Maries County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in 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 so ...

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, its population was 8,432. Its

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 ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. The county was organized March 2, 1855, and named for the Maries River and Little Maries River. The word "Maries" is derived from the French word ''marais'', which means "marsh, lake, or pond".

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Osage County (north) * Gasconade County (northeast) * Phelps County (southeast) * Pulaski County (southwest) * Miller County (west)

Major highways

* U.S. Route 63 * Route 28 * Route 42 * Route 52 * Route 68 * Route 133

Demographics

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 2000, there were 8,903 people, 3,519 households, and 2,502 families residing in the county. 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 4,149 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.43%

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 ...

, 0.33%

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 ...

, 0.55% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.35% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Approximately 1.16% of the population were

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. There were 3,519 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% 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, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,925, and the median income for a family was $39,187. Males had a median income of $28,524 versus $20,705 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 county was $15,662. About 10.10% of families and 13.10% 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 17.30% of those under age 18 and 13.20% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Education

School districts include (including ones which operate their schools and/or administrative buildings in other counties): * Maries County R-I School District * Maries County R-II School District * Dixon R-I School District * Rolla 31 School District * St. Elizabeth R-IV School District * St. James R-I School District

Public schools

Maries County R-I School District
–

**Vienna Elementary School (PK-06) **Vienna High School (07-12)
Maries County R-II School District
– Belle **Belle Elementary School (PK-05) **Maries County Middle School (06-08) **Belle High School (09-12)

Private schools

Visitation Inter-Parish School
–

(K-08) –

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 ...

Public libraries

Heartland Regional Library System
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Politics

Local

The Democratic Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Maries County. Democrats currently hold all but four of the elected positions in the county.

State

All of Maries County is a part of Missouri's 143rd District 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 ...

. (R- Meta). All of Maries 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 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

and is currently represented b
Mike Kehoe
(R-

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

Federal

All of Maries County is included in Missouri's 3rd Congressional District and is currently represented by Blaine Luetkemeyer (R- St. Elizabeth) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Political culture

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Former U.S. Senator

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

(D- New York) received more votes, a total of 844, than any candidate from either party in Maries County during the 2008 presidential primary.

Communities

Cities and towns

* Argyle (also in Osage County) * Belle (a small portion extends into Osage County) *

(county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Bend * Brinktown * Hayden * High Gate * Lanes Prairie *

Light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...

* Lindell *

Lois Lois is a common English name from the New Testament. Paul the Apostle mentions Lois, the pious grandmother of Saint Timothy in the Second Epistle to Timothy (commending her for her faith in 2 Timothy 1:5). The name was first used by English C ...

* Paydown *

Safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable enclosure used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body ...

* Stickney * Sudheimer * Summerfield *

Tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...

* Van Cleve *

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

References

External links

from

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 ...

Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books {{coord, 38.18, -91.92, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990 1855 establishments in Missouri