Vandalia, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Vandalia is a city in Audrain
Audrain County, Missouri
Audrain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 25,529. Its county seat is Mexico. The county was organized in 1836. Audrain County was named for Col. James Hunter Audrain. Col. Audrain was Colonel of militia in the War of 1812. In 1830 Col...

 and Ralls Counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of 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...

. The population was 2,529 at the 2000 census.

Col. Aaron McPike, who founded Vandalia in 1874, called Vandalia "Queen of the Prairie". Vast rolling prairies had underlying coal and refractory types of clay. Brickplants are major employers in Audrain County today.

The Audrain County portion of Vandalia is part of the Mexico
Mexico, Missouri
Mexico is a city in Audrain County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,543 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Audrain County. The Mexico Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Audrain County...

 Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Ralls County portion is part of the Hannibal
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...

 Micropolitan Statistical Area
Hannibal micropolitan area
The Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in northeast Missouri, anchored by the city of Hannibal....

.

Ameren
Ameren
Ameren Corporation was created December 31, 1997 by the merger of Missouri's Union Electric Company and the neighboring Central Illinois Public Service Company . It is now a holding company for several power companies and energy companies. The company is based in St...

's Audrain Power Plant, a regulated combustion turbine generator (CTG) power plant, is located in Vandalia.
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Geography

Vandalia is located at 39°18′27"N 91°29′21"W (39.307388, -91.489105).

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 2.3 square miles (5.9 km²), all land.

Vandalia is located in northeast Missouri in Audrain County - 27 miles from the Mississippi River, 30 miles southwest of Hannibal and 100 miles northwest of St. Louis. The Gateway Western railroad line runs through the town. U.S. Route 54 passes through Vandalia, connecting it with Illinois to the east and 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...

 and the Lake of the Ozarks
Lake of the Ozarks
The 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...

 to the south and west.

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 2,529 people, 1,176 households, and 702 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 1,117.8 people per square mile (432.1/km²). There were 1,343 housing units at an average density of 593.6 per square mile (229.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.91% White, 10.76% African American, 0.47% Asian, 0.20% 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 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.

There were 1,176 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% 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, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,213, and the median income for a family was $33,819. Males had a median income of $26,356 versus $16,114 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 $14,859. About 14.6% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center
Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center
The Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center is a prison in Vandalia, Missouri, in the United States. It is a part of the Missouri Department of Corrections....

, a women's prison of the Missouri Department of Corrections, is located in Vandalia.

The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...

 operates the Vandalia Post Office.

External links

  • Historic maps of Vandalia in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri
    University of Missouri
    The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...


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