Tightwad, Missouri

Tightwad is a village in Henry County, Missouri, United States. Its population was 64 at the 2010 United States Census. Tightwad is located along Missouri Route 7.

Tightwad, Missouri
Village
Location of Tightwad, Missouri
Coordinates: 38°18′22″N 93°33′5″W
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
CountyHenry
Area
 • Total1.01 sq mi (2.61 km2)
 • Land1.00 sq mi (2.58 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation
876 ft (267 m)
Population
 • Total69
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
60
 • Density60.12/sq mi (23.22/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
64735
Area code(s)660
FIPS code29-73240[4]
GNIS feature ID0741321[5]

History and name

Tightwad was originally called Edgewood, for the woods near the original town site.[6]

The village's unusual name is said to stem from an episode in which a store owner cheated a customer, who was a postman, by charging him an extra 50 cents for a better watermelon. Some sources claim the transaction involved a rooster rather than a watermelon.[7] Due to its proximity to Truman Reservoir, Tightwad saw some limited growth starting in the mid-1980s. As of 2010, the village's business district included a bank (see below), café, tavern, and convenience store.[8] As of April 2019, the bank is now closed and is being used for personal use. The café was bought after sitting vacant for many years and is now being used as an antique store called the "Nook and Cranny" and most recent with the addition of a Dollar General within the business district, the local convenience store was forced to close their doors, and is in the process of being turned into apartments.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.01 square miles (2.62 km2), of which 1.00 square mile (2.59 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[9]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
199050—
20006326.0%
2010699.5%
Est. 201960[3]−13.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

The median income for a household in the village was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $30,625 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,981. There were no families and 16.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 21.4% of those over 64.[11]

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 69 people, 31 households, and 18 families residing in the village. The population density was 69.0 inhabitants per square mile (26.6/km2). There were 36 housing units at an average density of 36.0 per square mile (13.9/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 98.6% White and 1.4% from two or more races.

There were 31 households of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.9% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.72.

The median age in the village was 53.5 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 2.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.8% were from 25 to 44; 30.4% were from 45 to 64; and 29% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

Tightwad Bank

The first Tightwad Bank opened in 1984 as a branch of the Citizens Bank of Windsor (Windsor, Missouri) at first housed in a portable trailer then eventually a one-story brick building still in use today.(Now currently out of business)[12] Publicity over the unusual name eventually led to deposits totalling over $2 million. However an expected business boom from nearby Truman Reservoir never materialized and the bank fell victim to armed robbery twice in the 1990s. Thus in November 2006, UMB, the bank's owner at the time, announced that the Tightwad branch bank would close and accounts would be shuffled to UMB locations in Warsaw and Clinton, Missouri.
In May 2008, Tightwad Bank was reopened, under new ownership, as an FDIC insured institution. The bank is a full-service branch of the former Reading State Bank, Reading, Kansas. To capitalize on the notoriety of the unusual name, the Reading locations' name was changed to Tightwad Bank as well.[13] "We're seeking the customers with a sense of humor", admitted bank co-owner Donald Higdon in a 2008 interview with The Washington Post.[12][14] In 2010 the two locations of Tightwad Bank reported combined deposits of over $20 million (US).[8]

As of July 2018 Tightwad Bank in Tightwad Missouri is closed. New owners indicated it would be reopening as an antique store. However in the time being, the new owner is using the bank as a storage building for personal belongings.

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. "Henry County Place Names, 1928–1945 (archived)". The State Historical Society of Missouri. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  7. Margot Ford McMillen, Paris, Tightwad, and Peculiar: Missouri Place Names, University of Missouri Press (October 1994), ISBN 0-8262-0972-6. Excerpt online at "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-08-30. Retrieved 2006-11-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "What's So Funny About Tightwad's Money?". Miller-McCune. 2010-11-29. Archived from the original on 2010-12-01.
  9. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. Tightwad village, Missouri - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder
  12. Slevin, Peter (2008-08-18). "In Rural Missouri, The Place to Bring Your Cents of Humor". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  13. "About us". Tightwad Bank. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  14. https://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/11/20/ap3189864.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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