Harrisonville, Missouri

Harrisonville is a town in Cass County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,019 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.[7] It is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

"Harrisonville" redirects here. For other uses, see Harrisonville (disambiguation).

Harrisonville, Missouri
Town
Centerpiece of the Harrisonville Courthouse Square Historic District
Location in the state of Missouri
Coordinates: 38°39′12″N 94°20′56″W[1]
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Cass
Incorporated	1851[2]
Government
• Mayor	Judy Bowman
Area [3]
• Total	10.01 sq mi (25.94 km^2)
• Land	9.88 sq mi (25.60 km^2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.34 km^2)
Elevation [1]	958 ft (292 m)
Population  (2010)[4]
• Total	10,019
• Estimate  (2019)[5]	10,078
• Density	1,019.73/sq mi (393.71/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	64701
Area code(s)	816
FIPS code	29-30610[6]
GNIS feature ID	0719166[1]
Website	ci.harrisonville.mo.us

History

Harrisonville was founded in 1837 upon land donated to Cass County by Congress for county purposes, and was named for Congressman Albert G. Harrison, who was instrumental in obtaining the land grant.[8] The area suffered greatly during the American Civil War, though Harrisonville was one of the few places exempted in Union General Thomas Ewing's General Order No. 11 (1863), which ordered the depopulation of three entire Missouri counties and part of a fourth.[9]

In 1972, Harrisonville was the site of escalating tensions between a handful of mostly Vietnam veterans and town elders, which culminated in a brief rampage by 25-year-old Charlie "Ootney" Simpson. In the town square, in plain view of onlookers, he killed two police officers and a bystander before shooting himself. The victims were officers Donald Marler and Francis Wirt and local businessman Orville Allen. His motivation turned out to be personal, not political; he had saved money to buy a farm, but the seller had recently backed out of the deal, and Simpson had used the money to bail his friends out of jail.[10]

The Robert A. Brown House, Harrisonville Courthouse Square Historic District, and St. Peter's Episcopal Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]

A May 2017 report from Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway gave the city the lowest possible rating of "poor," citing complex, often overlapping tax districts, contracts awarded without appropriate bidding processes and overuse of money pulled from restricted funds.[12]

Geography

Harrisonville is located in central Cass County at the intersection of U.S. 71, Missouri Route 2 and Missouri Route 7.[13]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.01 square miles (25.93 km²), of which 9.88 square miles (25.59 km²) is land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km²) is water.[14]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	675		—
1870	1,032		52.9%
1880	1,113		7.8%
1890	1,645		47.8%
1900	1,844		12.1%
1910	1,947		5.6%
1920	2,073		6.5%
1930	2,306		11.2%
1940	2,322		0.7%
1950	2,530		9.0%
1960	3,510		38.7%
1970	5,052		43.9%
1980	6,372		26.1%
1990	7,683		20.6%
2000	8,946		16.4%
2010	10,019		12.0%
Est. 2019	10,078	[5]	0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[15]

2010 census

As of the census[4] of 2010, there were 10,019 people, 3,854 households, and 2,516 families living in the city. The population density was 1,014.1 inhabitants per square mile (391.5/km²). There were 4,144 housing units at an average density of 419.4 per square mile (161.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.0% White, 1.1% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 3,854 households, of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.7% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% 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 3.07.

The median age in the city was 35.5 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.4% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 8,946 people, 3,457 households, and 2,302 families living in the city. The population density was 1,035.2 people per square mile (399.8/km²). There were 3,646 housing units at an average density of 421.9/sq mi (162.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.15% White, 0.97% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.

There were 3,457 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median household income was $39,498, and the median family income was $47,761. Males had a median income of $31,931 versus $22,416 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,280. About 4.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Harrisonville R-IX School District operates an Early Childhood Center, two elementary schools, one middle school, Harrisonville High School, and Cass Career Center.[16]

Harrisonville has a public library, a branch of the Cass County Public Library.[17]

Notable people

• Robert Cook Bell, United States federal judge.
• Angelica Bridges, actress, model and singer.
• Delmer Brown, Japanologist.
• Chris Koster, 41st Attorney General of Missouri
• Edward Capehart O'Kelley, The man who killed Robert Ford, who killed Jesse James.

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Harrisonville, Missouri
2. "Harrisonville, MO - Official Website - Read the History of Harrisonville". ci.harrisonville.mo.us. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
3. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
6. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
7. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
8. Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 272.
9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2009-10-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
10. Eszterhas, Joe, Charlie Simpson's Apocalypse. Random House, 1974.
11. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
12. "State audit gives Harrisonville "poor" rating for mismanaged taxpayer money". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
13. Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 1st ed. 1998, p.34 ISBN 0899332242
14. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
15. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
16. "Harrisonville R-Ix School District". Great Schools. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
17. "Locations and Hours". Cass County Public Library. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2018.

External links

• City of Harrisonville
• Historic maps of Harrisonville in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri