Dexter, Missouri

Dexter is a city in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States, founded in 1873. The population was 7,927 at the 2020 census.

History

thumb|left|Dexter the fastest trotting horse in the world

Dexter was platted in 1873. Mr. Dex, an early settler, gave the community the name of his horse, Dexter. Dexter experienced rapid growth with the arrival of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. A post office called Dexter City was established in 1873, and the name was changed to Dexter in 1887.

The Dexter Gymnasium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

On July 10, 2021, an EF2 tornado hit the town with at least 150 homes reported damaged.

Geography

Dexter is located southwest of Sikeston. Dexter is located on what is known as Crowley's Ridge. It is at the intersection of U.S. Route 60 and Missouri Route 25.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Dexter had a population of 7,927. The median age was 39.9 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.7 males age 18 and over.

99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,467 households in Dexter, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.4% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The profile also reports an average family size of 3.12, with 32.6% of residents never married. An estimated 56.4% of residents owned their homes, the median gross rent was $717, the employment rate was 51.2%, and 13.2% of the population were veterans. of 2010, there were 7,865 people, 3,359 households, and 2,108 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,666 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.1% White, 0.5% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

There were 3,359 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the city was 40.5 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 19.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.6% male and 54.4% female.

2000 census

As of the census

|date=August 2010

Education

thumb|Dexter City Administration Building, April 2014.

Dexter R-XI School District operates all of Dexter's public schools, which includes Southwest and Central Elementary, T.S. Hill Middle School, and Dexter Senior High School. There are currently 2,076 students attending as of the 2023-2024 school year.

The town has a lending library, the Keller Public Library. The library was dedicated to Dexter native, Edward Keller, in 1998. In 2002, a statue honoring the Medal of Honor recipient Lt. George K. Sisler was placed in front of the Keller Public Library.

Notable people

Clarence Paul Oliver (1898–1991), geneticist
George K. Sisler, Medal of Honor recipient
Clyde A. Vaughn, United States Army Lieutenant General and Director of the Army National Guard
James P. Walker, politician. member of the House of Representatives.
Max West, baseball player, member of Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame
Orville Zimmerman, United States Representative for Missouri's 10th congressional district, was principal of Dexter High School, 1904-1909
Patti McGuire, model, Playboy Playmate November 1976

References

External links

Historic maps of Dexter in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri