East Prairie is a city in Mississippi 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 2,943 at the 2020 census, down from 3,176 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

History

A post office called East Prairie has been in operation since 1872. The community took its name from a

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

of the same near the original town site. The current town, which lies about a mile south of the original post office site, was established in 1883 as a stop along the

St. Louis Southwestern Railway The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", was a Class I railroad that operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Tennessee ...

("Cotton Belt"), and was originally known as "Hibbard". The East Prairie postmaster, S.P. Martin, moved the post office to the new town site. By 1900, the city's name had been changed from "Hibbard" to "East Prairie". Hess Archeological Site, Hoecake Village Archeological Site, and

Mueller Archeological Site Mueller may refer to: People * Mueller (surname), a surname German in origin * Robert Mueller, former American FBI director Places Antarctica *Mount Mueller (Antarctica) Australia *Mueller College, in Queensland *Mount Mueller (Victoria) *Muell ...

, some of which contain Native American

burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...

, are located near East Prairie and are 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 ...

Geography

As its name indicates, the city lies in the eastern portion of a lowland area that extends from the

Ozark Highlands The Ozark Highlands is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in four U.S. states. Most of the region is within Missouri, with a part in Arkansas and small sections in Oklahoma and Kansas. It is the largest ...

to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, covering much of the Bootheel.

Missouri Route 80 Route 80 is a state highway in southeastern Missouri. The route is located in northern New Madrid and central Mississippi Counties. Route description Route 80's western terminus is at U.S. Route 61/ 62 near Matthews, which is located midway ...

connects East Prairie with

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

and

Matthews Matthews may refer to: People * Matthews (surname) Places * Matthews Island, Antarctica * Matthews Range, Kenya * Mount Matthews, New Zealand United States * Matthews, Georgia * Matthews, Indiana * Matthews, Maryland * Matthews, Missouri * Mat ...

to the west, and the rural areas near the Mississippi River to the east. Route 105, which intersects Route 80 in East Prairie, connects the city with Charleston to the north. The small city of Anniston is located just northeast of East Prairie. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, East Prairie 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 3,176 people, 1,294 households, and 846 families residing 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 1,398 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.69%

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 ...

, 2.33%

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 ...

, 0.38% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 1.16% 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 1.42% of the population. There were 1,294 households, of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% 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, 19.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 38.5 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.9% male and 54.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,227 people, 1,333 households, and 906 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,418 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.79%

, 2.26%

, 0.65% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population. There were 1,333 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were

living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,825, and the median income for a family was $24,063. Males had a median income of $23,494 versus $16,284 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 $10,912. About 25.6% of families and 30.1% 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 33.0% of those under age 18 and 32.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the East Prairie R-II School District. East Prairie R-II School District operates one elementary school, one middle school and East Prairie High School. The school district's mascot is an

eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

. The current district superintendent is Dustin Hicks. A new high school was scheduled to open around 1957. Its planned capacity was about 400. East Prairie R-II School District was one of five recipients of a $100,000 grant from the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence in 2023. East Prairie has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, a branch of the Mississippi County Library District.

In the media

Significant portions of the 1962 film '' The Intruder'' (directed by

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

and starring

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

) were filmed in East Prairie.

Notable people

* Orlin Collier, briefly pitched with the Detroit Tigers in 1931, born in East Prairie in 1907 * Dan Smoot, figure in the

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

movement, born in East Prairie in 1913 *Mark A. Hurt, M.D., high school class of 1974, past president, American Society of Dermatopathology 2014-2015.

References

External links

* * Historic maps of East Prairie 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 Mississippi County, Missouri Populated places established in 1881 1881 establishments in Missouri Cities in Missouri