Bloomfield is a city in Stoddard County,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

, United States. The population was 1,755 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Stoddard County. In September 1864 during the Civil War, the town was reduced to ashes.

History

The first permanent settlement at Bloomfield was made in 1824 at the site of a previous Native American community. Bloomfield 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 Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1835. The community was named from the wildflowers in the vicinity. A post office called Bloomfield has been in operation since 1836. The Stoddard County Courthouse was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1984.

Geography

The city is 6.5 miles north of Dexter on Missouri Route 25. The city is According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,933 people, 791 households, and 527 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 893 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.81%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.05%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.10% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population. There were 791 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.4% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age in the city was 41.7 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,952 people, 791 households, and 533 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 870 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.72%

, 0.10%

, 0.31% Native American, and 0.87% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population. There were 791 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were

living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,426, and the median income for a family was $31,944. Males had a median income of $26,011 versus $15,455 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,546. About 14.2% of families and 20.4% 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 ...

, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

The National Stars and Stripes Museum and Library is dedicated to the preservation and history of the Stars and Stripes Newspaper and the US Armed Forces. Markers locate the many

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

sites in the area. On November 9, 1861, during the soldiers of the 11th, 18th, and 29th

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Regiments set up camp here. The first edition of the ''Stars and Stripes'' military newspaper was printed here during that occupation.

Education

It is in the Bloomfield R-XIV School District, which operates one elementary school, one middle school, and Bloomfield High School. The town has a lending library, the Bloomfield Public Library.

Notable people

* Dorothy Langley, author (1904-1969) whose novels were published by Simon and Schuster. * Norman Adolphus Mozley, Missouri congressman (1895-1897) who had a law office in Bloomfield and is buried in Bloomfield.

References

External links

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

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

{{authority control Cities in Stoddard County, Missouri County seats in Missouri 1824 establishments in Missouri Cities in Missouri