Center is a city in Ralls 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 528 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

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Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Center was originally spelled "Centre" and under the latter name 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 1871. The community was so named on account of its location near the county's geographical center. St. Paul Catholic Church 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 1979.

Geography

Center is located on Missouri Route 19 approximately six miles east of the Clarence Cannon Dam on the Salt River and Mark Twain Lake. New London lies approximately eight miles to the northeast. The stream, Jug Run, flows past just south of the city. According to the

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, 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 508 people, 209 households, and 129 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 270 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.7%

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, 1.4%

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, 1.2% Asian, 0.2%

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, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 209 households, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% 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, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.3% were non-families. 30.6% 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 2.28 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 44.3 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 24% were from 45 to 64; and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 644 people, 251 households, and 161 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 309 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.91%

, 0.16%

, 0.47% Native American, and 0.47% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population. There were 251 households, out of which 100% had children under the age of 52 living with them, 49.0% were

living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.94. In the city the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,964, and the median income for a family was $27,125. Males had a median income of $26,944 versus $17,955 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 $11,598. About 24.0% of families and 26.4% 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 36.4% of those under age 18 and 31.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Ralls County R-II School District operates two schools at Center: Center Elementary, Mark Twain Jr., sr. High School. The town has a lending library, the Ralls County Library.

References

External links

* Historic maps of Center 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 Missouri Cities in Ralls County, Missouri Hannibal, Missouri micropolitan area