New Madrid
| New Madrid | |
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 New Madrid viewed from the Mississippi |
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| Location in Missouri | |
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| Basic data | |
| Foundation : | 1788 |
| State : | United States |
| State : | Missouri |
| County : | New Madrid County |
| Coordinates : | 36 ° 35 ′ N , 89 ° 32 ′ W |
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) |
| Residents : | 3,334 (as of: 2000) |
| Population density : | 285 inhabitants per km 2 |
| Area : | 11.7 km 2 (approx. 5 mi 2 ) |
| Height : | 90 m |
| Postal code : | 63869 |
| Area code : | +1 573 |
| FIPS : | 29-52076 |
| GNIS ID : | 0723282 |
| Website : | www.new-madrid.mo.us |
| Mayor : | Donnie Brown |
 Contemporary drawing of the destruction of New Madrid by the 1811 earthquake |
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New Madrid is a small town in the southeast of the US state Missouri . It is the administrative seat of the county of the same name . At the 2000 census , there were 3,334 people living there.
geography
New Madrid is on the Mississippi River , about 120 kilometers below the mouth of the Ohio .
history
The name of the city goes back to the founding in 1788 by Spain . In contrast to the Spanish capital Madrid , the name is pronounced with an emphasis on the first syllable.
Spain deliberately settled settlers from the still young United States here and granted them Spanish citizenship. Spain assumed that settlement by former Americans would offer protection from military invasions from the United States. However, the original settlement was destroyed by floods from the Mississippi; only a second settlement northeast of the first settlement proved to be more durable.
In 1800 France acquired this settlement area from Spain, so that New Madrid was briefly named Nouvelle Madrid . In 1803 the country came to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase from France. Since then, New Madrid has belonged to the state of Missouri.
In 1811 and 1812, the city was known for a series of around 1,000 earthquakes ( New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 ). These reached up to strength 8 and thus the highest that has ever been measured in an area of the USA outside a subduction zone .
At the beginning of the American Civil War , New Madrid was of strategic importance due to its location on the Mississippi. The city was initially occupied by Confederate troops, but on March 12, 1862 it was captured by troops of the Union Army under John Pope .
In 2011, the city was flooded as a result of the Mississippi flood.
Demographics
The 3334 residents of New Madrid, found in the 2000 census , lived in 1275 households; among them were 882 families. The population density was 285 per km ². 1414 residential units were recorded in the village. Of the population, 72.6% were White, 26.5% African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, and 0.1% from other races; 0.4% said they belonged to several ethnic groups.
Of the 1,275 households, 35.5% had children under the age of 18; 28.4% were single households. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size 3.02.
The population was divided into 28.2% under 18 years of age, 8.7% from 18 to 24 years of age, 26.0% from 25 to 44 years of age, 21.8% from 45 to 64 years of age and 15.4% from 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years.
The median household income was $ 27,422 and the median family income was $ 34,464. The per capita income in New Madrid was $ 14,639. 22.6% of families and 25.0% of the population lived below the poverty line.
Individual evidence
- ↑ New Madrid city, Missouri , data sheet with the results of the 2000 census at factfinder.census.gov .