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Center, Missouri
Location of Center, Missouri
Location of Center, Missouri
Country United States
State Missouri
County Ralls
Area
 • Total 0.40 sq mi (1.03 km2)
 • Land 0.40 sq mi (1.03 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
719 ft (219 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 528
 • Density 1,329.97/sq mi (513.47/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
63436
Area code(s) 573
FIPS code 29-12592
GNIS feature ID 2393779

Center is a small city in Ralls County, Missouri, United States. It is a part of the Hannibal area. In 2020, about 528 people lived there.

History of Center, Missouri

The city of Center was first planned in 1871. Its original name was "Centre." The name "Center" was chosen because the town is located close to the middle of Ralls County.

A special building called St. Paul Catholic Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. This means it is an important historical site.

Geography and Location

Center is located on Missouri Route 19. This road is about six miles east of the Clarence Cannon Dam. The dam is on the Salt River and near Mark Twain Lake.

Another town, New London, is about eight miles northeast of Center. A small stream called Jug Run flows just south of the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Center covers a total area of about 0.40 square miles (1.03 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

Population and People

Center's population has changed over the years. Here is a look at how many people have lived there during different census counts:

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 55
1890 155 181.8%
1900 300 93.5%
1910 540 80.0%
1920 575 6.5%
1930 516 −10.3%
1940 488 −5.4%
1950 415 −15.0%
1960 484 16.6%
1970 588 21.5%
1980 669 13.8%
1990 552 −17.5%
2000 644 16.7%
2010 508 −21.1%
2020 528 3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

What the 2010 Census Showed

In 2010, there were 508 people living in Center. There were 209 homes. The city had about 1,270 people per square mile.

Most of the people living in Center were White (95.7%). There were also some African American (1.4%) and Asian (1.2%) residents. A small number of people were from other races or had mixed backgrounds. About 1.0% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 31.6% of homes had children under 18 years old. The average age of people in Center was 44.3 years. About 22.6% of residents were under 18. About 24.4% were 65 years old or older.

Education in Center

The Ralls County R-II School District runs the schools in Center. These include Center Elementary and Mark Twain Jr./Sr. High School.

The town also has a public library. It is called the Ralls County Library.

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