Lafayette County, Missouri Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Lafayette County
U.S. county
Lafayette County Courthouse in Lexington
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	November 16, 1820
Named for	Marquis de La Fayette
Seat	Lexington
Largest city	Odessa
Area
• Total	639 sq mi (1,660 km²)
• Land	628 sq mi (1,630 km²)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km²) 1.6%
Population (2010)
• Total	33,381
• Estimate (2018)	32,598
• Density	52.24/sq mi (20.170/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	5th

Lafayette County is a county in the western portion of Missouri, part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,381. Its county seat is Lexington. The county was organized November 16, 1820 from Cooper County and originally named Lillard County for James Lillard of Tennessee, who served in the first state constitutional convention and first state legislature. It was renamed Lafayette County on February 16, 1825, in honor of Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de La Fayette, who was then visiting the United States.

History
Geography
Demographics
Communities
Education
See also

History

Lafayette County was settled primarily from migrants from the Upper Southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. They brought slaves and slaveholding traditions and started cultivating crops similar to those in Middle Tennessee and Kentucky: hemp and tobacco. As a result, this part of Missouri, and neighboring counties, became known as Little Dixie. In 1860 slaves made up 25 percent or more of the county's population, and the county was strongly pro-Confederate during the American Civil War.

Newcomers from Germany as well as German Americans from St. Louis began arriving shortly before the war, with many more to come afterwards. They eventually made up a large part of the populations of Concordia, Emma, Wellington, Napoleon, Higginsville, Mayview, and Lexington. The German immigrants generally supported the Union during the war.

In November 2013, Leland Ray Kolkmeyer pleaded guilty, in federal court, of a fraud scheme in which he embezzled more than $1.5 million from Wellington-Napoleon Fire Protection District and Special Road District while being their former treasurer.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 639 square miles (1,660 km²), of which 628 square miles (1,630 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) (1.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Ray County (northwest)
Carroll County (northeast)
Saline County (east)
Johnson County (south)
Jackson County (west)
Pettis County (southeast)

Major highways

Interstate 70
U.S. Route 24
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 65
Route 13
Route 23
Route 131
Route 224

National protected area

Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	2,912	—
1840	6,815	134.0%
1850	13,690	100.9%
1860	20,098	46.8%
1870	22,623	12.6%
1880	25,710	13.6%
1890	30,184	17.4%
1900	31,679	5.0%
1910	30,154	−4.8%
1920	30,006	−0.5%
1930	29,259	−2.5%
1940	27,856	−4.8%
1950	25,272	−9.3%
1960	25,274	0.0%
1970	26,626	5.3%
1980	29,925	12.4%
1990	31,107	3.9%
2000	32,960	6.0%
2010	33,381	1.3%
2020	32,984	−1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

As of the census of 2000, there were 32,960 people, 12,569 households, and 9,099 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 13,707 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.52% White, 2.27% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Approximately 1.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.3% were of German, 17.5% American, 9.9% English and 9.7% Irish ancestry.

There were 12,569 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,235, and the median income for a family was $45,717. Males had a median income of $31,972 versus $22,684 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,493. About 6.90% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those ages 65 or over.

Communities

Education

Public schools

- Concordia Elementary School (PK-06)
- Concordia High School (07-12)
- Grandview Elementary School (PK-05)
- Lafayette County Middle School (06-08)
- Lafayette County High School (09-12)
- Leslie Bell Elementary School (PK-04)
- Lexington Middle School (05-08)
- Lexington High School (09-12)
- McQuerry Elementary School (K-02)
- Odessa Upper Elementary School (03-05)
- Odessa Middle School (06-08)
- Odessa High School (09-12)
- Santa Fe Elementary School (K-06)
- Santa Fe High School (07-12)
- Wellington-Napoleon Elementary School (PK-06)
- Wellington-Napoleon High School (07-12)

Private schools

Trinity Lutheran School – Alma (K-09) – Lutheran

Public Libraries

Robertson Memorial Library
Trails Regional Library

Lafayette County, Missouri facts for kids

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