of Mexico
• Mexico Area Chamber of Commerce
• Historic maps of Mexico in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
5. ^ St. Louis Post Dispatch, November 15, 1962, cited in The Missouri Historical Review,January 1963, p. 233.

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.