Montgomery 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 ...

in the east central part of the U.S. state of

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 11,322. 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 ...

is Montgomery City. The county was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The county comprises a portion of the Missouri Rhineland. It is approximately halfway between Columbia and St. Louis.

History

The county has evidence of human habitation from 10,000 years ago, the Archaic period of indigenous Americans. An ancient site was found during archaeological excavations at Graham Cave on the Loutre River. In the early 19th century, European settlement started at a greater pace, after exploration during previous decades by French trappers and British and American fur traders. Although the Loutre Island area is commonly associated with the German-founded towns of

Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...

and Starkenburg, established by immigrants of the mid-19th century and later, it was originally settled by Missouri's Anglo-southern settlers from places such as Kentucky or Virginia. Although the southern part of the county is more closely associated with Missouri's Rhineland, its northern part is more associated with Missouri's "Little Dixie" region, earning Montgomery county the nickname "Gateway to Little Dixie". An early house of worship was a log church, which is still maintained as a chapel. St. Martin's Church is also located in Starkenburg, built in 1873 and 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 ...

. Above its entrance is the text: "This is the House Of God and the Gate Of Heaven." Starkenburg is also the site of the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, built in the early 20th century and listed on the NRHP. For further devotions and pilgrimage, the community created an outdoor area for representations of the Stations of the Cross, Mount Calvary and Holy Sepulchre. Starkenburg is located inland from the Missouri River. After the destructive Great Flood of 1993, Rhineland citizens used federal funds to relocate their houses inland away from the river.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Audrain County (northwest) * Pike County (northeast) * Lincoln County (east) * Warren County (southeast) * Gasconade County (south) * Callaway County (west) * Osage County (southwest)

Major highways

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

* U.S. Route 40 * Route 19 * Route 94 * Route 161

Climate

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 12,136 people, 4,775 households, and 3,337 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 5,726 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.97%

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 ...

, 2.04%

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 ...

, 0.24% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 0.21% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Approximately 0.77% 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. 39.1% were of German, 18.4% American, 10.2% English and 9.2% Irish ancestry. There were 4,775 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% 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, 8.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% 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 2.97. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,772, and the median income for a family was $38,632. Males had a median income of $27,933 versus $19,809 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 $15,092. About 8.40% of families and 11.80% 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 15.60% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Community groups

* Montgomery County Human Resource Board * Montgomery County Citizens for Health Improvement Project * Montgomery County Women in Agriculture * Wellsville-Middletown Young Farmers/Young Farm Wives * Montgomery City Lions Club * Montgomery County Knights of Columbus * Montgomery County Literacy Council * Montgomery County Extension Council * Montgomery County 4-H Council * Customs and Classics Car Club * Montgomery County Old Threshers Association * Montgomery County Fair Association

Education

School districts include: * Community R-VI School District * Gasconade County R-I School District * Montgomery County R-II School District * Silex R-I School District * Troy R-III School District * Wellsville-Middletown R-I School District

Public schools

Montgomery County R-II School District
– Montgomery City ** Montgomery County Elementary School (PK–5) ** Jonesburg Elementary School (PK–5) – Jonesburg ** Montgomery County Middle School (grades 6–8) ** Montgomery County High School (9–12)
Wellsville-Middletown R-I School District
– Wellsville ** Wellsville Elementary School (PK–6) ** Wellsville High School (7–12)

Private schools

Immaculate Conception School
– Montgomery City (PK-06) –

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

*Montgomery City Public Library *Wellsville Public Library

Communities

Cities

* Bellflower * High Hill * Jonesburg * McKittrick * Middletown * Montgomery City (county seat) * New Florence * Wellsville

Village

Census-designated places

* Big Spring * Danville

Other unincorporated places

* Americus * Bluffton * Buell * Egbert *

Gamma Gamma (; uppercase , lowercase ; ) is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 3. In Ancient Greek, the letter gamma represented a voiced velar stop . In Modern Greek, this letter normally repr ...

* Marling * Mineola * Prices Branch * Starkenburg

Politics

Local

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Montgomery County. Republicans hold all of the elected positions in the county.

State

Montgomery County is part of Missouri's 42nd district in the Missouri House of Representatives and is represented by
Bart Korman
(R- High Hill). Montgomery County is a part of Missouri's 10th 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
Jeanie Riddle
(R- Fulton).

Federal

Montgomery County is included in Missouri's 3rd congressional district and is represented by Blaine Luetkemeyer (R- St. Elizabeth) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

References

External links

St. Martin's Church

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, 38.94, -91.47, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990 Missouri Rhineland 1818 establishments in Missouri Territory Populated places established in 1818 Missouri counties on the Missouri River