Moberly, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Moberly is a city in Randolph County, 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...

. According to the 2008 census bureau estimate, the population was 14,227. The city was incorporated 1868. The Moberly Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Randolph County.
Bob Riley is the current mayor.

History

Moberly was founded in 1866, and named after Colonel William E. Moberly, the first president of the Chariton and Randolph County railroads
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

.

On Independence Day, 1995, a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...

 ripped through downtown Moberly. There were no reported deaths, but there was a large amount of structural damage. Another tornado tore through the area (Renick) on Sunday, March 12, 2006. Four people were killed and thirteen were injured in the F3-level tornado. Dozens of homes were destroyed.

The World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 era US Navy frigate USS Moberly (PF-63)
USS Moberly (PF-63)
USS Moberly , a , was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Moberly, Missouri.Moberly , originally designated as PG-171, was reclassified PF-63 on 15 April 1943; laid down as Scranton under Maritime Commission contract by Globe Shipbuilding Company in Superior, Wisconsin, on 3...

 was named for the town. The ship participated mostly in convoy escort, earning a battle star for her assistance in sinking the German submarine U-853.

Moberly is mentioned in the Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...

 song "Black Market Baby," from the 1999 album Mule Variations
Mule Variations
-Related promo CD:As a promotional limited offer, an EP titled Hold On was later released with two of the tracks from the Mule Variations album plus two previously unreleased tracks...

.

Geography

Moberly is located at 39°25′13"N 92°26′20"W (39.420398, -92.438831). 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 11.6 square miles (30 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.43%) is water.

Transportation

Moberly is served by a municipal airport. Commercial service is available 33 miles to the south in Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...

 at the Columbia Regional Airport
Columbia Regional Airport
Columbia Regional Airport is a public airport located 10 miles southeast of the central business district of Columbia, a city in Boone County, Missouri, USA. The airport covers and has two runways. The Airport is served by one commercial airline and provides general aviation services as well...

 or the MO-X (an airport shuttle to and from STL
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is a Class B international airport serving Greater St. Louis. It is located approximately northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state with 250 daily...

 and MCI
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...

), 60 miles to the south in Jefferson City
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...

 via the Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 station, 45 miles to the north in La Plata
La Plata, Missouri
La Plata is a city in Macon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,366 at the 2010 census.-History:On March 17, 1827, Drury Davis established a trading post about a half-mile west of what would become La Plata. The town would develop as the intersection of north and south stagecoach...

 via the Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 station, or 55 miles to the North in Kirksville
Kirksville, Missouri
Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County, Missouri, United States. It is located in Benton Township. The population was 17,505 at the 2010 census. Kirksville also anchors a micropolitan area that comprises Adair and Schuyler counties. The city is perhaps best known as the location of Truman...

 at the Kirksville Regional Airport
Kirksville Regional Airport
Kirksville Regional Airport is a public airport located southeast of the central business district of Kirksville, a city in Adair County, Missouri, United States. The airport is located in unincorporated Adair County and is owned by the City of Kirksville. It is mostly used for general aviation,...

.

The city is served by U.S. Route 63 to the east on a bypass. The old route is designated as both Business 63 and Morley Street and goes through town. U.S. Route 24 goes through town as well. Route M (formerly Route 3) also skirts the edge of town. Other routes include Route DD (indirectly goes to Surger Creek Lake), EE, A, and AA (past the prison). At one time there was a Business 24 that ran from Morley Street via West Coates Street to Johnson Street to Concannon Street turning North on Holman St to current U.S. 24. This route was de-numbered in the late 1960s. State Route 22 was also multiplexed with U.S. 63 to U.S. 24. When U.S. 63 was re-routed in the mid-1960s Highway 22 was truncated to its current end at U.S. 63 near Sturgeon, MO.

The Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...

 serves Moberly running west toward Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

 and east toward Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal is a city in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Hannibal is located at the intersection of Interstate 72 and U.S. Routes 24, 36 and 61, approximately northwest of St. Louis. According to the 2010 U.S. Census the population was 17,606...

 and points on. Norfolk Southern also runs south between Moberly and 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...

 (via Centralia and Mexico, MO) and points on. Moberly was once the northern terminus of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad
The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad was incorporated May 23, 1870. In its earliest days the MKT was commonly referred to as "the K-T", which was its stock exchange symbol; this common designation soon evolved into "the Katy"....

 that ran between Moberly and Boonville, Missouri
Boonville, Missouri
This page is about the city in Missouri. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville Boonville is a city in Cooper County, Missouri, USA. The population was 8,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cooper County. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil...

. Much of this route is still somewhat visible in satellite images.

Moberly is home to one of Norfolk Southern's many rail yards. Norfolk Southern used to have a line that ran north from Moberly to Albia, Iowa
Albia, Iowa
Albia is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,706 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Albia's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 41.026600, −92.805262....

, but it was abandoned in the spring of 1992. The line was reopened from 1993-1995 to help in recovery efforts after the great Flood of 1993. By 1997, the line was dismantled between Moberly and Moulton, Iowa
Moulton, Iowa
Moulton is a city in Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 658 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Moulton is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

.

The Centerville, Iowa
Centerville, Iowa
Centerville is a city in and the county seat of Appanoose County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,528 in the 2010 census, a decline from 5,924 in the 2000 census. After the turn of the 20th century Centerville had a booming coal mining industry that attracted many European immigrants...

-owned Appanoose County Community Railroad
Appanoose County Community Railroad
The Appanoose County Community Railroad is based out of Centerville, Iowa. It is a shortline running to the community of Albia, Iowa, where it distributes cars from Centerville to be put on the BNSF Railway's trains....

 currently operates the section from Moulton to Albia, Iowa
Albia, Iowa
Albia is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,706 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Albia's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 41.026600, −92.805262....

.

Education

The town is home to two colleges; Central Christian College of the Bible
Central Christian College of the Bible
Founded in 1957, Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri is an accredited four-year college supported by Christian churches and churches of Christ to prepare leaders with biblical instruction and practical training for service around the world...

 and Moberly Area Community College
Moberly Area Community College
Moberly Area Community College is a two-year college based in Moberly, Missouri, United States in addition to the main campus MACC has six off-campus sites across a large portion of Northeastern and central Missouri. The college was founded in 1927 as Moberly Junior College. In 2007 it enrolled...

. South and North Park Elementary Schools serve grades K-2. Grades 3-5 are enrolled in Gratz Brown Elementary, grades 6-8 in Moberly Middle School, and Moberly High School serves grades 9-12 http://www.moberly.k12.mo.us. The Seventh-day Adventist church operates Maranatha Adventist School, a K-8 school. http://maranatha22.adventistschoolconnect.org/ The St. Pius X Catholic Elementary School is operated by the Catholic church of the same name serves grade K-8. http://www.st-pius.com/

Demographics

As of 2008 the estimate of the population was 14,227. 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 11,945 people, 5,001 households, and 3,090 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 1,033.8 people per square mile (399.3/km²). There were 5,812 housing units at an average density of 503.0 per square mile (194.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.51% White, 6.71% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.39% 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 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

There were 5,001 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% 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, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,519, and the median income for a family was $37,488. Males had a median income of $27,152 versus $19,508 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 $15,478. About 11.1% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation

  • Moberly Midget League has provided a summer baseball program for the local youth since 1950.

  • Rothwell Park is home to a miniature railroad built to honor Moberly's railroading history. It is operational from April to the last Sunday in October and maintained by the volunteers known as "Friends of the Park". Aside from the baseball fields, two swimming areas, and two playgrounds can be found at the park as well. Various events also take place under a covered outdoor area. Camping is available at sites located next to the miniature train.

Notable residents

  • Russ Ball
    Russ Ball
    Russ Ball is the Vice President of Football Administration/Player Finance of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League.-Biography:Born in Moberly, Missouri, Ball is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri and the University of Missouri...

    , NFL executive
  • Omar Bradley
    Omar Bradley
    Omar Nelson Bradley was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army...

    , US Army general
  • Brent Briscoe
    Brent Briscoe
    Brent Briscoe is an American actor and screenwriter.Briscoe was born in Moberly, Missouri. After finishing his education at the University of Missouri, Briscoe launched his career as a theater actor. He then segued into screenwriting and acting in feature films...

    , actor, writer and director
  • Melvin B. Tolson
    Melvin B. Tolson
    Melvin Beaunorus Tolson was an American Modernist poet, educator, columnist, and politician. His work concentrated on the experience of African Americans and includes several long historical poems. His work was influenced by his study of the Harlem Renaissance, although he spent nearly all of...

    , poet and professor at Wiley College, poet laureate of Liberia
    Liberia
    Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...

  • Mike Wilson
    Mike Wilson (filmmaker)
    Mike Wilson Mike Wilson Mike Wilson (born February 18, 1976, in Moberly, Missouri is an American documentary filmmaker, known for the 2004 documentary Michael Moore Hates America.Wilson is a libertarian and an atheist and a writer for Andrew Breitbart's Big Hollywood...

    , filmmaker

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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