Phelps County, Missouri

Phelps County is a county in the south-central part of the state of Missouri, approximately halfway between St. Louis and Springfield. It had a population of 45,156 at the 2010 census.

Officially organized by the state legislature on November 13, 1857, the county was named for John Smith Phelps, then a prominent politician in southern Missouri. Rolla is the county seat and largest city.

History

The first definite settlements by American pioneers in what became Phelps County occurred in 1818, with establishments at Relfe Spring and York's Station. Most of the early settlers came from the Ohio Valley and the Upper South. Farming and small-scale crafts were the occupation of a majority of the population, though from the 1820s onward iron furnaces were set up along the Meramec River and its tributaries just to the east, taking advantage of the iron ore deposits nearby. By the 1840s, Rolla, the future county seat, was evolving into the area's most prominent town.

During the 1850s, regional entrepreneurs made plans to extend a new railroad southwest from St. Louis, which would pass through the area; in response, local leaders sought to organize it as a new county to benefit more directly from the process. In 1857, the Missouri legislature created Phelps County by detaching territory from neighboring Crawford, Maries, and Pulaski Counties; it was named for John Smith Phelps, a native of Connecticut who had moved to Missouri and become a prominent lawyer in the Springfield area, and was at that time a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (and would be state governor from 1877 to 1881). After a period of rivalry between several communities, each wanting the status of county seat, Rolla was finally chosen in 1860.

Geography

Phelps County is located in the Ozarks of southern Missouri, astride the direct transportation routes from St. Louis to Springfield, Missouri, and from central Missouri to Arkansas. Somewhat crooked in appearance, its main body is generally rectangular in shape, with short north-south "arms" extending from its northeastern and southwestern corners. It is bordered on the east by Crawford County, on the southeast by Dent County, on the south by Texas County, on the west by Pulaski County, on the north by Maries County, and on the northeast by Gasconade County.

The county has a total area of 674.32 square miles, including 671.78 of land and 2.54 of water. It is mostly part of the Salem Plateau, a northern subdivision of the Ozarks characterized by rolling terrain with noticeable hills and limestone ridges, but few steep changes in elevation. Its highest point is an unnamed peak in the extreme south of the county, at 1,352 feet above sea level. The land tends to slope downward from south to north, with the floodplain along the Gasconade River in the northwest dropping to about 650 feet. The sandy loam and clay soils of the region, along with the well-draining slopes of the many hillsides, account for its suitability as a wine-production center.

The Gasconade River, which forms part of the county's northwestern border, is its most important waterway and drains its western and central portions. The Meramec and its tributary, the Bourbeuse River, drain the easternmost section.

The most important highways in the county are Interstate 44, which runs through its center in a generally southwest-to-northeast direction and connects the cities of Doolittle, Rolla, and St. James; and U.S. Route 63, which runs north to south through Rolla and Edgar Springs. Portions of the now-decommissioned U.S. 66, which I-44 replaced, still exist alongside the interstate. Other major routes include Missouri State Highway 8, which has its western terminus at St. James; State Highway 68, which passes through St. James and the easternmost part of the county; and State Highway 72, which runs southeast from its western terminus at Rolla.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Phelps County had a total population of 45,156, with 17,564 households and 10,953 families; this represented a significant increase from its 2000 population of 39,825. The population density was 67.0 per square mile. There were 19,533 housing units, or about 29.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was about 91.70% White, 2.23% African-American, 0.56% Native American, 2.91% Asian, 0.07% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.37% from some other race, and 2.15% from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.04% of the population.

The median age in the county was about 33 years. 21.68% of the population was under the age of 18, 17.23% was between the ages of 18 and 24, 22.89% was between the ages of 25 and 44, 24.56% was between the ages of 45 and 64, and 13.63% was 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 52.3% male, 47.7% female.

As of 2018, the median household income in the county was $42,846, and the median family income was $59,438. Males had a median income of $44,693 versus $32,073 for females. The unemployment rate was 6.1%. The per capita income was $24,304. About 22.3% of the population was below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under the age of 18 and 10.5% of those 65 years old or older.

Communities

Phelps County is home to five incorporated communities:

• Doolittle
• Edgar Springs
• Newburg
• Rolla (county seat)
• St. James