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Boone County, Missouri facts for kids

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Boone County
The Big Tree in the Missouri River floodplain near the City of Columbia
The Big Tree in the Missouri River floodplain near the City of Columbia
Official seal of Boone County
Seal
Map of Missouri highlighting Boone County
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Map of the United States highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Missouri
Founded November 16, 1820
Named for Daniel Boone
Seat Columbia, Missouri Columbia
Largest city Columbia, Missouri Columbia
Area
 • Total 691 sq mi (1,790 km2)
 • Land 685 sq mi (1,770 km2)
 • Water 5.6 sq mi (15 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 183,610
 • Density 265.72/sq mi (102.59/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Boone County is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Centrally located in Mid-Missouri, its county seat is Columbia, Missouri's fourth-largest city and location of the University of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 183,610, making it the state's eighth-most populous county. The county was organized November 16, 1820 and named for the then recently deceased Daniel Boone, whose kin largely populated the Boonslick area, having arrived in the 1810s on the Boone's Lick Road. Boone County comprises the Columbia Metropolitan Area. The towns of Ashland and Centralia are the second and third most populous towns in the county.

History

Boone County was organized November 16, 1820, from a portion of the territorial Howard County. The area was then known as Boone's Lick Country, because of a salt lick which Daniel Boone's sons used for their stock.

Boone County was settled primarily from the Upper South states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. The settlers brought slaves and slave-holding with them, and quickly started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. Boone was one of several counties settled by Southerners to the north and south of the Missouri River. Because of its culture and traditions, the area became known as Little Dixie, and Boone County was at its heart. In 1860 slaves made up 25 percent or more of the county's population, and Little Dixie was strongly pro-Confederate during the American Civil War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 496 square miles (1,280 km2), of which 685 square miles (1,770 km2) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km2) (0.8%) is water. The Missouri River makes up the southern border of the county.

National protected area

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 3,692
1830 8,859 140.0%
1840 13,561 53.1%
1850 14,979 10.5%
1860 19,486 30.1%
1870 20,765 6.6%
1880 25,422 22.4%
1890 26,043 2.4%
1900 28,642 10.0%
1910 30,533 6.6%
1920 29,672 −2.8%
1930 30,995 4.5%
1940 34,991 12.9%
1950 48,432 38.4%
1960 55,202 14.0%
1970 80,911 46.6%
1980 100,376 24.1%
1990 112,379 12.0%
2000 135,454 20.5%
2010 162,642 20.1%
2020 183,610 12.9%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

As of the census of 2000, there were 135,454 people, 53,094 households, and 31,378 families residing in the county. The population density was 198 people per square mile (76/km2). There were 56,678 housing units at an average density of 83 per square mile (32/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 85.43% White, 8.54% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 2.96% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.69% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. Approximately 1.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% claimed German, 12.3% American, 11.2% English and 9.8% Irish ancestry.

There were 53,094 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.50% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.90% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.80% under the age of 18, 19.90% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 18.80% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,485, and the median income for a family was $51,210. Males had a median income of $33,304 versus $25,990 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,844. About 7.60% of families and 14.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.10% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.

There are 121,319 registered voters.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2010), Boone County is sometimes regarded as being on the northern edge of the Bible Belt, with evangelical Protestantism being the most predominant religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Boone County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (20.81%), Roman Catholics (16.71%), and nondenominational evangelical groups (13.23%).

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Bourbon
  • Cedar
  • Centralia
  • Columbia
  • Katy
  • Missouri
  • Perche
  • Rock Bridge
  • Rocky Fork
  • Three Creeks

Education

Public schools

  • Ashland R-I School District**Southern Boone Elementary
    • Southern Boone Middle School
    • Southern Boone High School
  • Centralia R-VI School District – Centralia
    • Chance Elementary School (PK-02)
    • Centralia Intermediate School (03-05)
    • Chester Boren Middle School (06-08)
    • Centralia High School (09-12)
  • Columbia School District No. 93 – Columbia
    • Center for Gifted Education (01-05)
    • Cedar Ridge Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Thomas Benton Elementary School (PK-05)
    • John Ridgeway Elementary School (K-05)
    • Eugene Field/ Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Midway Heights Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Ulysses S. Grant Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Two Mile Prairie Elementary School (PK-05)
    • New Haven Elementary School (PK-05)
    • West Boulevard Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary School
    • Parkade Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Blue Ridge Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Fairview Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Russell Boulevard Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Shepard Boulevard Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Mary Paxton Keeley Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Beulah Ralph Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Eliot Battle Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Derby Ridge Elementary School (PK-05)
    • Mill Creek Elementary School (PK-05)
    • John B. Lange Middle School (06-08)
    • Ann Hawkins Gentry Middle School (06-08)
    • Smithton Middle School (06-08)
    • Oakland Middle School (06-08)
    • Jefferson Middle School (06-08)
    • West Middle School (06-08)
    • Warner Middle School (06-08)
    • David H. Hickman High School (09-12)
    • Muriel Battle High School (09-12)
    • Frederick Douglass High School (09-12) – Alternative School
    • Rock Bridge High School (09-12)
  • Hallsville R-IV School District – Hallsville
    • Hallsville Primary School (PK-01)
    • Hallsville Intermediate School (02-05)
    • Hallsville Middle School (06-08)
    • Hallsville High School (09-12)
  • Harrisburg R-VIII School District – Harrisburg
    • Harrisburg Elementary School (PK-06)
    • Harrisburg Middle School (07-08)
    • Harrisburg High School (09-12)
  • Sturgeon R-V School District – Sturgeon
    • Sturgeon Elementary School (K-04)
    • Sturgeon Middle School (05-08)
    • Sturgeon High School (09-12)

Private schools

  • Apple School – Columbia (PK-K) – Nonsectarian
  • Children's House And Windsor Street Montessori – Columbia (PK-06) – Nonsectarian – Coed
  • Christian Chapel Academy – Columbia (K-08) – Pentecostal
  • Christian Fellowship School – Columbia (PK-12) – Nondenominational Christian
  • College Park Christian Academy – Columbia (K-09) – Seventh-day Adventist
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish School– Columbia (K-08) – Roman Catholic
  • Columbia Independent School – Columbia (PK-12) – Nonsectarian
  • Columbia KinderCare – Columbia (NS-PK) – Nonsectarian
  • Columbia Montessori School – Columbia (PK-K) – Nonsectarian
  • Father Tolton Regional High School- Columbia (09-12) - Roman Catholic
  • Good Shepherd Lutheran School – Columbia (K-08) – Lutheran
  • Heritage Academy – Columbia (03-12) – Nondenominational Christian – Alternative School
  • Islamic School of Columbia, Missouri – Columbia (K-05) – Muslim
  • Morningside Community School – Columbia (05-07) – Nonsectarian
  • Shalom Christian Academy – Columbia (PK-12) – Nonsectarian
  • Harrisburg Early Learning Center – Harrisburg (NS/PK-06)
  • Sunnydale Adventist Academy – Centralia (09-12) – Seventh-day Adventist

Post secondary

  • University of MissouriColumbia A public, four-year flagship university.
  • Columbia College – Columbia A private, four-year university.
  • Stephens College – Columbia A private, four-year women's university.
  • Moberly Area Community College (MACC), a two-year public college, operates a Columbia satellite campus.

Public libraries

  • Centralia Public Library
  • Daniel Boone Regional Library
  • Southern Boone County Public Library
  • Holts Summit Public Library
  • Columbia Public Library

Notable people

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Boone (Misuri) para niños

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