Mexico is a city in Audrain
County
, Missouri
, United States
. The population was 11,320 at the 2000
census.
It
is the county seat of Audrain
County . The Mexico
Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of
Audrain County. Mexico hosts the annual
Miss Missouri Pageant; the winner goes on to
represent the state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.
Geography
Mexico is located at (39.165814, -91.884761) . N.E. of the centre
of the state, and about 110 m. N.W. of St Louis. According to the
United States Census
Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.7 square miles
(30.3 km²), of which, 11.4 square miles (29.4 km²)
of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it
(2.90%) is water.
History
Mexico was laid out as "New Mexico" in 1836 and was a major stop
for settlers heading to the
Republic
of Texas (thus the name New Mexico), and became the
county seat under its present name in 1837.
The word
"New" was dropped after the Mexican-American War that saw Texas
become a
part of the United States.
There is an apocryphal story concerning the name.
When a University of
Missouri
student, questioned on radio, was unable to give an
account of her hometown's name, the question was put to L.
Mitchell White, then editor and publisher of the
Mexico Ledger: "'The first settlers found a
wooden sign allong the trail. It pointed southwest, and on it had
been painted
Mexico.'" To avoid unnecessary labor, the
sign was left in place. "It was easier to call their town 'Mexico'
than to take down the old sign."
Mexico was incorporated as a town in 1855, was entered by the
Wabash road in 1858 and by the Alton in 1872, and was first
chartered as a city in 1874. The city is situated in the blue grass
region of Missouri, and was a shipping-point for horses and mules.
Mexico was a one-time major source for the nation's
fire brick production, so much so, that it
adopted the moniker "Fire Brick Capital of the World". However, the
industry fell on hard times and both major
refractories in the area closed around 2000.
There is currently no active quarrying for clay used in fire brick
or refractories production in the area.
The historic downtown square, with the typical court house as the
focal point, is surrounded by dozens of multi-story brick
buildings—some dating to the founding of the community. In the late
70s, Mexico began ripping up crumbling sidewalks and installing red
paver bricks accented with turn-of-the-century lamp posts and park
benches. In the 1980s Mexico was one of six nationwide finalists
for
Saturn's new U.S. auto plant.
Mexico
lost out to winner Spring Hill, Tennessee
because Mexico was not served by a four-lane
freeway. So as not to lose future development, Mexico
officials quickly lobbied state and federal officials to secure
funding for a new four-lane divided highway (
U.S. Route 54)
which now serves the community from
Interstate 70. Formerly known as the "Saddle
Horse Capitol of the World," Mexico still hosts Hollywood
celebrities and other visitors from around the world who come to
purchase riding horses. The Simmons Stables, currently being
revitalized, are now listed on the
National Register of
Historic Places.
Education
Mexico was the home of
Hardin College and
Conservatory of Music, a
Baptist college
established in 1873 for young women, an institution founded and
endowed by
Charles H. Hardin (1820–1892), governor of the state
in 1872–1874. Hardin College closed during the
Great Depression and never re-opened. Its
1200 seat auditorium has been painstakingly restored and is now
used for community theater and concerts. The remainder of the
college houses the Mexico Public Schools
[18602]administrative offices which are located on
South Jefferson Street.
Mexico is also home to the
Missouri Military Academy
(1889).
Present public schools in the city include
Mexico High School,
Mexico Middle School,
Hawthorne Elementary School,
Eugene Field Elementary School, and
McMillan Elementary School. Private schools include
St.
Brendan's Catholic School. The
Davis H. Hart/Mexico Area Vocational-Technical School and the
Advanced Technology
Center are located here as well.
Notable residents
- Tyronn Lue, a
basketball player with the Orlando
Magic, was born in Mexico, but finished high school in the
Kansas
City
suburb of Raytown, Missouri
.
- Mexico is currently the home of Missouri's Senior United States
Senator and former Governor, Christopher "Kit"
Bond.
- Edward D. "Ted"
Jones, son of Edward D. Jones, opened *Edward Jones Investments' first
single broker office in Mexico, MO.
- Former Missouri Governor Charles Hardin was from Mexico, Mo. He
served a two-year term (1875-1877).
- Robert M. White II, former editor and publisher of the Mexico
Ledger, rose to fame in the newpspaper industry, serveing briefly
as editor of the New York Herald Tribune and as a long-time member
of the board of directors of the Associated Press.
- Inventor Sam Locke, developer of the Warm Morning Stove, in the
early part of the 20th century lived near Mexico, Mo.
- Businessman William H. Hudson, former President of Corning
Glass Works, was born in Mexico.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 11,320
people, 4,804 households, and 3,021 families residing in the city.
The
population density was 995.7
people per square mile (384.4/km²). There were 5,301 housing units
at an average density of 466.3/sq mi (180.0/km²). The racial
makeup of the city was 88.79%
White, 9.19%
African American, 0.27%
Native American, 0.51%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.28% from
other races, and 0.95%
from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.87% of the
population.
There were 4,804 households out of which 28.8% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were
married couples living together, 12.7% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families.
33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age
of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to
64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,714, and the
median income for a family was $39,406. Males had a median income
of $30,266 versus $21,190 for females. The
per capita income for the city was
$17,845. About 10.0% of families and 13.8% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including 19.0%
of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
External links
References
- St. Louis Post Dispatch, November 15, 1962, cited in
The Missouri Historical Review,January 1963, p. 233.
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