Seneca is a city in western
Newton County Newton County is the name of six counties in the United States. All except for Arkansas (and perhaps Mississippi) are named for Sgt. John Newton, a soldier of the American Revolutionary War who became a fictionalized hero. Many counties share a bo ...
,
Missouri
Missouri 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 is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
, United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census. Located on the southwest border of the state, the city is part of the
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jasp ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
.
History
Seneca 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 Surveys to show the distance and bea ...
ted by European Americans in 1869, following the American Civil War. The city was named for the
Seneca Nation
The Seneca Nation of Indians is a federally recognized Seneca tribe based in western New York. They are one of three federally recognized Seneca entities in the United States, the others being the Tonawanda Band of Seneca (also in western New ...
, one of the Six Nations of the
Iroquois League
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
, or ''
Haudenosaunee
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
''. "This tribe was moved to the Indian Territory not many miles west of town. The word is a corruption of the Dutch word ''"Sinnekaas"'' a term applied to them." A post office called Seneca has been in operation since 1869.
Several houses in the rural northern Seneca area were destroyed by a tornado on May 10, 2008 in the
Mid-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence in which an EF4 tornado hit the county, killing 13 people. ''
The Early Show
''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999 to January 7, 2012, and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the network since 1954. The program aired Monday through Friday fro ...
'' broadcast their national weather report from the city on the following Monday morning. On the one year anniversary, Bill Lant, owner of Lant's Feed and Country Store, unveiled a memorial for the people who died from the tornado. He had donated the plot of land and memorial, and had the memorial built next to his store.
Geography
Seneca is located on
Lost Creek, approximately one-quarter mile from the Missouri-
Oklahoma state line.
Missouri Route 43 passes through the town and
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia.
The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...
passes just south of the location.
Neosho is about ten miles east, along Route 60.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Seneca is located in Lost Creek Valley, five miles upstream from the
Grand Lake of the Cherokees and five miles downstream from the quaint Old Settlers town of
Racine
Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...
. The
Frisco Railroad (now Burlington-Northern) runs through this valley.
Prior to 1959, highway traffic to and from
Oklahoma largely followed
US 60
U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia.
The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...
through Seneca. US 60 joins the more famous
U.S. Route 66, approximately 15 miles west of Seneca.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 2,336 people, 877 households, and 612 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was . There were 962 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.3%
White
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.3%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 8.0%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 0.4% from
other races, and 5.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.
There were 877 households, of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.13.
The median age in the city was 35.3 years. 28.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 2,135 people, 820 households, and 575 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was 1,231.2 people per square mile (476.5/km). There were 876 housing units at an average density of 505.2 per square mile (195.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 88.99%
White
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.09%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 6.56%
Native American, 0.23%
Asian, 0.09%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...
, 0.33% from
other races, and 3.70% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.12% of the population.
There were 820 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,441, and the median income for a family was $37,566. Males had a median income of $28,264 versus $19,662 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $14,525. About 8.8% of families and 14.1% 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 15.4% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public education in Seneca is administered by Seneca R-VII School District.
Seneca has a
public library
A public library is a 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 service, civil servants.
There are ...
, the Seneca Branch Library.
Notable people
*
Scott Elbert - Pitcher for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...
*
Steve Gaines
Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 – October 20, 1977) was an American musician. He is best known as a guitarist and backing vocalist with rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 until his death in the October 1977 airplane crash that claim ...
- Guitarist for
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ( ...
*
Cassie Gaines
Cassie LaRue Gaines (January 9, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known for her work with Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Biography
Gaines was invited by JoJo Billingsley and Ronnie Van Zant to join Lynyrd Skynyrd as a ...
- Backup singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd; sister of Steve Gaines
*
Little Britches - Female bandit, associated with
Cattle Annie, resided in Seneca during her girlhood in the 1880s.
*
Morris Watts - Former assistant football coach at
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
Photo gallery
Image:Bridge Over Creek 01.jpg, Bridge over Lost Creek, taken from Oneida Street.
Image:Seneca MO City Hall.jpg, Seneca, Missouri City Hall. Note veterans monument in lower left-hand corner.
Image:Seneca Old Schoolhouse.jpg, Old Schoolhouse behind City Hall.
Image:Welcome to Seneca.jpg, Sign welcoming people to Seneca, on MO 43.
References
External links
* Historic maps of Seneca in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collectionat the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...
Census map
{{authority control
Cities in Newton County, Missouri
Joplin, Missouri, metropolitan area
Cities in Missouri