Plattsburg, Missouri

Plattsburg is a city and county seat of Clinton County, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States.[6] It developed along the Little Platte River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,319.

Plattsburg, Missouri
City
Clinton County Courthouse
Location of Plattsburg, Missouri
Coordinates: 39°33′52″N 94°27′12″W
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
CountyClinton
Area
 • Total3.63 sq mi (9.39 km2)
 • Land3.60 sq mi (9.33 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation
948 ft (289 m)
Population
 • Total2,319
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
2,238
 • Density621.49/sq mi (239.98/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
64477
Area code(s)816
FIPS code29-58250 [4]
GNIS feature ID0730179 [5]
Websiteplattsburgmo.com
Statue of "President for a Day" David Rice Atchison at the Clinton County Courthouse

History

The area along the rivers had been occupied for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. Historic American Indian tribes in the area included the Ioway, Fox and Sac tribes, who ceded land in what became northwest Missouri in the Platte Purchase.

The European-American settlers first called their settlement Concord. (This has been used for a contemporary man-made lake and surrounding housing development in the city.) Later the city was renamed Springfield. After the discovery of a preceding Springfield, Missouri, settlers named it "Plattsburg," after Plattsburgh, New York, which is the seat of Clinton County, New York. Both it and Clinton County, Missouri were named for George Clinton, one of the Founding Fathers, the first governor of New York, and vice president from 1805 to 1812.[7]

The area was settled chiefly by migrants from the Upper South, especially central Kentucky and western Virginia, and was near the area called "Little Dixie" in Missouri. These migrants brought their slaves and culture with them. For a brief period of time during the 1830s, Plattsburg was home to a Federal land office for areas of northern Missouri that were newly opened to settlement by European Americans after the Platte Purchase in 1836. Until then, Plattsburg was one of the farthest western non-military settlements.

The area became a leading producer of both hemp and tobacco, both major products of the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky and dependent on slave labor. David Rice Atchison, the US senator from here, was pro-slavery. As the county seat, Plattsburg was a center of trade and politics, with a variety of retail stores and professions. Plattsburg was also the Beef Capital of the World at one point.

By 1860, the county had a total population of 7,848, with 1,144 slaves, who were 17% of the total.[8] During the American Civil War, two minor battles took place nearby. The town was occupied by both Confederate and Federal forces. In 1863, elements of William Quantrill's guerrilla band captured a unit of Federal troops encamped in the county courthouse located in Plattsburg.

Geography

Plattsburg is located at 39°33′52″N 94°27′12″W (39.564311, -94.453395).[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.63 square miles (9.40 km2), of which 3.60 square miles (9.32 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water.[10]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1860692—
18701,667140.9%
18801,344−19.4%
18901,63421.6%
19001,87814.9%
19101,650−12.1%
19201,7194.2%
19301,672−2.7%
19401,91514.5%
19501,655−13.6%
19601,6630.5%
19701,83210.2%
19802,09514.4%
19902,2487.3%
20002,3544.7%
20102,319−1.5%
Est. 20192,238[3]−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

The median income for a household in the city was $46,757, and the median income for a family was $56,250. Males had a median income of $44,450 versus $30,708 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,401. About 9.0% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.[12]

2010 census

As of the census [13] of 2010, there were 2,319 people, 936 households, and 612 families residing in the city. The population density was 644.1 people per square mile (252.1/km2). There were 1,080 housing units at an average density of 300 per square mile (117.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.3% White, 6.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 936 households of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no spouse present, 4.6 had a male householder with no spouse present, and 34.6% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out with 26% under the age of 20, 5.4% from 20 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. The male population was 47.8%, which results in a 52.2% female population.

Notable people
  • David Rice Atchison, US Senator (1844–1855) from Missouri, lived here and was buried here. Legend holds that he was "President for One Day," although historians and scholars reject this claim
  • Ulysses Hollimon, Negro American League ballplayer, born in Mississippi, a long time resident of Plattsburg[14]
  • Bela M. Hughes (1817-1903), pioneer, born in Kentucky, served as a federal officer in Plattsburg from 1845-1849
  • James C. Marshall (1897-1977), United States Army officer supervising the Manhattan Project, was born in Plattsburg
  • O. O. McIntyre, noted New York newspaper columnist of early 20th century, was born in Plattsburg

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. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  7. Clinton Co. MO Historical Society
  8. "Missouri: County-level Results for 1860" Archived 2011-10-13 at the Wayback Machine, Historical Census Browser, University of Virginia Library, accessed 17 September 2011
  9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  10. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. United States Census
  13. United States Census
  14. "Appointments". Boon's Lick Times. 1 February 1845. Retrieved 9 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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