Farmington 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 ...

St. Francois County, Missouri St. Francois County ( ) is a county in the Lead Belt region in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 66,922. The largest city and county seat is Farmington. The county was officially organized on December 19, 18 ...

, United States. It is in the

Lead Belt The Southeast Missouri Lead District, commonly called the Lead Belt, is a lead mining district in the southeastern part of Missouri. Counties in the Lead Belt include Saint Francois County, Missouri, Saint Francois, Crawford County, Misso ...

region in

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,217. Farmington was established in 1822 as Murphy's Settlement, named for William Murphy of

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 ...

, who first visited the site in 1798. When St. Francois County was organized, the town was briefly called St. Francois Court House and later renamed to Farmington.

History

William Murphy migrated from Kentucky to this former area of

La Louisiane Louisiana or French Louisiana was a district of New France. In 1682 the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle erected a cross near the mouth of the Mississippi River and claimed the whole of the drainage basin of the Missis ...

west of 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 ...

in 1798, when it was under

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

rule. Calderon was searching for the ideal site to relocate his family. Tradition holds that he was aided by a local Native American, likely Osage, in finding a spring near here. Deciding that this was an excellent place to settle, Murphy acquired a Spanish Land Grant, allowing him and his family to found a community along the St. Francois River. In his travels back to Kentucky, Murphy died. His wife Sarah and their grown sons carried out establishing the settlement around 1800. They named it Murphy's Settlement. Sarah is known to have founded the first

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Sunday School west of the Mississippi River. Because Spanish law barred any religious services that were not

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, Sarah and her students conducted classes in secret. The United States acquired this area as part of the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

in 1803. It was later designated as part of the

Missouri Territory The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821. In 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was created from a portion of its southern area. In 1821, a southe ...

. A post office in Murphy's Settlement was opened in 1817.

was admitted as a state in 1821 as part of the

Missouri Compromise The Missouri Compromise (also known as the Compromise of 1820) was federal legislation of the United States that balanced the desires of northern states to prevent the expansion of slavery in the country with those of southern states to expand ...

. In 1822, William Crawford Murphy contributed of land here for the county seat of what was soon to be St. Francois County. Murphy's Settlement was renamed Farmington in 1825, taking the name from the area's rich farm land. Farmington was granted incorporation as a town in 1836 and became a village 20 years later in 1856. In the mid-19th century, Farmington enjoyed growth from construction of the historic Plank Road, which stretched from Pilot Knob to Ste. Genevieve. It improved the village's access to supplies and markets along the river. The road was built both to transport supplies from the shipping facilities located along the river to the

mines Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun Mi ...

and to move the mines'

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

to the shipping facilities. This route was soon taken over by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. The first public school was constructed in 1870 and in 1879. Farmington gained recognition as a fourth-class city. In 1981 Farmington became a third-class city. The Courthouse Square Historic District, East Columbia Historic District, Farmington State Hospital No. 4 Cemetery,

James Robinson McCormick House James Robinson McCormick House is a historic home located at Farmington, St. Francois County, Missouri. It was built circa 1875 for former United States Congressman James Robinson McCormick, and is a two-story, L-shaped, vernacular Greek Rev ...

Presbyterian Orphanage of Missouri Presbyterian Orphanage of Missouri, also known as Farmington Children's Home and Presbyterian Children's Home, is a historic orphanage and national historic district located at 412 West Liberty Street in Farmington, St. Francois County, Missou ...

, and St. Francois County Jail and Sheriff's Residence 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

Farmington is located at (37.781932, −90.422145). 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

Average temperatures in the following chart are taken from National Weather Service averages from 1991 to 2020.

Demographics

The Farmington Micropolitan Statistical Area includes St. Francois County and Washington County and has a population of 90,554 as of 2010. Farmington is a component of the St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL Combined Statistical Area, also known as

Greater St. Louis Greater St. Louis is the 23rd-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States, the largest in Missouri, and the second-largest in Illinois. Its core city—St. Louis, Missouri—sits in the geographic center of the metro area, ...

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 18,217 people, 6,586 households, and 4,014 families in Farmington. The population density was 1,919.6 per square mile (740.8/km). There were 7,493 housing units at an average density of 789.6 per square mile (304.7/km). The racial makeup was 87.02% (15,853)

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 ...

, 5.76% (1,049) black or African-American, 0.35% (64) Native American, 1.37% (249) Asian, 0.01% (1)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.59% (108) from other races, and 4.9% (893) 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 was 1.8% (340) of the population. Of the 6,586 households, 26.2% had children under the age of 18; 44.6% were married couples living together; 31.9% had a female householder with no husband present. Of all households, 32.0% consisted of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 3.0. 20.7% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 119.8 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 131.2 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $44,093 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,491) and the median family income was $58,571 (+/- $8,471). Males had a median income of $30,059 (+/- $3,133) versus $26,129 (+/- $4,765) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $28,858 (+/- $2,019). Approximately, 12.5% of families and 16.4% 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 19.1% of those under the age of 18 and 7.1% of those ages 65 or over.

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 16,240 people, 5,620 households, and 3,313 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 6,172 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.26%

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 ...

, 7.14%

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 ...

, 0.32% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.04%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

, 0.30% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population. There were 5,620 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% 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, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 37.6 years. 19% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 56.3% male and 43.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 13,924 people, 4,647 households, and 2,909 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,003 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.73%

, 7.36%

, 0.50% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.01%

, 0.32% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population. There were 4,647 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were

living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% 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 2.88. In the city the population was spread out, with 18.9% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 131.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 137.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,251, and the median income for a family was $39,899. Males had a median income of $27,448 versus $20,330 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 $14,706. About 8.9% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the

, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or

over Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England * Over, Cheshire, England **Over Bridge * Over, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, England * Over, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England * Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Ov ...

Religion

Approximately 51.21% of the people in Farmington identify themselves as religious or affiliated with a religion. Many of these religious residents identify as

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

—38.08% are

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, 7.65% are

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, 5.03% identify with another Christian faith, 0.43% are

Mormons Mormons are a Religious denomination, religious and ethnocultural group, cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's d ...

, 0.03% belong to an

Eastern religion The Eastern religions are the religions which originated in East Asia, East, South Asia, South and Southeast Asia and thus have dissimilarities with Western religions, Western and Traditional African religions, African religions. Eastern religions i ...

, and 0.01% are

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Economy

It is home to an

SRG Global SRG Global Inc. is one of the largest manufacturers of chrome plated plastic parts for the automotive and commercial truck industries. Headquartered near Detroit in Troy, Michigan, the Tier 1 supplier has manufacturing operations across North Am ...

manufacturing plant, and U.S. Tool Other major employers in the city are BJC Parkland Health Center, Centene Corp, Farmington Correctional Center and Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center.

Government

Farmington's publicly elected government consists of a Mayor and eight City Council members representing the city's four wards who set city policy. The city's policies are carried out by a City Administrator who works closely with the City Clerk, City Council and City Attorney.

Education

Public schools

The Farmington R-VII School District serves the city's need for public education. According to the

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is the administrative arm of the Missouri State Board of Education that works with school officials, legislators, government agencies, community leaders, and citizens to mainta ...

, there are five elementary schools, two being private, one public intermediate school, one middle school, and one high school in the school district for a total of nine schools. During the 2008–2009 school year, there was a total of 3,743 students and 306 certified staff members enrolled in the Farmington R-VII School District. The school colors are black and gold and the mascot is the knight (knightette for females). Athletics offered in the school district include boys' and girls' basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, boys' baseball, golf, football, wrestling, and girls' softball and girls' volleyball. Other activities include band (marching, jazz, and concert) cheerleading, colorguard, winter guard, dance team, FFA, AFJROTC, TSA, and FBLA. Elementary * Jefferson Elementary * Lincoln Intermediate * Roosevelt Elementary * Truman Kindergarten * Washington-Franklin Elementary * W.L. Johns Early Childhood Center Secondary * Farmington Middle School * Farmington Senior High School * Juvenile Detention Center * Midwest Learning Center

Private schools

Farmington is also home to two private schools. * St. Joseph Catholic School (PK-8) * St. Paul Lutheran School (PK-8) * St. Paul Lutheran High School (9-12)

Public library

Farmington has a lending library, the Farmington Public Library.

Attractions

* Farmington has a park system, with major parks including Engler Park, Wilson-Rozier Park, and Trimfoot park. * St. Joe State Park is right outside the city limits and attracts

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television broadcaster * Andorra Televisió * Anguilla Television * Ayna TV, Afghanistan * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourn ...

riders, campers, horseback riders, bicyclists, and swimmers. The park has recently added an outdoor gun range.

Infrastructure

Farmington is located at the crossroads of

US 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas Presidio is a c ...

and Missouri Hwy 32.

Notable people

* Sam Agnew, Major League Baseball catcher *

Jake Arrieta Jacob Joseph Arrieta (born March 6, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres. Arrieta played college ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher, 2015 NL

Cy Young Award The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). The award was introduced in 1956 by Commissioner of Baseball ( ...

winner *

Herbert Asbury Herbert Asbury (September 1, 1891 – February 24, 1963) was an American journalist and writer best known for his books detailing crime during the 19th and early-20th centuries, such as ''Gem of the Prairie: An Informal History of the Chicago U ...

, writer * Ed Blaine, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player * Jesse McI. Carter,

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 ...

major general in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

* Walter Lewis Hensley, US Representative *

Andrew Conway Ivy Andrew Conway Ivy (February 25, 1893 – February 7, 1978) was an American physician. He was appointed by the American Medical Association as its representative at the Doctors' Trial, and later fell into disrepute for advocating the fraudulent drug ...

, physiologist *

Tim Lollar William Timothy Lollar (born March 17, 1956) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was born in Missouri to Homer and Betty Jean (née McHenry) Lollar. Tim was a graduate of Farmington High School in Farmington, Missouri, and Min ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Lloyd McBride Lloyd McBride (March 16, 1916 – November 6, 1983) was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1977 to 1983. He was on President Jimmy Carter's commission chaired by John G. Kemeny, President of Dartm ...

, labor leader * James Robinson McCormick, US Representative *

Greggory Nations Greggory "Gregg" Nations is an American television writer and script coordinator. He wrote several episodes for ''The District'' and ''Nash Bridges'' with Carlton Cuse. Nations is a co-producer of the television show ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost' ...

, writer and co-producer of ''Lost'' TV series *

Dan Peek Daniel Milton Peek () was an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the co-founder of the band America, and later a "pioneer" in contemporary Christian music. Early life Peek was born in Panama City, Florida, on November 1, 1 ...

, founding member of the band America *

Barney Pelty Barney Pelty (September 10, 1880 – May 24, 1939), was an American Major League Baseball pitcher known as "the Yiddish Curver" because he was one of the first Jewish baseball players in the American League. he is in the top-ten for his career ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Kyle Richardson Kyle Davis Richardson (born March 2, 1973) is a former National Football League (NFL) punter. He played college football at Arkansas State University and went on to have a ten-year professional career. He played for the Rhein Fire in NFL Eur ...

, NFL punter, member of

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

* Charles E. Sebastian, Mayor of Los Angeles * Alex White, professional mixed martial artist in UFC * J. Ernest Wilkins Sr., attorney, and undersecretary of labor in the Eisenhower administration *

Robert Moore Williams Robert Moore Williams (June 19, 1907 – May 12, 1977) was an American writer, primarily of science fiction. Pseudonyms included John S Browning, H. H. Harmon, Russell Storm and E. K. Jarvis (a house name). Williams was born in Farmington, Miss ...

, writer

References

External links

City of Farmington

City of Farmington Municipal Code

Farmington Regional Chamber of Commerce
* Historic maps of Farmington 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 St. Francois County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Populated places established in 1822 1822 establishments in Missouri Cities in Missouri