Portageville is a city located within New Madrid and Pemiscot 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 ...

. The population was 2,942 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

A post office has been in operation in Portageville since 1873. The city's name comes from the nearby Portage Bayou. From 1935 to 1936, Portageville was the home of the Portageville Pirates, who were part of the Kitty League. According to one source, "In 1935, the Portageville Pirates are awarded the second-half title after the Jackson Generals and Union City Greyhounds are disqualified for having too many class players on their rosters." In 1936, the Pirates relocated to

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a Home rule in the United States, home rule-class city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. It is the List of cities in Kentucky, fourth-most populous city in the state. Owensboro is loca ...

Geography

Portageville is primarily located in New Madrid County. It is situated along U.S. Route 61 and Missouri Route 162, which briefly merge as they pass through the city.

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

runs through the eastern part of Portageville, which is located approximately west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. 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 of which is land.

Climate

The climate of this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Portageville has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, which is abbreviated as "Cfa" on climate maps.

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 3,228 people, 1,346 households, and 894 families residing 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 1,409 housing units, with an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.62%

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 ...

, 18.96%

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 ...

, 0.06% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 1.98% 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 constituted 0.87% of the population. Out of the 1,346 households, 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% 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, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% 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 2.92. The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

2000 census

According to the

of 2000, there were 3,295 people, 1,335 households, and 890 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,404 housing units, with an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.00%

, 16.36%

, 0.18% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race constituted 0.82% of the population. Out of the 1,335 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were

living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,729, and the median income for a family was $35,913. Males had a median income of $31,325 versus $20,735 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 $15,114. About 21.4% of families and 27.0% 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 37.8% of those under age 18 and 25.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The portion in New Madrid County is in the Portageville School District. The Portageville School District operates one elementary school, one middle school, and Portageville High School. The portion in Pemiscot County is in the North Pemiscot County R-I School District. Portageville has a lending library, which is a branch of the New Madrid County Library. Three Rivers College's service area includes both New Madrid and Pemiscot counties.

Notable people

* Luis Morgan Casey, a Roman Catholic bishop, was born in Portageville. * Vermel Whalen, an Ohio state legislator, was born in Portageville.'Vermel M. Whelan spent 12 years in the Ohio House: news obituary,' ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...

,'' Grant Segall, March 15, 2013

References

External links

Official website
* Historic maps of Portageville 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 New Madrid County, Missouri Cities in Pemiscot County, Missouri Cities in Missouri