Kahoka is a city in and 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 Clark County, in the northeast tip of

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 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,961.

History

Kahoka was platted in 1858. The city is named for the historic

Cahokia tribe __NOTOC__ The Cahokia ( mia, kahokiaki) were an Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe and member of the Illinois Confederation; their territory was in what is now the Midwestern United States in North America. As a member of the Illinoi ...

of the

Illiniwek The Illinois Confederation, also referred to as the Illiniwek or Illini, were made up of 12 to 13 tribes who lived in the Mississippi River Valley. Eventually member tribes occupied an area reaching from Lake Michicigao (Michigan) to Iowa, Ill ...

or Illinois Confederacy, which occupied territory on both sides of the Mississippi River in this area at the time of European encounter. The Clark County Courthouse, Col. Hiram M. Hiller House, and Montgomery Opera House 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

Kahoka is located at the intersection of

U.S. Route 136 U.S. Route 136 is an east-west U.S. highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 36. It runs from Edison, Nebraska, at U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 34 to the Interstate 74/Interstate 465 interchange in Speedway, Indiana. This is a distance of . U ...

and

Missouri Route 81 Route 81 is a highway in northeastern Missouri. Its northern terminus is at the Iowa state line where it continues as Iowa Highway 81. Its southern terminus is at Route 16 west of Canton. Route description Route 81 starts at the Iowa state li ...

. Wayland is approximately seven miles to the east and Luray is 8.5 miles to the west. The Fox River flows past about one mile to the northeast. 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.

Demographics

Kahoka is part of the

Fort Madison Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 census. Located along the ...

– Keokuk, IA-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

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 2,078 people, 883 households, and 521 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 1,001 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.5%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.1% 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 0.8% 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 0.7% of the population. There were 883 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.0% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 39.9 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 21% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,241 people, 921 households, and 562 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,014 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.48%

, 0.09%

, 0.40% Native American, 0.002% Dutch, 0.04%

, 0.13% from

, and 0.85% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.80% of the population. There were 921 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,384, and the median income for a family was $30,192. Males had a median income of $24,313 versus $16,563 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 $14,928. About 15.4% of families and 17.4% 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 21.1% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in Kahoka is administered by Clark County R-I School District, which operates two elementary schools, one middle school, and Clark County High School. Kahoka has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, the H.E. Sever Memorial Branch Library.

Notable people

Ralph Bell Ralph Albert "Lefty" Bell (November 16, 1890 – October 18, 1959) was a professional baseball pitcher from 1909 to 1916.Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

in 1912 * William Bishop, businessman, military officer, politician, State Treasurer of Missouri from 1865 to 1869 * John Conner, musician, marimbist * Hiram Hiller, Jr., physician, medical missionary, explorer, ethnographer * Matt Murphy, professional wrestler *

Neil Smelser Neil Joseph Smelser (1930–2017) was an American sociologist who served as professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. He was an active researcher from 1958 to 1994. His research was on collective behavior, sociological theo ...

, sociologist *

Ramo Stott Ramo Stott (April 6, 1934 – August 19, 2021) was an American stock car racing driver from Keokuk, Iowa. He competed in NASCAR Winston Cup, USAC stock car, and ARCA. He was a 2011 inductee in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. Career ...

, stock car driver *

Richard Webber Richard Webber, M.D., F.A.C.S is a fictional character from the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actor James Pickens Jr. since the start of the show in 200 ...

, federal judge * William Wheat, U.S. Representative from Illinois

References

External links

* Historic maps of Kahoka 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 Clark County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area Cities in Missouri