East Prairie is a city in Mississippi County,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, United States. The population was 2,943 at the 2020 census.

History

A post office called East Prairie has been in operation since 1872. The community took its name from a prairie of the same near the original town site. The current town, which lies about a mile south of the original post office site, was established in 1883 as a stop along the St. Louis Southwestern Railway ("Cotton Belt"), and was originally known as "Hibbard." The East Prairie postmaster, S.P. Martin, moved the post office to the new town site. By 1900, the city's name had been changed from "Hibbard" to "East Prairie." Hess Archeological Site, Hoecake Village Archeological Site, and Mueller Archeological Site, some of which contain Native American

burial mounds A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...

, are located near East Prairie and are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Geography

As its name indicates, the city lies in the eastern portion of a lowland area that extends from the

Ozark Plateau The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant porti ...

to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

, covering much of the Bootheel. Missouri Route 80 connects East Prairie with

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

and Matthews to the west, and the rural areas near the Mississippi River to the east. Route 105, which intersects Route 80 in East Prairie, connects the city with Charleston to the north. The small city of Anniston is located just northeast of East Prairie. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 3,176 people, 1,294 households, and 846 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 1,398 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.69%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.33%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.38% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.38% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.16% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.42% of the population. There were 1,294 households, of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 38.5 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.9% male and 54.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,227 people, 1,333 households, and 906 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,418 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.79%

, 2.26%

, 0.65% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.28% from

, and 0.96% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.77% of the population. There were 1,333 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,825, and the median income for a family was $24,063. Males had a median income of $23,494 versus $16,284 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $10,912. About 25.6% of families and 30.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 32.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

East Prairie R-II School District operates one elementary school, one middle school and East Prairie High School. East Prairie has a public library, a branch of the Mississippi County Library District.

In the media

Significant portions of the 1961 film '' The Intruder'' (directed by

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American film director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Many of Corman's films are based on works t ...

and starring

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpris ...

) were filmed in East Prairie.

Notable people

Orlin Collier Orlin Collier (February 17, 1907 – September 9, 1944) was a Major League Baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the go ...

, who briefly pitched with the Detroit Tigers in 1931, was born in East Prairie in 1907. * Dan Smoot, figure in the anti-communist movement, born in East Prairie in 1913.

References

External links

* * Historic maps of East Prairie in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

{{authority control Cities in Mississippi County, Missouri Populated places established in 1881 1881 establishments in Missouri Cities in Missouri