Golden City is a city in Golden City Township, Barton County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 656 at the 2020 census.

History

Golden City was established in 1867 as a stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach Line. It takes its name from a nearby area known as Golden Grove. In reality the diggings were done by Indians mining an outcropping of exceptionally fine flint. Another rumor for its naming stems from the Indian dig sites, early settlers thought the flint mines were Spanish gold mines. It was re-

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 Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1870. The Golden City Herald served the community from 1881 until Dec. 28, 1972. Dellard Surbrugg published the newspaper and ran a commercial printing business from 1940 until he sold the paper to Gene Wotkiewicz, editor and publisher of the Lockwood Luminary.

2019 tornado

At approximately 9:30 PM on May 22, 2019, an EF-3 tornado struck the city. The storm killed three people and injured a few others. Many homes were unsalvageable.

Geography

Golden City is located at (37.393254, -94.093441). According to the

United States 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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Golden City is located in the heart of Missouri Tall Grass Prairie country. Several preserved prairies are located within a few miles of town, the most significant of which are the Golden Prairie, the Cook Meadow and the Pennsylvania Prairie.

Demographics

2010 census

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 765 people, 325 households, and 197 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 393 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.1%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 1.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 325 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% 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, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.4% were non-families. 33.2% 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 2.34 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 38.5 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.3% male and 47.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 884 people, 369 households, and 225 families living in the city. The

was 861.1 people per square mile (331.4/km). There were 423 housing units at an average density of 412.0 per square mile (158.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 96.04%

, 1.92% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.15% of the population. There were 369 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were

living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% 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 3.08. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,793, and the median income for a family was $25,347. Males had a median income of $21,875 versus $16,875 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 city was $11,192. About 14.6% of families and 23.2% 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 29.6% of those under age 18 and 28.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in Golden City is administered by Golden City R-III School District, which operates one elementary school and Golden City High School. Golden City has a

public library A public library is a 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 service, civil servants. There are ...

, a branch of the Barton County Library.

References

External links

* Historic maps of Golden City in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...

{{authority control Cities in Barton County, Missouri Populated places established in 1866 1866 establishments in Missouri Cities in Missouri