Phelps County is a
countyA county is a land area of local government within a country. A county may have cities and towns within its area. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count .Counts are called earls in post-Celtic Britain, Ireland and France—the term is from Old...
located in South Central
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
According to the
U.S. Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, it includes the
mean center of U.S. populationThe mean center of U.S. population is determined by the United States Census Bureau from the results of each census. The Bureau defines it to be:...
in 2000. As of the
2000 U.S. CensusThe Twenty-Second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the county's population was 39,825. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 42,205. The largest city and
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
is
RollaRolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
. The county was officially organized on November 13, 1857, and was named for the Honorable
John Smith PhelpsJohn Smith Phelps was a politician, soldier during the American Civil War, and the Governor of Missouri.-Early life and career:...
, a U.S. Congressman and former Governor of Missouri from 1877-1881.
Much of the county is included within the
Ozark HighlandsThe Ozark Highlands AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southern Missouri in the Ozark Mountains. The appellation includes land from just east of Jefferson City in the north to the Eleven Point River in the south, including parts of Phelps, Maries, Osage, Gasconade, Franklin, Crawford,...
American Viticultural AreaAn American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury. The TTB defines AVAs at the request of wineries...
(AVA).
VineyardA vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture....
s and
wineriesA winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries...
were first established in the county by Italian immigrants in Rolla. Since the 1960s, winemakers have revived and created numerous vineyards in Missouri and won national and international tasting awards.
The first Phelps County Court convened on November 25, 1857 in the John Dillon cabin. The historic courthouse was begun in mid-summer of 1860, used as a Union hospital during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
and served as the courthouse until February 1994, at which time all county offices were relocated in the new Phelps County Courthouse. The new courthouse was dedicated on May 22, 1994.
History
The first settlers came to this area in 1818 building along the riverbanks, doing a little farming. John Webber built the first house built in within the present city limits of Rolla in 1844.
One year later, Lt. James Abert started the first railroad reconnaissance survey in Rolla. Abert was later to become the first professor of Civil Engineering at the Missouri School of Mines. The founder of Rolla, Edmund Ward Bishop, was originally a railroad construction contractor in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He came to this part of the country in 1853 with the job of building the “Frisco Branch of the Southwest Railroad.”
Because of an urgent demand, Phelps County was created by legislative action on November 13, 1857 from portions of
PulaskiPulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was organized in 1833 and named for Kazimierz Pułaski, Polish patriot who died fighting in the American Revolution. As of 2000, the population was 41,165. Its county seat is Waynesville. It is the site of Fort Leonard...
,
MariesMaries County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 8,903. Its county seat is Vienna. The county was organized in 1855 and named for the Maries River and Little Maries River, 'Maries' being from the French marais, meaning marsh, lake or...
and
CrawfordCrawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1990. As of 2000, the population was 22,804. Its county seat is Steelville. The county was organized in 1829 and is named after Georgia...
counties. A special commission was appointed to select the site for a county seat, with instructions to locate the site on the mail line of the railroad as near the center of the county as possible. Bishop then offered a tract of some 50 acres for the official town site, and it was accepted. There was disagreement over the site - the "westerners" wanted Rolla, and the "easterners" wanted Dillon, so the General Assembly did not legally declare Rolla to be the official county seat until 1861. The group favoring Dillon, approximately 600 of them, signed a petition of protest citing the fact that only two of the three commission members had met to consider the possible sites for the county seat. They contested the decision all the way through the Missouri Supreme Court. Before the high court could make a decision, however, the Legislature took action on January 14, 1860, confirming the location of the county seat at Rolla. Smarting under a considerable amount of criticism concerning the matter, all members of the county court resigned during April 1858, but later withdrew their resignations. It was finally settled in favor of Rolla.
Rolla was officially surveyed, laid out and named in 1858. Bishop wanted to call it Phelps Center, since his house was the center of the county. John Webber preferred the name "Hardscrabble" for the obvious reasons. George Coppedge, another original settler, and formerly of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
, favored "
RaleighRaleigh is the capital city of the state of North Carolina, the seat of Wake County and the second largest city in North Carolina. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S...
" after his hometown. The others agreed with Coppedge on the condition that it shouldn't have "that silly spelling, but should be spelled 'Rolla.' The county seat locating commission designated the area now known as Rolla to be the county seat.
The town of Rolla did not exist as of November 13, 1857, when the county was created. Only the J. Stever office and John Webber's home were located in the area. Early court business included the location and opening of roads from the county seat to various places within the state, including
St. LouisSt. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. With an estimated population of 354,361 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,866,517, the largest urban area in Missouri and sixteenth largest in the United States...
,
SpringfieldSpringfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Greene County. On July 1, 2008, the estimated population was 156,206. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 426,144, is ranked 114th in the U.S., includes the counties of Christian, Dallas,...
,
Jefferson CityJefferson 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 2008, the population was 40,771...
,
Lake SpringLake Spring is an unincorporated community in northwest Dent County, Missouri, United States. It is located about twelve miles southeast of Rolla on Route 72....
, and
SalemSalem is a city in Dent County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,854 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dent County. Salem sits very close to the Ozark Scenic Riverways and is close to Montauk, which is where the Current River begins....
. It is in this last road order, dated in July 1858, that the use of the name Rolla first appears in the court records. The name was used earlier, in May 1858, in a deed of railroad land to the county.
On April 26, 1859, the county court ordered the 50 acres donated by Mr. Bishop for the site of the county seat to be surveyed. The survey was conducted by A.E. Buchanan, a young railroad surveyor. Buchanan delivered his plat to the county court on May 31, 1859.
The railroad ran its first train on December 22, 1860, making Rolla the terminus of the road. Until the continuation of the Frisco, all goods were loaded on wagons and transported to Springfield and south and west on what is now U.S. Highway 66 (Interstate 44). During the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, Rolla was an important military post with as many as 20,000 Union troops here. The original Phelps County Court House was transformed into a hospital during the war.
In April 1861,
Fort SumterFort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
was fired upon and a decision was made to support the
SouthThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
. On May 10, the Circuit Court session saw a heated debate of secession, which caused a breakup of the proceedings. As the story goes, Circuit Court Judge James McBride soon departed to assume command as a Confederate general under Sterling Price. Outside the courthouse, a group of men drew down the United States flag and raised a Confederate flag, which had been hastily pieced together by the women of Rolla. The tension was thick when the group then moved to the newspaper office of Charles Walder, a Union supporter and editor of the
Rolla Express. Walder was forced to close his shop and cease printing. Southern sympathizers patrolled the town day and night, often ordering Union sympathizers to leave town.
On June 14 of that year, General Franz Sigel arrived by train with his 3rd Missouri Infantry and took over the town. From that day until the close of the war, Rolla was in Union hands.
The 13th Illinois Infantry Regiment, under Colonel John B. Wyman, was brought in to guard Rolla and the Pacific Railroad’s terminal. It was this regiment that did the basic planning and building of Fort Wyman, although other regiments undertook the task of finishing it.
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery...
’s personal order was that Rolla should be held at all costs. Being situated at the terminus of the railroad, military wagon trains went out from Rolla to all Union armies stationed southwest in
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
,
HartvilleHartville is a city in Wright County, Missouri, United States. The population was 607 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wright County.-Geography:Hartville is located at , along the Woods Fork of the Gasconade River...
, and Springfield and northwest to the Linn Creek area, now know as
Lake of the OzarksThe Lake of the Ozarks is a large reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Extents of three smaller tributaries to the Osage, the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek, and Gravois Creek, are included in the impoundment...
.
After General Price's defeat at Pea Ridge in March 1862, several troops that were organized by Governor Jackson returned home. Confederate sympathizers, unwilling to profess their loyalty and support to the Union after the battle, were treated harshly. One example is the shooting of former Presiding Justice Lewis F. Wright and four of his sons in 1864, after being taken from their homes for "questioning."
Other towns within the county included
NewburgNewburg is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 484 at the 2000 census.-History:Newburg was founded in 1883 by St. Louis – San Francisco Railway as a division point for the railroad, where engines would stop for repairs and to change crews...
, incorporated in 1888, and
St. JamesSt. James is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,704 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St. James is located at...
, incorporated in 1869. Arlington and Jerome were both incorporated in 1867, but neither is incorporated at this time. Doolittle, the last of Phelps County's towns to be formed, was incorporated on July 2, 1944. Other Phelps County communities include Edgar Springs which was incorporated during the 1970s.
Rolla was an important site during the Civil War because the southwest branch of the Pacific Railroad ended here. Thousands of Union troops and their supplies came to Rolla by train from St. Louis and then were transferred to wagon trails to go to the battles of Wilson Creek in Springfield and Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove in Arkansas, plus a number of other smaller skirmishes. The railroad had arrived in Rolla in 1860 but the outbreak of the war halted the westward expansion of the line.
The town of about 600 civilians had a large population of Union troops at that time. Since the Union forces seized control of the town early in the war, they had a big impact upon the town and its operation.
The town was a busy place for the visitor. In 1860 sugar sold for 10 cents a pound, tobacco for 30 cents a pound. Whiskey went for 25 cents a gallon. City lots sold for $25 per lot. The Courthouse was used as a hay storage barn and later as a hospital for wounded soldiers. After the commanding general of the Union Forces, General Nathaniel Lyon, was killed at the Wilson's Creek battle near Springfield, his body was brought to Rolla to be transported back East for burial. Old town Rolla was located along Main Street near the Courthouse. The business district moved to Pine Street in the late 19th Century.
Following the Union defeat at Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861, the Union Army fell back to Rolla and began building an earthen fort on the top of a hill alongside the present Highway 63 about a mile from the Courthouse. The rectangular fort had a dry moat around the perimeter with 32-pound field pieces located on each corner of the fort to cover any attack on Rolla from the south. It was named Fort Wyman after Colonel John B. Wyman. Fort Dette was a more detailed fort that was constructed in 1863 on what is now the campus of the University of Missouri-Rolla. It was constructed in a cross shape with positions for both 24-pound cannons and ports for individual rifle fire.
The Morrill Land-Grant College Act was approved by the U.S. Congress, and in 1863 the Missouri Legislature accepted this opportunity to set up a new type of higher education within the state. The act specified that the "leading object shall be without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and mechanics arts...in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits of professions of life."
The Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy was founded in 1870 because the area was rich in minerals and because the geographic location was good. Phelps County bid $130,545, including lands and bonds, and was awarded the prize. Today it is known as one of the finest engineering schools in the world. Not confined to mining and metallurgy, it confers degrees in twelve fields of engineering and science, as well as graduate degrees.
Education
Of adults 25 years of age and older in Phelps County, 79.0% possesses a
high school diplomaA high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education...
or higher while 21.1% holds a
bachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for four years, but can range from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
or higher as their highest educational attainment.
Public Schools
- Newburg R-II School District - Newburg
Newburg is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 484 at the 2000 census.-History:Newburg was founded in 1883 by St. Louis – San Francisco Railway as a division point for the railroad, where engines would stop for repairs and to change crews...
- Newburg Elementary School (K-06)
- Newburg High School (07-12)
- Phelps County R-III School District - Edgar Springs
Edgar Springs is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 190 at the 2000 census. As of the 2000 census, Edgar Springs is the closest town to the mean center of U.S. population, the theoretical center of the United States based on population...
- Phelps County Elementary School (K-08)
- Rolla School District 31 - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- Colonel John B. Wyman Elementary School (K-04)
- Harry S. Truman Elementary School (K-04)
- Mark Twain Elementary School (K-04)
- Rolla Middle School (05-07)
- Rolla Junior High School (08-09)
- Rolla High School (10-12)
- St. James R-I School District - St. James
St. James is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,704 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St. James is located at...
- Lucy Wortham Elementary School (K-05)
- St. James Middle School (06-08)
- St. James High School (09-12)
Private Schools
- Boys & Girls Town of Missouri School - St. James
St. James is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,704 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St. James is located at...
- (01-12) - NonsectarianNonsectarian, in its most literal sense, refers to a lack of sectarianism. The term is also more narrowly used to describe secular private educational institutions or other organizations not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious denomination....
- Northgate Christian Academy - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- (05-08) - Non-denominational ChristianIn Christianity, non-denominational institutions or churches are those which have not formally aligned themselves with an established denomination, or remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
- Immanuel Lutheran School - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- (K-06) - Lutheran Church - Missouri SynodThe Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod , founded in 1847 in Chicago, is the eighth largest Protestant denomination in the United States, and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It is a traditional, Confessional Lutheran denomination with German...
- Rolla Seventh-day Adventist School - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- (K-07) - Seventh-day AdventistThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ. It is the eighth largest international body of...
- St. Patrick Elementary School - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- (PK-08) - Roman CatholicThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
Alternative & Vocational Schools
- B.W. Robinson State School - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- (K-12) - Special Education
- Rolla Technical Center - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- (11-12) - Vocational/Technical
- Rolla Technical Institute High School - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- (09-12) - Vocational/Technical
Colleges & Universities
- Missouri University of Science & Technology - Formerly known as the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) - Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
- A public, four-year university.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the county has a total area of 674 square miles (1,746 km²), of which, 673 square miles (1,743 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.21%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Maries County
Maries County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 8,903. Its county seat is Vienna. The county was organized in 1855 and named for the Maries River and Little Maries River, 'Maries' being from the French marais, meaning marsh, lake or...
(northwest)
- Gasconade County
Gasconade County is a county in the U.S. state of Missouri, on the south side of the Missouri River, originally the chief route of transportation. Located in the area called the Missouri Rhineland, the county had a population of 15,342 as of the 2000 census...
(northeast)
- Crawford County
Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1990. As of 2000, the population was 22,804. Its county seat is Steelville. The county was organized in 1829 and is named after Georgia...
(east)
- Dent County
Dent County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 14,927. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 15,119. The largest city and county seat is Salem...
(southeast)
- Texas County
Texas County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 23,003. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 24,598. Its county seat is Houston...
(south)
- Pulaski County
Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was organized in 1833 and named for Kazimierz Pułaski, Polish patriot who died fighting in the American Revolution. As of 2000, the population was 41,165. Its county seat is Waynesville. It is the site of Fort Leonard...
(west)
Major highways
- Interstate 44
- U.S. Route 63
- U.S. Route 66 (1926-1979)
- Route 68
- Route 72
Demographics
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 39,825 people, 15,683 households, and 10,240 families residing in the county. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 59 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 17,501 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.24% White, 1.50% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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 1.79% from two or more races. Approximately 1.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 15,683 households out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.70% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.70% under the age of 18, 14.50% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 103.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,243, and the median income for a family was $49,343. Males had a median income of $29,428 versus $19,893 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the county was $20,275. About 11.30% of families and 16.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- Beulah
Beulah is an unincorporated community in southern Phelps County, Missouri. It is located about ten miles north of Licking at the edge of the Mark Twain National Forest....
- Doolittle
Doolittle is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 644 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Doolittle is located at ....
- Duke
Duke is an unincorporated community in southern Phelps County, Missouri. It is located about thirteen miles northwest of Licking and eight miles east of Fort Leonard Wood in the Mark Twain National Forest....
|
Edgar Springs Edgar Springs is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 190 at the 2000 census. As of the 2000 census, Edgar Springs is the closest town to the mean center of U.S. population, the theoretical center of the United States based on population...
FlatFlat is an unincorporated community in southern Phelps County, Missouri. It is about sixteen miles southwest of Rolla. Its post office is closed, mail now comes from Newburg....
JeromeJerome is an unincorporated community in western Phelps County, Missouri. It is located on Gasconade River near Interstate 44 and is about ten miles west of Rolla near the edge of the Mark Twain National Forest. Jerome is protected by the Doolittle rural fire department....
|
Newburg Newburg is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 484 at the 2000 census.-History:Newburg was founded in 1883 by St. Louis – San Francisco Railway as a division point for the railroad, where engines would stop for repairs and to change crews...
NorthwyeNorthwye is a former community in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. It lies at the north junction of U.S. Routes 63 and 66 just north of Rolla. The name refers to the Y-intersection of the two roads north of town. Several homes are still in the area....
RollaRolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
|
Rosati Rosati, Missouri is a small, unincorporated community on Missouri Supplemental Route ZZ in eastern Phelps County four miles east of St. James. This road is also former U.S. Highway 66. The community was originally settled after 1845 and was known as Knobview, due to its view of three knobs or...
SeatonSeaton is an unincorporated community in southeastern Phelps County, Missouri. It is located about thirteen miles southeast of Rolla. Its post office is now closed, mail comes from Newburg....
St. JamesSt. James is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,704 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St. James is located at...
|
Local
Politics at the local level in Phelps County is evenly split between the Republican and Democratic parties with Republicans and Democrats each controlling seven elected offices.
| Office | Incumbent | Party |
|---|
| Assessor |
Kevin D. Rasmussen |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
| Circuit Clerk |
Sue Brown |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
| Clerk |
Carol Bennett |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
| Collector |
David R. Haas |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
| Commissioner – District 1 |
Larry J. Stratman |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
| Commissioner – District 2 |
Charles “Bud” Dean |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
| Coroner |
Larry Swinfard |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
| Presiding Commissioner |
Randy Verkamp |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
| Prosecuting Attorney |
Courtney M. George |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
| Public Administrator |
Kathleen S. Oliver-Rogers |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
| Recorder |
Robin Kordes |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
| Sheriff |
Richard Lisenbe |
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
| Surveyor |
Louis D. Gilbert |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
| Treasurer |
Carol Green |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
State
Past Gubernatorial Elections Results
| Year |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Third Parties The term third party is used in the United States for a political party other than one of the two major parties, at present, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. It is used as shorthand for all such parties, or sometimes only the largest of them. The term is often used dismissively; also...
|
| 2008 The Missouri gubernatorial election, 2008 was an election for the Governor of Missouri, held on November 4, 2008. The current governor, Matt Blunt, who had decided to retire, narrowly won the 2004 election by beating state auditor Claire McCaskill 50.8%-48%, and would likely have faced a strong...
|
43.33% 8,485 |
53.28% 10,226 |
3.39% 481 |
2004The 2004 Missouri gubernatorial election took place on 2 November 2004 for the post of Governor of Missouri. Missouri Secretary of State Republican Matt Blunt defeated State Auditor Democrat Claire McCaskill...
|
59.09% 10,970 |
39.54% 7,341 |
1.37% 254 |
| 2000 |
51.59% 8,280 |
45.77% 7,345 |
2.64% 424 |
| 1996 |
34.97% 5,342 |
62.55% 9,555 |
2.49% 380 |
Phelps County is divided into three legislative districts in the
Missouri House of RepresentativesThe Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 31,000 residents.-Composition:...
.
- District 147 - Rep. Don Wells (R-Cabool
Cabool is a city in Texas County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,168 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cabool is located at ....
). Consists of the southern-western parts of the county. In 2008, Wells ran unopposed and was reelected with 100 percent of the vote.
- District 149 – Rep. Dan W. Brown (R-Rolla
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield. The population was 16,367 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Phelps County. The Rolla Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Phelps County.Rolla is an important...
). Consists of Rolla and the surrounding areas. In 2008, Brown defeated Wayne Bledsoe (D) 60.03-38.17 percent while Dennis E. Hustead (CThe Constitution Party is a United States political party rooted in the paleoconservative movement. It was founded as the U.S. Taxpayers' Party in 1992. The party's official name was changed to the Constitution Party in 1999; however, some state affiliate parties are known under different names...
) received 1.80 percent in Phelps County.
- District 150 – Rep. Jason T. Smith (R-Salem
Salem is a city in Dent County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,854 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dent County. Salem sits very close to the Ozark Scenic Riverways and is close to Montauk, which is where the Current River begins....
). Consists of the northern-eastern parts of the county. In 2008, Smith defeated James D. Ellis (D) 69.97-30.03 percent; Phelps County backed Smith with 70.80 percent while Ellis received 29.20 percent.
Phelps County is also a part of Missouri's 16th Senatorial District and is currently represented by
State SenatorThe Missouri State Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 160,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two years....
Frank A. Barnitz (D-
Lake SpringLake Spring is an unincorporated community in northwest Dent County, Missouri, United States. It is located about twelve miles southeast of Rolla on Route 72....
). In 2006, Barnitz defeated Susie Snyders (R) 52.44-47.56 percent. Phelps County backed Barnitz with 56.24 percent while Snyders received 43.76 percent. The 16th Senatorial District consists of
CrawfordCrawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1990. As of 2000, the population was 22,804. Its county seat is Steelville. The county was organized in 1829 and is named after Georgia...
,
DentDent County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 14,927. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 15,119. The largest city and county seat is Salem...
,
GasconadeGasconade County is a county in the U.S. state of Missouri, on the south side of the Missouri River, originally the chief route of transportation. Located in the area called the Missouri Rhineland, the county had a population of 15,342 as of the 2000 census...
,
MariesMaries County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 8,903. Its county seat is Vienna. The county was organized in 1855 and named for the Maries River and Little Maries River, 'Maries' being from the French marais, meaning marsh, lake or...
,
MontgomeryMontgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 12,136. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec, Canada...
,
OsageOsage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was named for the Osage River. As of 2000, the population was 13,062. Its county seat is Linn. The center of population of Missouri is located in Osage County, in the city of Westphalia .Osage County is part of the...
, Phelps, and
PulaskiPulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. The county was organized in 1833 and named for Kazimierz Pułaski, Polish patriot who died fighting in the American Revolution. As of 2000, the population was 41,165. Its county seat is Waynesville. It is the site of Fort Leonard...
counties.
In
Missouri's gubernatorial election of 2008The Missouri gubernatorial election, 2008 was an election for the Governor of Missouri, held on November 4, 2008. The current governor, Matt Blunt, who had decided to retire, narrowly won the 2004 election by beating state auditor Claire McCaskill 50.8%-48%, and would likely have faced a strong...
, Governor of Missouri
Jay NixonJeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon is the current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008...
(D) defeated former U.S. Representative
Kenny HulshofKenneth C. "Kenny" Hulshof is a politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, and represented in the United States House of Representatives. He was the unsuccessful nominee of the Republican Party for Governor of Missouri in the 2008 election.- Biography :Hulshof was born in Sikeston, Missouri, and...
(R) with 58.40 percent of the total statewide vote. Nixon performed extremely well and won many of the rural counties in the state, including Phelps County. The former attorney general Nixon carried Phelps County with 53.28 percent of the vote to Hulshof’s 43.33 percent.
Federal
In the
U.S. House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the "House," is the lower house of the bicameral United States Congress, the upper house being the United States Senate. The composition and powers of the House and the Senate are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, Phelps County is represented by
Jo Ann EmersonJo Ann Emerson is an American politician from the U.S. state of Missouri currently serving her seventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She represents which consists of Southeast and South Central Missouri and includes the Bootheel, the Lead Belt and the Ozarks...
(R-Cape Girardeau) who represents all of Southeast Missouri as part of Missouri's 8th Congressional District.
Political Culture
Past Presidential Elections Results
| Year |
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
|
Democratic The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
|
Third Parties The term third party is used in the United States for a political party other than one of the two major parties, at present, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. It is used as shorthand for all such parties, or sometimes only the largest of them. The term is often used dismissively; also...
|
| 2008 |
60.22% 11,706 |
38.04% 7,394 |
1.74% 338 |
| 2004 |
63.50% 11,874 |
35.65% 6,666 |
0.85% 160 |
| 2000 |
58.49% 9,444 |
38.78% 6,262 |
2.73% 440 |
| 1996 |
45.69% 6,990 |
41.87% 6,405 |
12.45% 1,904 |
At the presidential level, Phelps County is a fairly Republican-leaning county.
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000....
easily carried Phelps County in
2000The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President. Bill Clinton, the incumbent President, was vacating the position...
and
2004The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
.
Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the third-youngest president; only Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were younger when entering office...
was the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry Phelps County in
1992The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George H. W. Bush; Democrat Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....
, and like many of the rural counties throughout Missouri, Phelps County favored
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
over
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
in
2008The 56th quadrennial United States presidential election was held on November 4, 2008. Outgoing Republican President George W. Bush's policies and actions and the American public's desire for change were key issues throughout the campaign, and during the general election campaign, both major party...
.
Like most rural areas throughout Southeast Missouri, voters in Phelps County generally adhere to socially and culturally
conservativeConservatism is the diverse political and social philosophy that supports tradition and the status quo, or that calls for a return to the values and society of an earlier age, the status quo ante. However, the term has been used by politicians and political commentators with a variety of meanings...
principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on
a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a womanConstitutional Amendment 2 of 2004 is a defense of marriage amendment that amended the Missouri Constitution by adding a definition of marriage that prevents same-sex marriages from being conducted or recognized in Missouri...
—it overwhelmingly passed Phelps County with 77.94 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban
same-sex marriageSame-sex marriage is a term used to describe a legally or socially recognized marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Other terms used to describe this type of recognition include gay marriage or gender-neutral marriage.Same-sex marriage is a civil rights,...
. In 2006, Missourians voted on
a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the stateMissouri Constitutional Amendment 2 is a state constitutional amendment initiative that concerns stem cell research and human cloning in Missouri...
—it failed in Phelps County with 52.25 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve
embryonic stem cell researchEmbryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells....
. Despite Phelps County’s longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing
populistPopulism is a political discourse that juxtaposes "the people" with "the elites." Populism may comprise an ideology urging social and political system changes and/or a rhetorical style deployed by members of political or social movements...
causes like increasing the
minimum wageA minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labor. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion...
. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Phelps County with 69.42 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.
2008 Missouri Presidential Primary
In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primary, voters in Phelps County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.
Republican
Former
GovernorThe Governor of the State of Arkansas is the chief executive of the state and commander-in-chief of its military forces.The current governor is Mike Beebe, who took office on January 9 2007.-Qualifications:...
Mike HuckabeeMichael Dale "Mike" Huckabee is a Republican politician and political commentator for Fox News Channel and ABC Radio who served as governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. Huckabee finished second in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries; he announced his candidacy on January 28,...
(R-
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
) won Phelps County with 35.15 percent of the vote.
U.S. SenatorThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
(R-
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
) finished in second place in Phelps County with 29.68 percent. Former
GovernorThe Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
Mitt RomneyWillard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and former Governor of Massachusetts. Romney was CEO of Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, and co-founder of Bain Capital, a private equity investment firm...
(R-
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
) came in third place, receiving 27.26 percent of the vote while
libertarianLibertarianism is a term adopted by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which advocate the maximization of individual liberty and the minimization or even abolition of the state...
-leaning U.S. Representative
Ron PaulRonald Ernest Paul, M.D. is an American physician and Republican Congressman for the state of Texas. Paul is a member of the Liberty Caucus of Republican congressmen which aims to limit the size and scope of the federal government, and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Joint...
(R-
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
) finished fourth with 6.53 percent in Phelps County.
Huckabee slightly led Missouri throughout much of the evening until the precincts began reporting from St. Louis where McCain won and put him over the top of Huckabee. In the end, McCain received 32.95 percent of the vote to Huckabee’s 31.53 percent—a 1.42 percent difference. McCain received all of Missouri’s 58 delegates as the Republican Party utilizes the
winner-take-all-Neural Networks:In the theory of artificial neural networks winner-take-all networks are a case of competitive learning in recurrent neural networks. Output nodes in the network mutually inhibit each other, while simultaneously activating themselves through reflexive connections...
system.
Democratic
Former
U.S. SenatorThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
and now
Secretary of StateSecretary of State is a commonly used title for a member of government. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the government.In many countries, a Secretary of State is a mid-level post...
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) won Phelps County over now
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office, as well as the first president born in Hawaii...
(D-
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
), although the margin of victory was not as large as many other rural counties throughout the state; in fact, it was Clinton’s worst county in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District. Clinton carried Phelps County with 53.93 percent of the vote while Obama received 42.34 percent of the vote. Although he withdrew from the race, former U.S. Senator
John EdwardsJohnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician who served one term as U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth...
(D-
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
) still received 2.75 percent of the vote in Phelps County. Obama may have able to siphon away some votes in Phelps County due to the university subplot (UMR) in Rolla.
Clinton had a large initial lead in Missouri at the beginning of the evening as the rural precincts began to report, leading several news organizations to call the state for her; however, Obama rallied from behind as the heavily
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
precincts from St. Louis began to report and eventually put him over the top. In the end, Obama received 49.32 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 47.90 percent—a 1.42 percent difference. Both candidates split Missouri’s 72 delegates as the Democratic Party utilizes
proportional representationProportional representation , sometimes referred to as full representation, is a category of electoral formula aimed at securing a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive...
.
- Hillary Rodham Clinton received more votes, a total of 2,392, than any candidate from either party in Phelps County during the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primaries. Barack Obama came in second place but also received more votes, a total of 1,878, than Mike Huckabee (who received 1,728 and first place in the GOP Primary in Phelps County).