Macon, Missouri

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Macon, Missouri
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

---

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Macon, Missouri


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Missouri
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Macon
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Desmond Treyard (Progressive)
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
leader_title2 =
leader_name2 =
leader_title3 =
leader_name3 =
leader_title4 =
leader_name4 =
established_title =
established_date =
established_title2 =
established_date2 =
established_title3 =
established_date3 =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 16.6
area_land_km2 = 15.9
area_water_km2 = 0.8
area_total_sq_mi = 6.4
area_land_sq_mi = 6.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0.3

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 5538
population_density_km2 = 349.0
population_density_sq_mi = 903.9

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 265
elevation_ft = 869
latd = 39 |latm = 44 |lats = 26 |latNS = N
longd = 92 |longm = 28 |longs = 14 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 63552
area_code = 660
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 29-45326GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0735708GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Macon is a city in Macon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,538 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Macon CountyGR|6.

Geography

Macon is located at coor dms|39|44|26|N|92|28|14|W|city (39.740596, -92.470639)GR|1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), of which, 6.1 square miles (15.9 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (4.52%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 5,538 people, 2,434 households, and 1,448 families residing in the city. The population density was 903.9 people per square mile (348.8/km²). There were 2,723 housing units at an average density of 444.4/sq mi (171.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.78% White, 5.36% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.

There were 2,434 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,738, and the median income for a family was $36,633. Males had a median income of $30,069 versus $18,217 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,679. About 8.6% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

History

Macon County pioneers began arriving in the early 1820s, coming mostly from Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee. They followed an ancient Indian trade route, called the Great Trail. The trail followed the great divide between the Missouri and Mississippi watershed and ran through the site of what was to become Macon County's first county seat, Bloomington, in 1837.

Rapid growth in the area resulted from the development of two railroad lines, the Northwest Railroad and the Hannibal and St. Joseph Line, which intersected in Macon. By June of 1861, over 7,000 Union troops populated the City of Macon. The decision to move the county seat to Macon in 1863 was both political and of economic necessity.

In the mid-1890's, Frederick W. V. Blees, the headmaster of Macon's St. James Academy, an Episcopalian military school for boys, inherited a large sum, and decided to use his windfall to benefit Macon. Blees was responsible for the construction of several of the town's commercial buildings and the town's first sewage system; founded the local horseless carriage factory, the first theater, and the First National Bank of Macon, and he financed the paving of the town's streets on a 50-50 basis with the city. In 1899, he took on the project that he hoped would be his legacy - the construction of the Blees Military Academy. However, Blees died in 1906, the Academy went bankrupt soon thereafter, and the buildings stood vacant until 1915. In that year, Charles E. Still and Harry M. Still, sons of A. T. Still, the founder of the profession of osteopathic medicine, along with Dr. Arthur G. Hildreth, established the Still-Hildreth Sanatorium, which was devoted to the treatment and care of all types of nervous and mental disorders. Today, the surviving Romanesque Revival buildings of Blees Academy are on the National Register of Historic Places and serve as low income housing in Macon.

Notable Residents

* Frederick W. V. Blees, chief benefactor of Macon, founder of Blees Military Academy.
* James P. Kem, United States Senator from Missouri, 1947-1953.

References

External links