Arnold, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Arnold is the largest city in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Missouri
Jefferson County is a county located in East Central Missouri in the United States. The county was included as the mean center of U.S. population in 1980. It is the sixth most-populous county in Missouri. Census 2010 put the population at 218,733 Its county seat is Hillsboro. The county was...

, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was estimated to be 20,603 in 2008, slightly more than the 19,965 number reported in the 2000 census.

Geography

Arnold is located at 38°25′58"N 90°22′10"W (38.432753, -90.369393). According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 11.6 square miles (30 km²), of which, 11.2 square miles (29 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (2.85%) is water.

History

Arnold was incorporated in 1972, and is named after George Arnold, the city's first postmaster. Four communities merged with Arnold, and their old names still have some currency: Beck (named after local farmer Emmanual Beck), Flamm City, Maxville (named after Max Stengel, first business owner), and Ten Brook (named after landowner John Ten Brook).

The first European settler in Arnold was Jean Baptiste Gamache, who operated a ferry boat across the Meramec River in exchange for 1050 arpents of land granted by the King of Spain. This ferry was on the King's Trace or El Camino Real, (royal road), from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

, to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
Ste. Genevieve is a city in and the county seat of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,654 at the 2000 census...

. This road became known as Telegraph after 1850, after the first telegraph lines in the state were installed along it.

Eminent Domain

Arnold was the focal point over the eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...

 issue in Missouri. In January 2004, the City of Arnold announced that THF Realty had approached them regarding developing a section of Arnold known as the Triangle, an area bordered by Route 141, Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...

, and Church Road in the city limits. The city voted in favor of the Triangle Development project proceeding on September 16, 2005.

According to an agreement with THF, Arnold would acquire the properties in the triangle and would be reimbursed its costs by THF. Arnold offered the property owners a buy-out, and most accepted. Some businesses were promised relocation either in the new development or elsewhere in the city. Others were not given this option. Some refused the offer, and the city moved to condemn the dissenting properties. One such hold out was Homer R. Tourkakis, the owner of a dental practice on the corner of the triangle formed by Route 141 and Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...

.

Tourkakis claims that THF never made a fair-market offer. THF claims they offered to rebuild his practice elsewhere and purchase his property for $600,000. Tourkakis's property was declared blighted, and Arnold sought to seize it under eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...

. Tourkakis fought these proceedings in the Jefferson County courts. Arnold and THF argued that although incorporated cities aren't explicitly granted the use of eminent domain does not imply they are denied it. The judge ruled that because Arnold is a third-class city, under Missouri law, it cannot use eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...

 to seize properties.

Red Light Cameras

In 2005, Arnold became the first city in Missouri to install red light camera
Red light camera
A red light camera is a traffic enforcement camera that captures an image of a vehicle which has entered an intersection against a red traffic light. By automatically photographing vehicles that run red lights, the camera produces evidence that assists authorities in their enforcement of traffic laws...

s. A 2009 lawsuit against the cameras was dismissed on procedural grounds.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 19,965 people, 7,550 households, and 5,564 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,775.0 inhabitants per square mile (685.2/km²). There were 7,913 housing units at an average density of 703.5 per square mile (271.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.91% White, 0.30% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.04% of the population.

There were 7,550 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,188, and the median income for a family was $53,664. Males had a median income of $37,972 versus $27,222 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $20,378. About 3.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are currently two high schools in Arnold, Missouri: Fox High School
Fox High School
Fox High School is a high school located in Arnold, Missouri. Fox's enrollment is approximately 2,000 students. The school is part of an accredited school district. Fox graduates 98.4 percent of its students, and 88 percent of its students continue to college or technical schools. Fox has received...

 and Seckman Senior High School in the Fox C-6 School District.

Honorable Distinction

According to Money Magazine
Money Magazine
Money Magazine is a business news and financial programme that is broadcast on Sundays at 7:00pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl.-Producers and reporters:...

, Arnold was ranked the 12th best and most affordable city to live in the United States in 2008.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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