Gerald is a city in western Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,345 at the 2010 census.

History

Gerald was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1901 along a railroad line. The community was named after the local Fitzgerald family. A post office called Gerald has been in operation since 1901. The Christian and Anna Keller Farmstead and Old Gerald School 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

Gerald is located along

US Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

approximately two miles east of the Franklin - Gasconade county line.

Rosebud Rosebud may refer to: * Rose bud, the bud of a rose flower Arts * The name of Jerry Garcia's guitar from 1990 until his death in 1995. * In the 1941 film ''Citizen Kane'', the last words of Charles Foster Kane and an overall plot device. * "Ros ...

lies four miles to the west and Leslie five miles east along Route 50. 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 , of which is land and is water.

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 1,345 people, 527 households, and 356 families living 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 603 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.5%

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 o ...

, 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 ...

, 0.8% Native American, 0.5%

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, 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 0.4% of the population. There were 527 households, of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.4% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 36.6 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,171 people, 474 households, and 327 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 510 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.21%

, 0.09%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.43%

, 0.09% from

, and 1.02% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.94% of the population. There were 474 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.97. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,095, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $28,194 versus $21,971 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 $14,095. About 6.0% of families and 10.6% 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 7.9% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Gerald has a lending library, the Gerald Area Library.

In the national spotlight

The City of Gerald came into national spotlight in 2008 when it was revealed that Bill A. Jacob, a purported federal agent working for several month with Gerald police to curtail the

meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...

abuse including participating in home raids without a warrant to arrest alleged drug dealers, was actually "an unemployed former trucking company owner, a former security guard, a former wedding minister and a former small-town cop from 23 miles down the road." Jacob came to Gerald in January 2008 and misrepresented himself as an agent of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to the Gerald police chief. On some other occasions, he claimed to be a

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforc ...

or an agent from the United States Department of Justice Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force. Linda Trest, a staff writer for the ''Gasconade County Republican'' acting on reports of concerned citizens, uncovered the truth about Jacob, which ended the

scam A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers hav ...

. After the national press coverage that included ''The New York Times'', ''The National Inquirer,'' and ''The Post-Dispatch,'' Jacob was interviewed by

Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...

on 60 Minutes. In September 2009 Jacob pleaded guilty to impersonating a federal agent. In December 2009 he was sentenced to serve 5 years in prison.UPDATE: Man who posed as federal agent gets 5 years
Columbia Missourian, December 2009

References

External links

Gerald Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Franklin County, Missouri Cities in Missouri