Bowling Green is a city and 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 Pike 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 5,334 at the 2010 census.

History

Bowling Green was settled in 1819, and designated county seat in 1824. Settled chiefly by migrants from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, it was named after Bowling Green, Kentucky. The James Beauchamp Clark House 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 1976.

Geography

Bowling Green lies at the junction of US highways 54 and 61. US 54 links Bowling Green with Illinois to the east and Jefferson City and the Lake of the Ozarks to the south and west, while US 61 connects the city with

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

to the north and the St. Louis area to the south. 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 , of which, is land and is water.

Climate

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 5,334 people, 1,316 households, and 810 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 1,474 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.4%

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 ...

, 18.4%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.2% 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 1.8% of the population. There were 1,316 households, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% 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, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age in the city was 35.9 years. 17% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 35.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 66.2% male and 33.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,260 people, 1,290 households, and 798 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,420 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.64%

, 7.67%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population. There were 1,290 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were

living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,287, and the median income for a family was $36,619. Males had a median income of $28,871 versus $18,873 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 $14,670. About 10.5% of families and 13.1% 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 ...

, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Bowling Green R-1 School District operates two elementary schools, one middle school and Bowling Green High School. The town has a lending library, the Bowling Green Public Library.

Transportation

Transit

Burlington Trailways provides intercity bus service to the city on a route between

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its 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 u ...

and St. Louis.

Highways

U.S. Route 54 * US 61

U.S. Route 61 * MO-161

Route 161

Notable residents

* James Overton Broadhead,

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

, 1st president of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...

. * Bennett Champ Clark,

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

(1933–1945), United States Circuit Judge (1945–1954). * Champ Clark, Speaker of the House of Representatives. * Jack Dougherty, American actor. * Cotton Fitzsimmons, NBA Coach. 832 wins in the NBA. Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1949. * William L. Hungate,

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

(1964–1977),

United States federal judge In the United States, a federal judge is a judge who serves on a court established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. Often called "Article III judges", federal judges include the chief justice and associate justices of the U.S. S ...

(1979–1992). Graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1940. * Glenn Jacobs, professional wrestler for the WWE, Kane. Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee (2017–present) * Virginia Kirtley, American actress and writer. *

Arthur Murray Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman; April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name. Early life and start in dance Arthur Mur ...

, Major General,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. Years of service: 1878–1915, 1917–1918. * Sterling Price, Major General, 11th

Governor of Missouri A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

(1853-1857). * William R. Purnell, United States Admiral. Years of service: 1910–1946. * James Earl Ray, moved with his family to the community from

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend (Illinois), Riv ...

at age 2. At age 7 he moved with his family to Ewing, Missouri. * Raymond Phillips Sanderson, American sculptor and painter. * Genevieve Clark Thomson, American suffragist. * Chad Perkins, Speaker Pro Tem of the Missouri House of Representatives (2025-Present). Graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1997.

References

External links

*Historic maps of Bowling Green 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 Pike County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Cities in Missouri 1819 establishments in Missouri Territory Populated places established in 1819