Vandalia is a city in northeastern Audrain and extending into southeastern Ralls Counties 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 3,553 at the 2020 census, which includes about 1,000 prisoners incarcerated at the

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

located within the city limits. The Audrain County portion of Vandalia is part of the

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Ralls County portion is part of the

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Vandalia was laid off by Aaron McPike and Judge Harmen Caldwell in 1870 and

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 1871. The city was named after

Vandalia, Illinois Vandalia is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Illinois, United States. At the 2020 Census, the population was 7,458. The city is on the Kaskaskia River and in the early 19th century, Vandalia became the western terminus of the N ...

. Aaron McPike transferred the lumber used to build the first homes from

Louisiana, Missouri Louisiana is a city in Pike County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,364 at the 2010 census. Louisiana is located in northeast Missouri, on the Mississippi River, south of Hannibal. Louisiana is located at the junction of State Ro ...

. A post office called Vandalia has been in operation since 1871. The Lincoln School 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

Vandalia is located on US Route 54 in the northeastern corner of Audrain County about 15 miles west of

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

. Vandalia is about 27 miles from 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 ...

, 30 miles southwest of Hannibal and 100 miles northwest of St. Louis. The Gateway Western Railroad line runs through the town. U.S. Route 54 connects Vandalia with Illinois to the east and

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

and the

Lake of the Ozarks Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Parts of three smaller tributaries to the Osage are included in the impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek ...

to the south and west. 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.

Climate

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 3,899 people, 1,105 households, and 671 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 1,295 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.4%

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 ...

, 15.7%

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 1.8% 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 1.8% of the population. There were 1,105 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% 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, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 34.3% 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 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 37 years. 15% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 38.4% were from 25 to 44; 24% were from 45 to 64; and 12.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 29.5% male and 70.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,529 people, 1,176 households, and 702 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,343 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.91%

, 10.76%

, 0.47% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population. There were 1,176 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,213, and the median income for a family was $33,819. Males had a median income of $26,356 versus $16,114 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 $14,859. About 14.6% of families and 18.0% 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 33.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center, a women's prison of the

Missouri Department of Corrections The Missouri Department of Corrections is the state law enforcement agency that operates state prisons in the U.S. state of Missouri. It has its headquarters in Missouri's capital of Jefferson City. The Missouri Department of Corrections has ...

, is located in Vandalia. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Vandalia Post Office.

Education

Van-Far R-I School District operates one elementary school, one middle school and Van-Far Jr./Sr. High School. Vandalia has a lending library, a branch of the Mexico-Audrain Library District.

References

External links

* Historic maps of Vandalia 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 Audrain County, Missouri Cities in Ralls County, Missouri Cities in Missouri Hannibal, Missouri micropolitan area Populated places established in 1874 1874 establishments in Missouri