Odessa, Missouri

Odessa, Missouri
—  City  —
Location of Odessa, Missouri
Coordinates: 38°59′49″N 93°57′18″W / 38.99694°N 93.955°W / 38.99694; -93.955Coordinates: 38°59′49″N 93°57′18″W / 38.99694°N 93.955°W / 38.99694; -93.955
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Lafayette
Area
– Total	3.5 sq mi (9.0 km2)
– Land	3.5 sq mi (9.0 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	932 ft (284 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	4,818
– Density	1,381.7/sq mi (533.5/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	64076
Area code(s)	816
FIPS code	29-54038[1]
GNIS feature ID	0723697[2]

Odessa is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,818 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Odessa is located at 38°59′49″N 93°57′18″W / 38.996962°N 93.954975°W / 38.996962; -93.954975.^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), all of it land.

Odessa is located roughly 45 minutes from downtown Kansas City, Missouri and about three hours from St. Louis, Missouri.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 4,818 people, 1,887 households, and 1,290 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,381.7 people per square mile (533.0/km²). There were 2,011 housing units at an average density of 576.7 per square mile (222.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.09% White, 1.18% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.

There were 1,887 households out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,007, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $35,476 versus $23,047 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,455. About 8.4% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

Odessa is home of the Odessa R-7 School District. The school's mascot is the bulldog.

Government

The City of Odessa is governed by six-member Board of Aldermen (City Council). Justin Murry is the Mayor.

Odessa is a Missouri "Fourth Class" city.

Notable residents

• The composer H. Owen Reed was born in Odessa in 1910.
• Joe C. Specker, Army sergeant and (posthumous) Medal of Honor recipient in World War II.
• Actor Holmes Osborne is a graduate of Odessa High School.
• Emily Hedicke is a lifeguard on Hole in the Wall.
• Gymnast Terin Humphrey, who won an individual silver medal on the uneven bars, and another silver with the US women's team in the all-around competition at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, is a graduate of Odessa High School.
• Arizona Diamondbacks' pitcher Brad Ziegler, who made his major-league debut in May 2008, is a graduate of Odessa High School.
• Dean Vogelaar, past Vice-President and Director of Public Relations for the Kansas City Royals, is a graduate of Odessa High School.

Colts Drum & Bugle Corps member Elizabeth Wohletz (now Keune) graduated from Odessa High School in 2003.

Janae Kram, a graduate of Odessa High School is a current cheerleader for the Pro Football Team the Tennessee Titans.

Notable businesses

• I-70 Speedway
• Odessa Shopping Center

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. ^ "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. 

External links

• Parry, Albert (Spring 1944). "US towns named Odessa". Russian Review 3 (2): 36–40. http://www.2odessa.com/wiki/index.php?title=US_towns_named_Odessa. 
• Historic maps of Odessa in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri