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Iron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the population was 10,697. The county was organized in 1857 and named for the presence of iron ore. The Iron County seat is Ironton[1].
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 552 square miles (1,430 km˛), of which, 551 square miles (1,428 km˛) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km˛) of it (0.13%) is water.
Iron County includes the 6-mile (9.7 km)-long, 2-mile (3.2 km)-wide Arcadia Valley, the site of Pilot Knob, Ironton, and Arcadia, communities established by immigrants in the 19th century.[2] The valley is surrounded by the Saint Francois Mountains of the Ozarks plateau. Iron County is home to dozens of mountains[3], including The 1,772-foot (540 m) Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri, is located in the county.
The county includes Taum Sauk Mountain State Park and 96,047 acres (390 km2) of Mark Twain National Forest.[4]
Cities and towns
Adjacent counties
Transportation
State highways in the county include Route 21, Route 32, Route 49, and Route 72.
The Iron Mountain Railroad[5], later incorporated into Missouri Pacific Railroad, runs through Arcadia Valley.
Demographics
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 10,697 people, 4,197 households, and 2,963 families residing in the county. The population density was 7/km˛ (19/mi˛). There were 4,907 housing units at an average density of 3/km˛ (9/mi˛). The racial makeup of the county was 96.74% White, 1.56% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,197 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.40% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,080, and the median income for a family was $31,731. Males had a median income of $28,603 versus $16,615 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,227. About 13.80% of families and 19.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.60% of those under age 18 and 13.20% of those age 65 or over.
History
Iron County is the site of the Battle of Fort Davidson, memorialized today at the Fort Davidson State Historic Site, a Missouri state park.[7]
The county's citizens voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, but Iron County was one of only nine of Missouri's 114 counties which voted for Barack Obama in 2008.[8]
References
Coordinates: 37°33'N 90°46'W? / ?37.55, -90.76
External links
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