Rocheport is a city in Boone 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. It is part of the

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 201 at the 2020 census. Rocheport includes the Rocheport Historic District, an area with buildings dating from 1830 and which is 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 ...

History

Rocheport was a trading post for both settlers and Native Americans. After the purchase of the

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of t ...

in 1803, President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

commissioned

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

and William Clark to lead an expedition to explore the western territories. On June 7, 1804, their journey led them to the convergence 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 Moniteau Creek near the future settlement of Rocheport. Clark noted the features of the land, flora, fauna and native pictographs on the bluffs in his journal. The Sauk leader Quashquame led a village of Sauk,

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

, and Ioway near Rocheport, along Moniteau Creek in the first decade of the 19th century; this village was noted by Zebulon Pike in 1806. Rocheport became a permanent settlement in the early nineteenth century. Rocheport is a French name meaning "rocky port". The Moses U. Payne House is a historic structured located just outside Rocheport.

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 , all land.

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 239 people, 121 households, and 63 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 128 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.2%

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 ...

, 3.8%

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 ...

, 2.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, and 2.1% 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 0.8% of the population. There were 121 households, of which 19.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.9% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.97 and the average family size was 2.60. The median age in the city was 49.3 years. 16.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23% were from 25 to 44; 34.7% were from 45 to 64; and 20.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 208 people, 101 households, and 55 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 122 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.94%

, 3.37%

, 1.44% Native American, 1.44% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 4.33% from two or more races. There were 101 households, out of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were

living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.6% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.73. In the city the population was spread out, with 17.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $45,156. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $20,313 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 $21,483. About 3.5% of families and 4.9% 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 none of those under the age of eighteen and 7.0% of those 65 or over.

Recreation

Rocheport offers a variety of shops, art galleries, restaurants and outdoor activities. Rocheport is near the middle of the Katy Trail, a 225-mile-long bike path stretching across the state of Missouri, that was built on a former railroad right-of-way.

Notable people

* David W. Alexander, 19th century Los Angeles, California, politician and sheriff

References

{{authority control Cities in Boone County, Missouri Columbia metropolitan area (Missouri) Missouri populated places on the Missouri River Cities in Missouri