Pulaski County, Missouri

Coordinates: 37°49′N 92°13′W / 37.82°N 92.21°W / 37.82; -92.21
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Pulaski County
UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district4th
Websitewww.pulaskicountymo.org/home.html

Pulaski County is a

Kazimierz Pułaski, a Polish patriot who died fighting in the American Revolution.[3][4]

Pulaski County is the site of

Micropolitan Statistical Area
which has nearly one-third of the total county population.

History

Pulaski County's earliest settlers were the

Mad Anthony Wayne
.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 551 square miles (1,430 km2), of which 547 square miles (1,420 km2) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km2) (0.8%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18406,529
18503,998−38.8%
18603,835−4.1%
18704,71422.9%
18807,25053.8%
18909,38729.5%
190010,39410.7%
191011,43810.0%
192010,490−8.3%
193010,7552.5%
194010,7750.2%
195010,392−3.6%
196046,567348.1%
197053,78115.5%
198042,011−21.9%
199041,307−1.7%
200041,165−0.3%
201052,27427.0%
202053,9553.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010[10]

As of the

Latino
of any race.

There were 13,433 households, out of which 42.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were non-families. 21.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.50% under the age of 18, 16.60% from 18 to 24, 32.00% from 25 to 44, 15.90% from 45 to 64, and 7.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 112.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,247, and the median income for a family was $37,786. Males had a median income of $26,553 versus $20,500 for females. The

poverty line
, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 12.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Pulaski County Racial Composition[12]
Race Num. Perc.
White
(NH)
35,865 66.5%
Black or African American
(NH)
6,039 11.2%
Native American
(NH)
334 0.62%
Asian
(NH)
1,776 3.3%
Pacific Islander
(NH)
402 0.75%
Other/Mixed
(NH)
3,460 6.41%
Latino
6,079 11.27%

Transportation

Airport

Fort Leonard Wood, it is jointly run by the cities of Waynesville and St. Robert
and is available for civilian use by private pilots and scheduled commercial passenger service. The City of Richland also has an "Unmanned" Airport that consists of a 3000 ft runway.

Major highways

The major east–west route is

vary - at different places, it's called Teardrop Road, Highway Z, Old Route 66, Historic Route 66, and Highway 17. State-posted signs mark most of the alignment of the road.

Major north–south routes include:

Major attractions along

Devil's Elbow - the modern Interstate 44 bridge, the later U.S. Route 66 alignment on Highway Z that was made possible by the Hooker Cut through a steep hillside, and the original U.S. Route 66 alignment on Teardrop Road that includes a historic bridge that is in the process of renovation. The Elbow Inn is a biker bar that is a frequent stop on the original U.S. Route 66
alignment.

Media

Fort Leonard Wood, Waynesville, and St. Robert. These stations compete with the only other station broadcasting from Pulaski County, KFLW Radio, previously owned by the Lebanon Daily Record[14] and working locally from the St. Robert offices of the now-closed Pulaski County Mirror,[15]
the weekly newspaper.

Pulaski County historically had one daily and three weekly print newspapers, as well as an online internet daily newspaper. All but the weekly Dixon Pilot and the online Pulaski County Daily News are now closed. The county also has an internet discussion site, the Pulaski County Insider.

Rolla Daily News
as well as the weekly St. James Leader-Journal. The Rolla Daily News and the St. James weekly have since closed as well.

The content of the now-closed weekly Fort Leonard Wood Guidon was previously produced under the auspices of Army Public Affairs at

Fort Leonard Wood but printed under contract by the Springfield News-Leader
, a Gannett-owned newspaper which produced and sold advertisements in the Fort Leonard Wood Guidon. The military contract to produce the Guidon was held by the Lebanon Daily Record until the end of 2002, and before the Lebanon Daily Record had been held by the Waynesville Daily Guide for many years.

The weekly Pulaski County Mirror [19] closed in February 2017 and had been owned by the Lebanon Daily Record, a family owned newspaper in an adjoining county. The paper is a merger of the Richland Mirror and Pulaski County Democrat in St. Robert, which were separate weekly papers owned by the Lebanon Daily Record until their owner merged them in 2009.

Education

School districts include:[20]

K-12:

Elementary only:

School district details

Devil's Elbow, all of which have a lower housing cost than nearer housing in St. Robert and Waynesville. Military personnel assigned to training areas on the south end of the post sometimes choose to live in the unincorporated areas of Big Piney and Palace in Pulaski County, or the northern Texas County communities of Plato and Roby
.

Seven main school districts are fully or partly within the borders of Pulaski County, not counting two small districts which are mostly within other counties and only have only a few dozen residents within Pulaski County. All seven school districts have a high percentage of

Fort Leonard Wood military dependents, and over two-thirds of Waynesville
students fall into that category.

The cities of

which is by far the largest in the county.

The cities of Richland, Crocker, and Dixon, along with their surrounding rural areas, are served by the Richland R-IV School District,[22] the Crocker R-II School District[23] and the Dixon R-I School District.[24] The Richland and Dixon districts both extend into rural parts of adjacent counties.

The unincorporated communities of Laquey and Swedeborg are served by the Laquey R-V School District[25] and the Swedeborg R-III School District.[26] Swedeborg is the county's last remaining K-8 district and most of its high school students attend Richland High School though some attend Crocker High School or Waynesville High School; all other districts serve students running from kindergarten through high school.

The areas south of

Fort Leonard Wood, including the unincorporated Pulaski County communities of Big Piney and Palace, is served by the Plato R-V School District,[27] which is based in the northern Texas County village of Plato but also includes parts of Pulaski, Laclede and Wright
counties.

Public schools

Private schools

Public libraries

  • Pulaski County Library[28]

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

  • Fort Leonard Wood

Unincorporated places

Politics

Local

The old Pulaski County Courthouse, which is on the National Register, is now a museum.

Politics at the local level in Pulaski County were traditionally dominated by the Democratic Party, but Republican Party candidates have become increasingly viable in the years since 2002, when the first large-scale victories of Republican candidates began. That's generally attributed to the increasing number of military personnel who retire in the area and switch their voter registration to Pulaski County.

In 2002, Republicans Diana Linnenbringer, Dennis Thornsberry and Barbara Shackelford (now Barbara Thomas) were elected to the offices of county clerk, western district county commissioner, and county treasurer, defeating Democrats in those offices.

The trend continued in 2004 when Republican Bill Farnham defeated the Democratic incumbent, Eastern District County Commissioner Gary Carmack, and Republicans Don Mayhew and Loretta Rouse defeated two long-term Democratic incumbents, County Surveyor John Mackey and County Public Administrator Paula Long Weber. In state offices, Democratic State Rep. Bill Ransdall, who was term-limited and could not run for re-election, was replaced by Republican

David Day
who defeated the Democratic candidate, Clara Ichord, in what turned out to be a landslide victory for Day.

In 2006, the incumbent Democratic Presiding Commissioner, Tony Crismon, switched parties but was defeated in the Republican primary by Tim Berrier, who was subsequently defeated in the general election by Bill Ransdall. That year also saw a switch in party affiliation in the collector's office, where the longtime Democratic incumbent retired and was replaced by Republican Terri Mitchell, whose husband, Jim Mitchell, had preceded Ransdall in Pulaski County's state house seat. Kyle Bomar of Crocker challenged

David Day
, Day was reelected to the Missouri House with over 65% of the vote.

The 2008 Democratic victories nationally had minimal effect on Pulaski County party affiliations, with retiring Republican Western District County Commissioner Dennis Thornsberry being replaced by another Republican, Ricky Zweerink; the only party affiliation switch was in the county surveyor's office where Mackey recovered his seat for the Democrats after defeating Mayhew. David Day was unopposed.

Two resignations occurred in 2009; County Treasurer Barbara Thomas resigned and Presiding Commissioner Bill Ransdall accepted an appointment by Gov. Jay Nixon to the Missouri State Tax Commission, which required him to resign county offices and numerous other positions. Nixon appointed Democrat Morris Roam to fill Thomas' Republican seat and appointed Democrat Don McCulloch, the retired Waynesville Police Chief, to fill Ransdall's seat.

In the 2010 elections, Roam chose not to run and was replaced by Republican Sue Rapone, who defeated the Democratic nominee, Ted Helms.

Rep. David Day
was again unopposed and entered his last term in the Missouri House of Representatives due to term limits. McCulloch was defeated by St. Robert Alderman Gene Newkirk, a Republican. Diana Linnenbringer retired and was replaced by fellow Republican Brent Bassett; no Democrats ran in their party's primary. Incumbent Democrat Circuit Court Clerk Rachelle Beasley was the only member of her party to win re-election for county office; incumbent Republican Collector Terri Mitchell had no opposition in either the primary or the general election. The prosecutor's office did not change parties, but incumbent Deborah Hooper was defeated in the Republican primary in a three-way contest, coming in third behind St. Robert City Attorney Kevin Hillman, the victor, and criminal defense attorney Jeff Thomas. Hillman went on to defeat the Democratic nominee, Wayne Gifford, in the general election.

In the 2012 elections, Democrat John Mackey chose not to run for re-election as county surveyor and was replaced by former surveyor Don Mayhew, a Republican who ran unopposed. Republican Sheriff JB King decided not to run for re-election and his position became the most heavily contested race in the county, with former sheriff JT Roberts losing the Democratic primary to Bill Anderson, who then lost in the general election to Republican candidate Ron Long, who had previously defeated Republican challengers Nick Pappas and Johnny Burgess. Incumbent Republican Ricky Zweerink was re-elected as Western District Commissioner while incumbent Republican Bill Farnham was defeated in a three-way primary race between himself, former county treasurer Barb Shackleford, and victor Lynn Sharp. County Assessor Roger Harrison was re-elected in the November election but died in an accident on his farm before taking office; his deputy, fellow Democrat Kim Skaggs-Henson, was appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon to fill the vacancy.

In the 2014 elections, most county officeholders remained unchanged except for the assessor's position, in which Democrat Kim Skaggs-Henson ran for election to the remainder of the term for which she had been appointed. She was defeated in that race by Republican Dan Whittle.

The Republican Party mostly controls politics at the local level in Pulaski County. Republicans hold all but two of the elected non-judicial positions in the county. Rachelle Beasley was re-elected as the circuit clerk and recorder of deeds. The other Democrat, County Coroner Mikel Hartness, did not face a challenge in his 2012 re-election race. He did not run for re-election in 2016 and was replaced by Republican Gary Carmack.[29]

Pulaski County, Missouri
Elected countywide officials
Assessor
Dan Whittle Republican
Circuit Clerk Rachelle Beasley Democratic
County Clerk
Dave Ernst Republican
Collector Terri Mitchell Republican
Commissioner
(Presiding)
Gene Newkirk Republican
Commissioner
(District 1)
Charles Bassett Republican
Commissioner
(District 2)
Andy Helms Republican
Coroner Roger Graves Republican
Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Hillman Republican
Public Administrator Loretta Rouse Republican
Recorder Rachelle Beasley Democratic
Sheriff Jimmy Bench Republican
Surveyor Vacant
Treasurer Mack Wilkerson Republican

State

Past gubernatorial election results
Year Republican Democratic
Third Parties
2016
67.51% 9,060 28.78% 3,862 3.71% 498
2012
50.90% 6,454 45.97% 5,829 3.12% 396
2008
43.33% 5,627 54.49% 7,075 2.18% 283
2004
65.00% 7,466 33.80% 3,882 1.20% 138
2000
52.78% 5,533 45.19% 4,738 2.03% 213
1996
42.49% 3,855 54.53% 4,947 2.98% 270

Pulaski County is divided between three districts in the Missouri House of Representatives, all of which are held by Republicans.

  • District 121 — Don Mayhew (R- Crocker). Consists of Crocker, Dixon, and Richland.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 121 — Pulaski County (2018)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Don Mayhew 3,009 81.02%
Democratic Matt Heltz 699 18.82%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 121 — Pulaski County (2016)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Keith Frederick 3,879 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 121 — Pulaski County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Keith Frederick 2,144 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 121 — Pulaski County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Keith Frederick 3,681 100.00%
  • District 122 — Steve Lynch (R- Waynesville). Consists of the northern part of Fort Leonard Wood and the communities of St. Robert and Waynesville.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 122 — Pulaski County (2018)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Steve Lynch 5,661 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 122 — Pulaski County (2016)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Steve Lynch 7,347 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 122 — Pulaski County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Steve Lynch 3,580 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 122 — Pulaski County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Steve Lynch 6,498 100.00%
  • District 142 — Robert Ross (R- Yukon). Consists of the southern part of Fort Leonard Wood and the unincorporated community of Devils Elbow.
Missouri House of Representatives — District 142 — Pulaski County (2016)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Robert Ross 610 76.15% -23.85
Democratic Bobby Johnston, Jr. 191 23.85% +23.85
Missouri House of Representatives — District 142 — Pulaski County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Robert Ross 390 100.00%
Missouri House of Representatives — District 142 — Pulaski County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Robert Ross 733 100.00%

All of Pulaski County is a part of Missouri's 16th District in the Missouri Senate and is represented by Dan Brown (R- Rolla).

Missouri Senate — District 16 — Pulaski County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Dan Brown 5,988 100.00%

Federal

U.S. Senate — Missouri — Pulaski County (2016)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Roy Blunt 8,663 64.51% +18.87
Democratic Jason Kander 4,065 30.27% -16.75
Libertarian Jonathan Dine 354 2.64% -4.70
Green
Johnathan McFarland 162 1.21% +1.21
Constitution Fred Ryman 185 1.38% +1.38
U.S. Senate — Missouri — Pulaski County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Todd Akin 6,094 45.64%
Democratic Claire McCaskill 6,278 47.02%
Libertarian Jonathan Dine 980 7.34%

All of Pulaski County is included in

Missouri's 4th Congressional District and is represented by Vicky Hartzler (R-Harrisonville) in the U.S. House of Representatives
.

U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 4th Congressional District — Pulaski County (2016)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Vicky Hartzler 9,820 74.10% -2.46
Democratic Gordon Christensen 2,796 21.10% +2.70
Libertarian Mark Bliss 637 4.80% -0.24
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 4th Congressional District — Pulaski County (2014)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Vicky Hartzler 5,333 76.56% +7.94
Democratic Nate Irvin 1,282 18.40% -8.85
Libertarian Herschel L. Young 351 5.04% +2.01
U.S. House of Representatives — Missouri's 4th Congressional District — Pulaski County (2012)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Vicky Hartzler 9,080 68.62%
Democratic Teresa Hensley 3,606 27.25%
Libertarian Thomas Holbrook 401 3.03%
Constitution Greg Cowan 145 1.10%
United States presidential election results for Pulaski County, Missouri[31]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 10,329 71.53% 3,740 25.90% 372 2.58%
2016 9,876 72.71% 2,922 21.51% 784 5.77%
2012 9,092 67.00% 4,199 30.94% 280 2.06%
2008 9,552 63.68% 5,249 34.99% 199 1.33%
2004 8,618 70.52% 3,551 29.06% 52 0.43%
2000 6,531 62.02% 3,800 36.08% 200 1.90%
1996 4,089 45.04% 3,783 41.67% 1,207 13.29%
1992 3,793 37.98% 4,113 41.18% 2,082 20.85%
1988 4,642 57.22% 3,446 42.48% 24 0.30%
1984 5,330 65.04% 2,865 34.96% 0 0.00%
1980 3,998 50.79% 3,707 47.10% 166 2.11%
1976 2,865 39.42% 4,370 60.13% 32 0.44%
1972 4,243 69.04% 1,903 30.96% 0 0.00%
1968 2,555 45.82% 2,303 41.30% 718 12.88%
1964 1,856 35.43% 3,383 64.57% 0 0.00%
1960 3,285 51.48% 3,096 48.52% 0 0.00%
1956 2,532 46.31% 2,936 53.69% 0 0.00%
1952 2,678 46.88% 3,026 52.98% 8 0.14%
1948 1,644 36.43% 2,858 63.33% 11 0.24%
1944 2,345 43.43% 3,048 56.44% 7 0.13%
1940 2,367 46.17% 2,752 53.68% 8 0.16%
1936 2,177 42.89% 2,886 56.86% 13 0.26%
1932 1,489 31.24% 3,260 68.40% 17 0.36%
1928 2,229 53.44% 1,934 46.37% 8 0.19%
1924 1,578 40.81% 2,127 55.00% 162 4.19%
1920 1,853 47.88% 1,978 51.11% 39 1.01%
1916 1,003 41.95% 1,339 56.00% 49 2.05%
1912 631 28.19% 1,268 56.66% 339 15.15%
1908 988 40.31% 1,418 57.85% 45 1.84%
1904 837 40.95% 1,190 58.22% 17 0.83%
1900 728 36.02% 1,282 63.43% 11 0.54%
1896 802 36.19% 1,410 63.63% 4 0.18%
1892 663 37.50% 1,046 59.16% 59 3.34%
1888 662 37.42% 1,048 59.24% 59 3.34%

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

Former

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York
) received more votes, a total of 1,385, than any candidate from either party in Pulaski County during the 2008 presidential primary.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Pulaski County, Missouri". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Pulaski County, Missouri". Ozarks Civil War. Springfield-Greene County Library District. 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  4. ^ "Welcome to Pulaski County, Missouri!". MOGenWeb. 2004. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  10. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  12. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pulaski County, Missouri".
  13. ^ NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM, PULASKI COUNTY COURTHOUSE, http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/79001391.pdf, undated.
  14. ^ "The Lebanon Daily Record". www.lebanondailyrecord.com.
  15. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "Home". Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  17. ^ "Pulaski County Daily News". www.pulaskicountydaily.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  18. ^ "Allen Hilliard Sports". allenhilliardsports.com. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Pulaski County Mirror
  20. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022. - Text list
  21. ^ "Waynesville R-VI School District / Homepage". waynesville.k12.mo.us. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  22. ^ "Richland R-IV Schools Home of the Bears". Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  23. ^ "Crocker R-2 School District". Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  24. ^ "Dixon R-I Schools". www.dixonr1.yhti.net. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  25. ^ "Untitled Document". laquey.k12.mo.us.
  26. ^ http://swedeborg.k12.mo.us Archived 2008-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ "Home of the Eagles". www.plato.k12.mo.us. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  28. ^ Breeding, Marshall. "Pulaski County Library". Libraries.org. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  29. ^ "Election Results". November 8, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g "County Results - State of Missouri - 2016 General Election - November 8, 2016 - Official Results". Missouri Secretary of State. December 12, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  31. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 26, 2018.

Further reading

  • History of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas, Pulaski, Phelps, and Dent counties, Missouri (1889) full text

External links

37°49′N 92°13′W / 37.82°N 92.21°W / 37.82; -92.21