Ferguson, Missouri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ferguson, Missouri
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| City of Ferguson | |||
Ferguson's Church Street in 2012, the Wildwood House in 2012, the Ferguson Municipal Library in 2014, and the Ferguson City Hall in 2012.
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| Etymology: William B. Ferguson | |||
| Nickname(s):
"Community of Choice"
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| Motto(s):
"Proud Past. Promising Future!"
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Location within St. Louis County (left) and Missouri (right)
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | Missouri | ||
| County | St. Louis | ||
| Incorporated | 1894 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 6.18 sq mi (16.01 km2) | ||
| • Land | 6.17 sq mi (15.99 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 512 ft (156 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 18,527 | ||
| Demonym(s) | Fergusonian | ||
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
63135
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| Area code | 314 | ||
| FIPS code | 29-23986 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0756046 | ||
| Website | City of Ferguson | ||
Ferguson is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Per the 2020 census, the population was 18,527.
Contents
History
What is now the city of Ferguson was founded in 1855 when William B. Ferguson deeded 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land to the Wabash Railroad in exchange for a new depot and naming rights. The settlement that sprang up around the depot was called Ferguson Station. Ferguson was the first railroad station connected directly to St. Louis. The station is a focal point of the city's history and is depicted on the city flag, designed in 1994.
Ferguson's first schoolhouse was built in 1878. Ferguson was incorporated as a city in 1894.
Emerson Electric moved its headquarters to Ferguson during the 20th century.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.20 square miles (16.06 km2), of which 6.19 square miles (16.03 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.
Climate
Ferguson has a humid subtropical-continental climate. Winters are cold, while summers are hot and humid. The record high is 115 °F, and the record low is −19 °F.
| Climate data for Ferguson, MO | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) |
85 (29) |
92 (33) |
93 (34) |
98 (37) |
105 (41) |
115 (46) |
110 (43) |
104 (40) |
94 (34) |
86 (30) |
79 (26) |
115 (46) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 38 (3) |
44 (7) |
55 (13) |
67 (19) |
76 (24) |
85 (29) |
90 (32) |
88 (31) |
80 (27) |
68 (20) |
54 (12) |
42 (6) |
66 (19) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 21 (−6) |
27 (−3) |
36 (2) |
47 (8) |
57 (14) |
66 (19) |
71 (22) |
69 (21) |
60 (16) |
48 (9) |
37 (3) |
26 (−3) |
47 (8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −19 (−28) |
−18 (−28) |
−5 (−21) |
20 (−7) |
31 (−1) |
43 (6) |
51 (11) |
47 (8) |
32 (0) |
21 (−6) |
1 (−17) |
−16 (−27) |
−19 (−28) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.14 (54) |
2.28 (58) |
3.60 (91) |
3.69 (94) |
4.11 (104) |
3.76 (96) |
3.00 (76) |
2.98 (76) |
2.96 (75) |
2.76 (70) |
3.71 (94) |
2.86 (73) |
37.85 (961) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.40 (18.8) |
4.80 (12.2) |
3.30 (8.4) |
0.60 (1.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.50 (3.8) |
4.90 (12.4) |
22.90 (58.2) |
| Source: http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USMO0981 | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 185 | — | |
| 1890 | 750 | 305.4% | |
| 1900 | 1,015 | 35.3% | |
| 1910 | 1,658 | 63.3% | |
| 1920 | 1,874 | 13.0% | |
| 1930 | 3,798 | 102.7% | |
| 1940 | 5,724 | 50.7% | |
| 1950 | 11,573 | 102.2% | |
| 1960 | 22,149 | 91.4% | |
| 1970 | 28,759 | 29.8% | |
| 1980 | 24,740 | −14.0% | |
| 1990 | 22,286 | −9.9% | |
| 2000 | 22,406 | 0.5% | |
| 2010 | 21,203 | −5.4% | |
| 2020 | 18,527 | −12.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2010 2020 |
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The population of Ferguson grew rapidly during the late nineteenth century. In 1880 the population of the then Ferguson Station was 185 people. By 1890 the population was recorded as being 750 and only four years later it had increased to 1200.
The population of Ferguson continued to grow rapidly during the first six decades of the twentieth century, from 1,015 people in 1900 to 22,149 people in 1960, an average growth rate of 5% per year. Since 1960 the population has remained nearly constant.
The ethnic composition of Ferguson has shifted, however. In 1970, 99% of the population of Ferguson was white and 1% black. In 1980, the proportion of white residents went down to 85%, whereas the proportion of black residents rose to 14%. In 1990, residents of Ferguson who were identified in the U.S. Census as white comprised 73.8% of the total, while those identified as black made up 25.1%. The remainder, 1.1%, identified with other racial categories. In the 2000 U.S. Census, 44.7% were white and 52.4% were African-American, now the majority ethnicity.
2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 6,093 | 3,926 | 28.74% | 21.19% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 14,252 | 13,302 | 67.22% | 71.80% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 78 | 29 | 0.37% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 102 | 96 | 0.48% | 0.52% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 8 | 0.02% | 0.04% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 25 | 114 | 0.12% | 0.62% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 389 | 685 | 1.83% | 3.70% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 260 | 367 | 1.23% | 1.98% |
| Total | 21,203 | 18,527 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
2010 Census
As of the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 21,203 people, 8,192 households, and 5,500 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,425.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,322.6/km2). There were 9,105 housing units at an average density of 1,470.9 per square mile (567.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 67.4% black, 29.3% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic and Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.
There were 8,192 households, of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.6% were married couples living together, 31.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.9% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.12.
The median age in the city was 33.1 years. 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.8% male and 55.2% female.
Michael Brown shooting
On August 9, 2014, an 18-year-old African-American man, Michael Brown, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a white policeman with the Ferguson Police Department. The incident sparked protests and acts of vandalism in Ferguson as well as widespread calls for an investigation into the incident. On August 10, after a day of vigils, there were looting of businesses, vandalism of vehicles, and violent clashes between protestors and police. On August 18, soldiers from the Missouri National Guard arrived in Ferguson at the request of the Governor of Missouri Jay Nixon, who also ended midnight to 5:00 a.m. curfews that had been imposed. On November 24, a grand jury decided that it would not indict Wilson in the shooting death of Brown. Following the announcement of the grand jury's decision, there were peaceful protests as well as rioting.
Economy
The city is home to the headquarters of Emerson Electric.
Education
St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley, which has about 8,000 students, is located in Ferguson.
Much of the community is within the Ferguson-Florissant School District (FFSD). Primary schools (grades K-2) serving sections of Ferguson include Central, Bermuda, Holman, and Walnut Grove. Intermediate schools (grade 3-5) serving sections of Ferguson include Lee-Hamilton, Griffith, and Berkeley. Zoned secondary schools with attendance boundaries that coincide with Ferguson include Johnson-Wabash 6th Grade Center, Ferguson Middle School, and McCluer High School. A portion of Ferguson is instead in the Riverview Gardens School District, and another is in the Hazelwood School District.
The following FFSD public schools are located within the city of Ferguson:
- STEAM Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley (a magnet school for grades 9-12), formerly McCluer South-Berkeley High School
- Ferguson Middle School (7-8)
- Johnson-Wabash 6th Grade Center (formerly Elementary School)
- Griffith Elementary School (3-5)
- Lee-Hamilton Elementary School (3-5)
- Central Elementary School (K-2)
Vogt Elementary School closed in 2019.
The following private schools are located within the city of Ferguson:
- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta School (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe School (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis)
- Zion Lutheran School
Ferguson is also home to the Challenger Learning Center – St. Louis, which provides a space education program.
The Ferguson Municipal Public Library is one of several independent community libraries in St. Louis County and is a member of the Municipal Library Consortium of St. Louis County.
Notable people
This list may include persons born in the community, past residents, and current residents.
- General Ralph Eberhart, USAF, Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command during the September 11 attacks
- Michael McDonald, Grammy Award-winning singer
- Henry Miller, also known as Sentoryu, mixed martial artist and former sumo wrestler
- Delrish Moss, Miami law enforcement veteran sworn in on May 9, 2016 as the first permanent African-American Police Chief of Ferguson
- Susan Notorangelo, long-distance cyclist
- Enos Slaughter, Hall of Fame-winning St. Louis Cardinals baseball player
- Harry Tuthill, cartoonist of the syndicated comic strip, The Bungle Family
- Tyron Woodley, American mixed martial artist, former UFC welterweight champion
Images for kids
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Police officers using tear gas on rioters during the Ferguson unrest
See also
In Spanish: Ferguson (Misuri) para niños
