Cole County is located in the central part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, its population was 77,279. Its

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 ...

and largest city is

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the principa ...

, the state capital. The county was organized November 16, 1820 and named after pioneer William Temple Cole who built Cole's Fort in Boonville. Cole County is in the

, MO

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. It is south of the Missouri River. In 2010, the center of the population of Missouri was in Cole County, near the village of Wardsville.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.0%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Missouri by area.

Adjacent counties

* Boone County (north) *

Callaway County Callaway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 44,283. Its county seat is Fulton. With a border formed by the Missouri River, the county was organized Novembe ...

(northeast) * Osage County (southeast) * Miller County (southwest) * Moniteau County (northwest)

Major highways

U.S. 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 Atlanti ...

U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific and ...

* U.S. Route 63 * Route 17 * Route 179

Demographics

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 2000, there were 71,397 people, 27,040 households, and 17,927 families residing in the county. 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 182 people per square mile (70/km²). There were 28,915 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.06%

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 ...

, 9.92%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.88%

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 ...

, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.54% 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 1.23% from two or more races. Approximately 1.28% of the population were

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. 40.1% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 13.6%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 7.8%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and 6.9%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry. There were 27,040 households, out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% 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, 10.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 32.30% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,924, and the median income for a family was $53,416. Males had a median income of $33,769 versus $25,189 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 county was $20,739. About 5.80% of families and 8.70% 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 11.50% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Government and infrastructure

The

Missouri Department of Corrections The Missouri Department of Corrections is the state law enforcement agency that operates state prisons in the U.S. state of Missouri. It has its headquarters in Missouri's capital of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City. The Missouri Depart ...

(MDOC) operates the

Jefferson City Correctional Center The Jefferson City Correctional Center (JCCC) is a maximum security prison in Jefferson City, Missouri operated by the Missouri Department of Corrections. It houses up to 1996 inmates, with a staff of 660. It is located at Jefferson City Correct ...

.Jefferson City Correctional Center
"

. May 7, 2006. Retrieved on September 18, 2010. The current JCCC was opened on September 15, 2004, replacing the

Missouri State Penitentiary The Missouri State Penitentiary was a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri, that operated from 1836 to 2004. Part of the Missouri Department of Corrections, it served as the state of Missouri's primary maximum security institution.Lombardi, George ...

in Jefferson City.

Education

Public schools

*Blair Oaks R-II School District –

**Blair Oaks Elementary School (K-04) **Blair Oaks Middle School (05-08) **Blair Oaks High School (09-12) *Cole County R-I School District – Russellville **Cole County R-I Elementary School (PK-05) **Cole County R-I Middle School (06-08) **Russellville High School (09-12) *Cole County R-V School District – Eugene **Eugene Elementary School (PK-06) **Eugene High School (07-12) *

Jefferson City Public School District Jefferson City School District is a school district based in Jefferson City, Missouri (USA). Location The district covers northern portions of Cole County as well as southern portions of Callaway County. Schools High schools *Jefferson City Hig ...

–

**Southwest Early Childhood Education Center (PK) **Southwest Elementary School (K-05) **Callaway Hills Elementary School (K-05) – Holts Summit **South Elementary School (K-05) **Thorpe J. Gordon Elementary School (K-05) **East Elementary School (K-05) **North Elementary School (K-05) – Holts Summit **Cedar Hill Elementary School (K-05) **West Elementary School (K-05) **Moreau Heights Elementary School (K-05) **Belair Elementary School (K-05) **Pioneer Trail Elementary School (K-05) **Clarence Lawson Elementary School (PK-05) **Thomas Jefferson Middle School (06-08) **Lewis & Clark Middle School (06-08) **

Jefferson City High School Jefferson City High School (JCHS) is a public secondary school in Jefferson City, Missouri. It is one of the five public high schools in Cole County, Missouri, Cole County and is one of two in Jefferson City. History The Jefferson City Public Sc ...

(09-12) **Capital City High School (09-12)

Private schools

*Central Baptist Christian Academy –

(K-12) –

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

(Emphasis on Special Education) *Concord Christian School –

(K-06) –

*Immaculate Conception School –

(K-09) –

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

*Immanuel Lutheran School –

(K-09) –

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

*Kids in Montessori School –

(K-02) – Nonsectarian *Lighthouse Preparatory Academy –

(06-12) – Nonsectarian *Moreau Montessori School –

(PK-05) – Nonsectarian *St. Francis Xavier School –

Taos Taos or TAOS may refer to: Places * Taos, Missouri, a city in Cole County, Missouri, United States * Taos County, New Mexico, United States ** Taos, New Mexico, a city, the county seat of Taos County, New Mexico *** Taos art colony, an art colo ...

(K-09) –

*St. Joseph Cathedral School –

(PK-08) –

*St. Martin School – St. Martins (K-09) –

*St. Peter Interparish School –

(K-09) –

*St. Stanislaus Catholic School – Wardsville (K-09) –

*Trinity Lutheran School –

(PK-09) –

*St. Thomas The Apostle School – Saint Thomas (K-09) –

*Calvary Lutheran High School –

(09-12) –

* Helias Catholic High School –

(09-12) –

Post-secondary education

* Lincoln University – Jefferson City – A public, four-year historically black university.

Public libraries

*Missouri River Regional Library

Politics

Local

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Cole County. Republicans hold all but one of the elected positions in the county.The Democratic Party do not hold any elected positions on the county level.

State

Cole County is divided into five legislative districts in the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

, all of which elected Republicans. *District 49 �
Travis Fitzwater
(R- Holts Summit). Consists of a small unincorporated area of the county just west of the city of Jefferson City. *District 50 —

Sara Walsh Sara Elizabeth Walsh (born April 12, 1978) is an American sportscaster who currently works for NFL Network. She worked for ESPN from 2010 to 2017. Walsh came to ESPN from WUSA in Washington, D.C., where she served as the station's weekend spor ...

. Consists of unincorporated areas in the northwest corner of the county. *District 59 — Rudy Veit (R-

). Consists of the communities of Centertown, Eugene, Lohman, Russellville, St. Martins, Taos, and Wardsville. *District 60 — Dave Griffith (R-

) Consists of the city of Jefferson City. *District 62 �
Tom Hurst
(R-

Meta Meta (from the Greek μετά, '' meta'', meaning "after" or "beyond") is a prefix meaning "more comprehensive" or "transcending". In modern nomenclature, ''meta''- can also serve as a prefix meaning self-referential, as a field of study or ende ...

) Consists of the community of St. Thomas. Cole County is a part of Missouri's 6th District in the

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 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

and is currently represented by Mike Bernskoetter (R-

Federal

All of Cole County is included in

Missouri's 3rd congressional district Missouri's third congressional district is in the eastern and central portion of the state. It surrounds but does not include St Louis City. Its current representative is Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer. The district took its current form in 20 ...

and is currently represented by

Blaine Luetkemeyer William Blaine Luetkemeyer ( ; born May 7, 1952) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Luetkemeyer formerly served as a member of the Missouri House of ...

(R- Saint Elizabeth) in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Political culture

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

and

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

(D-

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

) received more votes, a total of 4,642, than any candidate from either party in Cole County during the 2008 presidential primary. Cole County was one of only six counties (including the independent city of St. Louis) that backed Obama in Missouri.

Communities

Cities

(county seat and state capital; a small portion extends into

) * Lohman * Russellville * St. Martins * St. Thomas *

Villages

* Centertown * Wardsville

Unincorporated communities

* Apache Flats * Bass * Brazito *

Elston Elston is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England, to the south-west of Newark, and a mile from the A46 Fosse Way. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 Census was 631. It lies between the rivers Trent and Devon ...

* Eugene * Henley * Hickory Hill * Honey Creek *

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mario ...

* Millbrook * Osage Bend * Osage Bluff * Osage City *

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

* Scott * Scrivner * Stringtown

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Blair Oaks R-II School District * Cole County R-I School District * Cole County R-V School District * Jamestown C-1 School District * Jefferson City Public Schools

References

External links

Cole County government's websiteMissouri River Regional Library

from

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 ...

Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books {{Coord, 38.51, -92.28, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990 1820 establishments in Missouri Territory Populated places established in 1820 Missouri Rhineland Jefferson City metropolitan area Missouri counties on the Missouri River

Geography

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Demographics

2020 Census

Government and infrastructure

Education

Public schools

Private schools

Post-secondary education

Public libraries

Politics

Local

State

Federal

Political culture

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Communities

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

See also

Education

References

Further reading

External links