Grandin, Missouri

Grandin is a city in southern Carter County, Missouri. It had a population of 243 at the 2010 census.

History

Grandin began with the construction of a large lumber mill in 1885 by the Missouri Lumber and Mining Company, which aimed to harvest the vast virgin forests in the region and which succeeded in having a branch of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad extended to that point in 1889 for shipment eastward. The new mill was one of the largest in the state and attracted many workers, so that within a few years a town with a population of over 2,000 had sprung up around it. When it was formally laid out in 1910, the town was named for the company's two principal stockholders, E. B. Grandin and George Grandin of Pennsylvania.

During the boom years, around 1900, the company made many improvements to the town, which soon boasted of electric lighting and many stores and churches. The timber in the area was quickly exhausted, however, and in 1910 the Grandin mill closed down and its equipment was shipped west to Shannon County, after which the town declined. By 1938, its population had fallen to only around 300, and the railroad discontinued service. The construction of the Jefferson Highway (now State Highway 21) helped Grandin to survive, however, and tourism to the Ozark Mountains has also been beneficial. A number of local buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Geography

Grandin is located along Missouri State Highway 21 in far southern Carter County, about eight miles southwest of Ellsinore and 15 miles southeast of Van Buren. Its exact coordinates are 36°49’47”N 90°49’24”W.

The city lies in a shallow valley made by a branch of the Little Black River, a tributary of the Black River farther east. It has a total land area of 0.40 square miles, and an average elevation of 587 feet.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Grandin had a total of 243 inhabitants, grouped into 102 households, with a population density of 607.5 people per square mile. This figure marked a slight increase from the 2000 census, when Grandin had a population of 236. 99.59% of the inhabitants were White, and 0.41% were Native American. Hispanics of any race were 2.06% of the population.

The median age in Grandin was 37.6 years, with 28.0% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 11.2% between 18 and 24 years old, 22.3% between 25 and 44, 23.5% between 45 and 64, and 15.2% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 50.6% male, 49.4% female.

As of 2017, Grandin had an estimated median household income of $25,525. The unemployment rate was 6.4%. The per capita income was $15,588. About 32.7% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 15.8% of people under the age of 18 and 42.9% of non-high school graduates.

Education

Grandin had a separate school district until the early 1960s, at which time it consolidated with the school at Ellsinore. Since then, it has been part of the East Carter County R-II School District.