Oregon is a city and

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 ...

of Holt 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 837 at the 2020 census. It is the oldest town extant in Holt County.

History

Oregon was originally called Finley, and under that name 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 June 1841; it was replatted on October 21, 1841 as Oregon. The present name refers to the

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long Oregon boundary dispute, dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcat ...

, which was at the time considered a prime destination of pioneer emigrants passing through the area. A post office called Oregon has been in operation since 1843. It was a significant trading post in the

Platte Purchase The Platte Purchase was a land acquisition in 1836 by the United States government from American Indian tribes of the region. It comprised lands along the east bank of the Missouri River and added to the northwest corner of the state of Misso ...

region of Missouri for the first couple of decades of existence. In 1873, the Northwest Missouri Normal School was built in Oregon, at a cost of $22,000 ($586,000 in 2025 dollars).

Geography

Oregon is located in the southern half of Holt County in the center of Lewis Township. Forest City lies about 2 miles west, and Holt County's largest town, Mound City is about 11 miles northwest. 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 , all land.

Transprotation

Oregon is located on US 59 and has access to I-29 via both US 59 north and south. The eastern terminus of Route 111 is in Oregon.

Hydrology

Oregon is situated about 4.5 miles northeast of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

and is only 2 miles from the bluffs of the

Missouri River Valley The Missouri River Valley outlines the journey of the Missouri River from its headwaters where the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin Rivers flow together in Montana to its confluence with the Mississippi River in the State of Missouri. At long th ...

. The streams of Davis Branch and Mill Creek flank both sides of the town; Oregon sits relatively high on the hills between them.

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 857 people, 356 households, and 235 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 401 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.4%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, and 0.7% 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 0.2% of the population. There were 356 households, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.0% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 45.4 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.7% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 935 people, 348 households, and 243 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 395 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.40%

, 0.53% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.11%

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 ...

, and 0.86% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.11% of the population. There were 348 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were

living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% 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 3.08. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,250, and the median income for a family was $41,932. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $18,417 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 $15,441. About 5.3% of families and 7.5% 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 6.1% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The 1928 Oregon boys' basketball, which featured future

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 ...

coach Wilbur Stalcup, won the state basketball tournament at a time when Missouri did not have divisions for its schools. The team reached the quarterfinals of the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament to determine a national champion. At the time, Oregon did not have a gymnasium. Oregon's team consisted of a total of 10 players. It practiced on an outdoor court and occasionally inside the Methodist Church. The Holt County Museum & Research Center is located in Oregon, Missouri. Oregon has a lending library, the Oregon Public Library.

Notable people

* Edward Coke Crow, former United States Democratic Attorney General * Wilbur Stalcup, former

basketball head coach

References

External links

Historic maps of the area
in the 'Sanborn Maps of Missouri' Collection at the

''Oregon, Missouri'' (City Data.com)

''Holt County'' (website)
{{authority control Cities in Holt County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Cities in Missouri