| Jefferson County, Missouri | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Missouri | |
 Missouri's location in the USA | |
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1818 |
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| Seat | Hillsboro |
| Largest City | Arnold |
| Area - Total - Land - Water | 664 sq mi (1,720 km²) 657 sq mi (1,702 km²) 7 sq mi (18 km²), 1.10% |
| Population - (2005) - Density | 216,469 300/sq mi (116/km²) |
| Website: www.jeffcomo.org | |
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri, and included the mean center of U.S. population in 1980. Jefferson County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area. As of 2000, the population was 198,099. Its county seat is Hillsboro. The county was organized in 1818 and named in honor of former President Thomas Jefferson.
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 664 square miles (1,720 km²), of which, 657 square miles (1,701 km²) of it is land and 7 square miles (19 km²) of it (1.10%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- St. Louis County (north)
- Monroe County, Illinois, across the Mississippi River (east)
- Ste. Genevieve County (southeast)
- St. Francois County (south)
- Washington County (southwest)
- Franklin County (west)
Major highways
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 198,099 people, 71,499 households, and 54,553 families residing in the county. The population density was 302 people per square mile (116/km²). There were 75,586 housing units at an average density of 115 per square mile (44/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.48% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 71,499 households out of which 38.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were non-families. 18.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.12. In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 31.80% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $46,338, and the median income for a family was $51,787. Males had a median income of $37,822 versus $25,440 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,435. About 4.90% of families and 6.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.10% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- † incorporated
Special Areas
Two unincorporated areas exist along the outskirts of Pacific and Eureka which are called by the names of these cities even though neither city is officially incorporated in Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Planning Division Boards and Commission calls these areas by the city names. Taxes and fees are paid to theses cities or districts for water and sewer, school districts, fire districts, and ambulance districts. In the case of Pacific some newer maps show a 55 acre City Park/Fairground residing in Jefferson County. The area south of Pacific along supplemental route F from Pacific to supplemental route FF, as of 2000, also has an estimated population over 2,800 as high as 6,887 [1] .
School Districts
County Government
The county commission is charged with running the county. There are three members; As of March 2007, the commission members are Edward L. Kemp (1st District Commissioner), Pat Lamping (2nd District Commissioner), and Chuck Banks (Presiding Commissioner). In addition to standard elected positions, The commissioners appoint leaders of the following Boards/Commissions:
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As of August 2006, a petition drive is underway to allow Jefferson County to adopt a county charter.
County Parks and Recreation
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External links
- Jefferson County MO Historical Society
- Jefferson County Online
- Jefferson County Sherriff's Department
- Jefferson County portion of Goodspeed's History (1888)
