Gideon is a city in New Madrid 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 780 at the 2020 census.

History

Gideon had its start in 1900 as a lumber company town. The town site 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 1903, and named in honor of Frank Gideon, a businessperson in the lumber industry. A post office called Gideon has been in operation since 1902.

Geography

Gideon is concentrated around the intersection of Missouri Route 153 and Missouri Route 162, in the western Bootheel. The city of Clarkton lies just to the west. 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.

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 1,093 people, 418 households, and 281 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 458 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.36%

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 ...

, 0.09%

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 ...

, and 0.55% 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 0.27% of the population. There were 418 households, of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% 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, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the city was 39.1 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,113 people, 430 households, and 288 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 465 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.56%

, 0.09% Native American, 0.72% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population. There were 430 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were

living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,208, and the median income for a family was $31,094. Males had a median income of $26,406 versus $19,821 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 $13,556. About 21.5% of families and 25.5% 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 30.6% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the Gideon 37 School District. The public school system has two school facilities, Gideon Elementary and Gideon High School. The bulldog is the mascot for the Gideon schools. Gideon has a lending library, a branch of the New Madrid County Library. Three Rivers College's service area includes New Madrid County.

Notable people

* Mark Littell, the former pitcher for

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

and

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, is from Gideon.

References

External links

City of Gideon

{{authority control Cities in New Madrid County, Missouri Populated places established in 1900 Cities in Missouri