Farmington is a city in St. Francois County located about southwest of

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

in the

Lead Belt The Southeast Missouri Lead District, commonly called the Lead Belt, is a lead mining district in the southeastern part of Missouri. Counties in the Lead Belt include Saint Francois, Crawford, Dent, Iron, Madison, Reynolds, and Washingt ...

region in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,217. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of St. Francois County. Farmington was established in 1822 as Murphy's Settlement, named for William Murphy of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, who first visited the site in 1798. When St. Francois County was organized, the town was briefly called St. Francois Court House and later renamed to Farmington.

History

William Murphy, arrived on the land west of 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 f ...

in 1798, when it was part of the upper

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of the ...

and under

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

rule. Calderon was searching for the ideal site to relocate his family and, as the tradition goes, came to find a spring near what is now the St. Francois County Courthouse with the aid of a local Native American. Deciding that this was an excellent place to set up home, Murphy acquired a Spanish Land Grant, allowing him and his family to establish a settlement along the St. Francois River. In his travels back to Kentucky, Murphy died, leaving it up to his wife, Sarah, and their grown sons to establish the settlement, which they did around 1800, and named the area Murphy's Settlement. Sarah is known to have assembled the premier

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Sunday School west of the Mississippi River. Because Spanish law barred any religious services that were not

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, Sarah and her students orchestrated the learning in secret. A post office in Murphy's Settlement opened in 1817, following the

annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

of the land to the United States in 1803 as part of the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

became a state in 1821 as part of the

Missouri Compromise The Missouri Compromise was a federal legislation of the United States that balanced desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in the country with those of southern states to expand it. It admitted Missouri as a Slave states an ...

. In 1822, William Crawford Murphy made a contribution of of land for the installation of the county seat of what was soon to be St. Francois County. Murphy's Settlement was renamed Farmington in 1825, taking the name from the area's rich farm land. Farmington was granted incorporation as a town in 1836 and became a village 20 years later in 1856. In the mid-19th century, Farmington enjoyed growth and economic well-being through the building of the historic Plank Road, which stretched from Pilot Knob to Ste. Genevieve. The road was built to transport both supplies from the shipping facilities located along the river to the mines and to move the mine's

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

to the shipping facilities. The route was soon taken over by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. The first public school was constructed in 1870 and in 1879. Farmington gained the recognition as a fourth-class city–an accolade that was surpassed in 1981 when Farmington became a third-class city. The Courthouse Square Historic District, East Columbia Historic District, Farmington State Hospital No. 4 Cemetery, James Robinson McCormick House, Presbyterian Orphanage of Missouri, and St. Francois County Jail and Sheriff's Residence 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 v ...

Geography

Farmington is located at (37.781932, −90.422145). 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 the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Average temperatures in the following chart are taken from National Weather Service averages from 1991 to 2020.

Demographics

The Farmington Micropolitan Statistical Area includes St. Francois County and Washington County and has a population of 90,554 as of 2010. Farmington is a component of the St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

, also known as

Greater St. Louis Greater St. Louis is a bi-state metropolitan area that completely surrounds and includes the independent city of St. Louis, the principal city. It includes parts of both Missouri and Illinois. The city core is on the Mississippi Riverfront on t ...

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 incl ...

of 2010, there were 16,240 people, 5,620 households, and 3,313 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 6,172 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.26%

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 on ...

, 7.14%

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 have o ...

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 ...

, 0.32% Native American, 0.80%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.04%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.30% 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 1.13% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 1.52% of the population. There were 5,620 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 37.6 years. 19% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 56.3% male and 43.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 13,924 people, 4,647 households, and 2,909 families living in the city. The

was 1,555.0 people per square mile (600.7/km). There were 5,003 housing units at an average density of 558.7 per square mile (215.8/km). The racial makeup of the city was 89.73%

, 7.36%

, 0.50% Native American, 0.73%

, 0.01%

, 0.32% from

, and 1.34% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.16% of the population. There were 4,647 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were

living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city the population was spread out, with 18.9% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 131.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,251, and the median income for a family was $39,899. Males had a median income of $27,448 versus $20,330 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 $14,706. About 8.9% of families and 12.4% 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 16.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or

over Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England *Over, Cheshire, England *Over, South Gloucestershire, England * Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England ** Over Bridge *Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Over'' (album), by Pe ...

Religion

Approximately 51.21% of the people in Farmington identify themselves as religious or affiliated with a religion. Many of these religious residents identify as

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

—38.08% are

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, 7.65% are

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, 5.03% identify with another Christian faith, 0.43% are

Mormons Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

, 0.03% belong to an

Eastern religion The Eastern religions are the religions which originated in East, South and Southeast Asia and thus have dissimilarities with Western, African and Iranian religions. This includes the East Asian religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, Chinese fol ...

, and 0.01% are

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Economy

It is home to an

SRG Global SRG Global Inc. is one of the largest manufacturers of chrome plated plastic parts for the automotive and commercial truck industries. Headquartered near Detroit in Troy, Michigan, the Tier 1 supplier has manufacturing operations across North A ...

manufacturing plant, and U.S. Tool Other major employers in the city are BJC Parkland Health Center, Centene Corp, Farmington Correctional Center and Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center.

Government

Farmington's publicly elected government consists of a Mayor and eight City Council members representing the city's four wards who set city policy. The city's policies are carried out by a City Administrator who works closely with the City Clerk, City Council and City Attorney.

Education

Public schools

The Farmington R-VII School District serves the city's need for public education. According to the

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is the administrative arm of the Missouri State Board of Education that works with school officials, legislators, government agencies, community leaders, and citizens to maintai ...

, there are five elementary schools, two being private, one public intermediate school, one middle school, and one high school in the school district for a total of nine schools. During the 2008–2009 school year, there was a total of 3,743 students and 306 certified staff members enrolled in the Farmington R-VII School District. The school colors are black and gold and the mascot is the knight (knightette for females). Athletics offered in the school district include boys' and girls' basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, track, boys' baseball, golf, football, wrestling, and girls' softball and girls' volleyball. Other activities include band (marching, jazz, and concert) cheerleading, colorguard, winter guard, dance team, FFA, AFJROTC, TSA, and FBLA. Elementary * Jefferson Elementary * Lincoln Intermediate * Roosevelt Elementary * Truman Kindergarten * Washington-Franklin Elementary * W.L. Johns Early Childhood Center Secondary * Farmington Middle School * Farmington Senior High School * Juvenile Detention Center * Midwest Learning Center

Private schools

Farmington is also home to two private schools. * St. Joseph Catholic School (PK-8) * St. Paul Lutheran School (PK-8) * St. Paul Lutheran High School (9-12)

Public library

Farmington has a lending library, the Farmington Public Library.

Attractions

* Farmington has a park system, with major parks including Engler Park, Wilson-Rozier Park, and Trimfoot park. * St. Joe State Park is right outside the city limits and attracts ATV riders, campers, horseback riders, bicyclists, and swimmers. The park has recently added an outdoor gun range.

Infrastructure

Farmington is located at the crossroads of

US 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues so ...

and Missouri Hwy 32.

Notable people

Sam Agnew Samuel Lester "Slam" Agnew (April 12, 1887 – July 19, 1951) was an American professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball from 1913 through 1919 for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators. Agnew batted ...

, Major League Baseball catcher *

Jake Arrieta Jacob Joseph Arrieta (born March 6, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres. Arrieta played college ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher, 2015 NL

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall ...

winner *

Herbert Asbury Herbert Asbury (September 1, 1891 – February 24, 1963) was an American journalist and writer best known for his books detailing crime during the 19th and early-20th centuries, such as ''Gem of the Prairie: An Informal History of the Chicago U ...

, writer, was born in Farmington. He later published a controversial chapter about a prostitute from Farmington in ''Up From Methodism'', which was seen as a liability for ''

The American Mercury ''The American Mercury'' was an American magazine published from 1924Staff (Dec. 31, 1923)"Bichloride of Mercury."''Time''. to 1981. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured wri ...

'' *

Ed Blaine Edward Homer Blaine (born January 30, 1940) is a former American Football Guard as well as an honorary professor and investigator from the University of Missouri. He was born in Farmington, Missouri on January 30, 1940.NFL player *

Jesse McI. Carter Jesse McIlvane Carter (April 12, 1863 – June 23, 1930) was a United States Army Major general (United States), Major General who served as Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Chief of the Militia Bureau. Early life Jesse McI. Carter was born ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

* Walter Lewis Hensley, US Representative * Andrew Conway Ivy, physiologist *

Lloyd McBride Lloyd McBride (March 16, 1916 – November 6, 1983) was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1977 to 1983. Early life and union work McBride was born in Farmington, Missouri, in 1916. His father was ...

, labor leader *

James Robinson McCormick James Robinson McCormick (August 1, 1824 – May 19, 1897) was a United States Representative from Missouri. Born near Irondale, Washington County, Missouri, McCormick attended public schools in Washington County, Missouri. He received privat ...

, US Representative *

Greggory Nations Greggory "Gregg" Nations is an American television writer and script coordinator. He wrote several episodes for ''The District'' and '' Nash Bridges'' with Carlton Cuse. Nations is a co-producer of the television show ''Lost'', and created its Bib ...

, writer and co-producer of ''Lost'' TV series, also affiliated with the series ''Bates Motel'' *

Dan Peek Daniel Milton Peek () was an American musician best known as a member of the folk rock band America from 1970 to 1977, together with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. He has been called a "pioneer in contemporary Christian music". Early life ...

, founding member of the band America, lived in Farmington from 1978 until his death in 2011 *

Barney Pelty Barney Pelty (September 10, 1880 – May 24, 1939), was an American Major League Baseball pitcher known as "the Yiddish Curver" because he was one of the first Jewish baseball players in the American League. he is in the top-ten for his career o ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Kyle Richardson Kyle Davis Richardson (born March 2, 1973) is a former National Football League (NFL) punter. He played college football at Arkansas State University and went on to have a ten-year professional career. He played for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europ ...

, NFL punter, member of

Super Bowl XXXV Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

champion

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

* Charles E. Sebastian, Mayor of Los Angeles * Alex White, professional mixed martial artist in UFC * J. Ernest Wilkins Sr., attorney, civil rights advocate, labor leader, and undersecretary of labor in the Eisenhower administration *

Robert Moore Williams Robert Moore Williams (June 19, 1907 – May 12, 1977) was an American writer, primarily of science fiction. Pseudonyms included John S Browning, H. H. Harmon, Russell Storm and E. K. Jarvis (a house name). Williams was born in Farmington, Mis ...

, writer

References

External links

City of Farmington

City of Farmington Municipal Code

Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce

Farmington Missouri News
* Historic maps of Farmington in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

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

{{Authority control Cities in St. Francois County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Populated places established in 1822 1822 establishments in Missouri Cities in Missouri