Wright City, Missouri

Wright City, Missouri
City
Wright City town hall. Wright City town hall.
Location of Wright City, Missouri Location of Wright City, Missouri
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	Warren
Government
• Mayor	David Heiliger
Area
• Total	6.06 sq mi (15.70 km2)
• Land	5.97 sq mi (15.46 km2)
• Water	0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2)
Elevation	732 ft (223 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	3,119
• Estimate (2012)	3,314
• Density	522.4/sq mi (201.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	63390
Area code(s)	636
FIPS code	29-81124
GNIS feature ID	0736368
Website	http://www.wrightcity.org

Wright City is a city in Warren County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Interstate 70 at mile marker 200 approximately 50 miles (80 km) west of downtown St. Louis. Wright City is a small, semi-rural community area with primarily single-family housing, with some multi-family dwellings. The population was 3,119 at the 2010 census. It has a number of small stores and restaurants. It has various types of light to heavy industrial businesses.

History

Wright City was platted in 1857. It was named for its founder, Dr. H. C. Wright.

Geography

Wright City is located at (38.827878, -91.024280). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.06 square miles (15.70 km²), of which, 5.97 square miles (15.46 km²) is land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	393		—
1890	383		−2.5%
1900	336		−12.3%
1910	377		12.2%
1920	402		6.6%
1930	429		6.7%
1940	436		1.6%
1950	543		24.5%
1960	738		35.9%
1970	943		27.8%
1980	1,179		25.0%
1990	1,250		6.0%
2000	1,532		22.6%
2010	3,119		103.6%
Est. 2014	3,405		9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,119 people, 1,178 households, and 823 families residing in the city. The population density was 522.4 inhabitants per square mile (201.7/km²). There were 1,288 housing units at an average density of 215.7 per square mile (83.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.0% White, 5.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 3.7% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.2% of the population.

There were 1,178 households of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the city was 31 years. 29.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.4% were from 25 to 44; 21.2% were from 45 to 64; and 8.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,532 people, 608 households, and 403 families residing in the city. The population density was 612.7 inhabitants per square mile (236.6/km²). There were 661 housing units at an average density of 264.4 per square mile (102.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.77% White, 6.27% African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 2.74% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.20% of the population.

There were 608 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,179, and the median income for a family was $35,563. Males had a median income of $28,977 versus $21,607 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,153. About 12.5% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.5% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Wright City R-2 School District operates one elementary school for students in second through fifth grade, one middle school for students in the sixth through eighth grades, and one high school, grades nine through twelve.

There is an elementary school in the eastern portion of the district that will serve grades kindergarten through first. As the population of the area increases, the school will be converted into a k-5 school.

Wright City also has one private school, the Liberty Christian Academy, for students in kindergarten through grade twelve.

Attractions

From 1992 to 2007, Wright City was home to the Elvis Is Alive Museum, run by Baptist minister Bill Beeny in his local general store, and intended to prove Beeny's theory that the singer Elvis Presley is still living. In 2007, Beeny sold the museum's collection of artifacts on eBay, and the museum briefly reopened in Hattiesburg, Mississippi before being placed into storage.

Notable people

Two great American theologians, the brothers Reinhold Niebuhr and H. Richard Niebuhr were born in Wright City in 1892 and 1894 respectively.

External links

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