| Douglas County, Missouri | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Missouri |
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 Missouri's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | October, 1857 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Ava |
| Largest City | Ava |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
815 sq mi (2,110 km²) 815 sq mi (2,110 km²) 0 sq mi (0 km²), 0.01 |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
13,084 16/sq mi (6/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Named for: Stephen A. Douglas, Illinois senator | |
Douglas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population is 13,084. Its county seat is Ava6. Previously, the county seat was located at Red Bud (later Vera Cruz) on Bryant Creek, which flows through the middle of the county. After the Civil War, during a period of general chaos, a group from the western part of the county broke into the Vera Cruz courthouse and removed the records to a new town site, present-day Ava. The county was organized in 1857 and is named after Illinois U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas. Locally known as "Booger County", the history of Douglas County and the surrounding area has been colorfully described in the book "In Search of Booger County - Ozark Folk Histories" by Sandy Ray Chapin (2002) as well as in "Baldknobbers - Vigilantes on the Ozarks Frontier" by Mary Hartman and Elmo Ingenthron (1988).
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 815 square miles (2,110 km²), of which, 815 square miles (2,110 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (0 km²) of it (0.01%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Webster County (northwest)
- Wright County (north)
- Texas County (northeast)
- Howell County (east)
- Ozark County (south)
- Taney County (southwest)
- Christian County (west)
Major highways
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 13,084 people, 5,201 households, and 3,671 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 5,919 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.86% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.95% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. 0.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.3% were of American, 13.2% English, 12.3% German and 9.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 5,201 households out of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county the population was spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,918, and the median income for a family was $30,269. Males had a median income of $22,706 versus $17,060 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,785. About 12.90% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.80% of those under age 18 and 18.20% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
The county has only one incorporated town, which is the county seat, Ava.
