Odessa is the largest city in Lafayette 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 ...

, and part of the

Kansas City metropolitan area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

within the

Midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

United States. The population was 5,593 at the 2020 census. Located along

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 ...

Odessa's historic downtown is home to a range of boutique shops and restaurants. The city is host to the annual Puddle Jumper Days town fair, the Odessa Rodeo, a Christmas lighting ceremony and various other community events held throughout the year.

History

Odessa 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 1878, and named after

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. A post office called Odessa has been in operation since 1879. The Odessa Ice Cream Company Building was 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 ...

in 1996.

Geography

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. Odessa is located roughly 45 minutes from downtown

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

and approximately three hours from St. Louis.

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 5,300 people, 2,077 households, and 1,427 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 2,280 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.8%

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 ...

, 1.4%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.6% 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 2.2% of the population. There were 2,077 households, of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% 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, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.3% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the city was 35.2 years. 27% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,818 people, 1,887 households, and 1,290 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,011 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.09%

, 1.18%

, 0.27% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.33% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population. There were 1,887 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were

living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,007, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $35,476 versus $23,047 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 $17,455. About 8.4% of families and 9.9% 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 10.0% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Odessa R-7 School District, which covers the municipality, operates two elementary schools, one middle school and Odessa High School. Odessa has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending 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 servic ...

, a branch of the Trails Regional Library. Metropolitan Community College has the Odessa school district area in its service area, but not its in-district taxation area.

Sports

I-70 Motorsports Park is a motorsports venue that opened in 1969 with a half-mile paved oval. It was shut down in 2008, then reopened in 2021 with a 3/8 dirt oval and a quarter-mile dragstrip. The Odessa R-VII Bulldog Football Team was the 1994 and 2019 Missouri State High School Athletic Association Class 3 State Champions.

Parks and recreation

Dyer Park is one of the oldest parks in Odessa and is the most developed and heavily used parks in the city. Facilities include a community building, swimming pool, pavilion, picnic shelter, outdoor basketball and tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, a rodeo arena, and two playground areas. Lake Venita, located in Dyer Park, offers outstanding fishing, dock and a half mile paved walking trail. The 90 acre Odessa City Lake southwest of Odessa offers fishing and waterfowl hunting. It is managed under a cooperative agreement between the Missouri Department of Conservation and the City of Odessa. The site includes a privy, boat ramp and dock, a pavilion and picnic areas.

Government

The City of Odessa is governed by a mayor and six-member board of aldermen. The current mayor is Bryan Barner. The city is divided into three wards. Two aldermen are elected in each ward, with terms alternating so that one alderman in each ward is elected each year in April. The mayor is elected in even years and serves a 2-year term. Odessa is incorporated as a fourth-class municipality.

Media

Odessa has been served by a

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

since 1880. In 1942 the ''Odessa Democrat'' merged with ''The Ledger'' creating ''The Odessan''. As Lafayette County's largest newspaper ''The Odessan'' is published weekly providing local coverage of news and sports in the communities of Odessa, Bates City, Mayview,

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and Lafayette County. The newspaper is an independent, fourth-generation, family-owned publication.

Notable people

* Brenna Dowell, gymnast who was a world champion in 2015 * Tonya Evinger,

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

; born in Odessa on June 4, 1981 * Jim Fitterling, chairman and CEO and of Dow, Inc., graduated Odessa High School 1979 * Terin Humphrey, medal-winning Olympic gymnast; graduate of Odessa High School * James Krause, professional mixed martial artist * H. Owen Reed, composer; born in Odessa on June 17, 1910 * Joe C. Specker,

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

sergeant and (posthumous)

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* Brad Ziegler, Major League Baseball pitcher, attended Odessa High School

References

External links

Official website
* * Historic maps of Odessa 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 Lafayette County, Missouri Cities in Missouri