Mexico, Missouri: Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox settlement

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==History==

 

Mexico was incorporated as a town in 1855, was served by the [[Wabash Railroad]] in 1858 and by the [[Alton Railroad]] in 1872, and was first chartered as a city in 1874. The city is in the bluegrass region of Missouri, and was a shipping point for horses and mules. Mexico was a onetime major source for the nation's [[fire brick]] production, so much so that it adopted the moniker "Fire Brick Capital of the World". Bricks produced in Mexico were used in the construction of the [[NASA]] rocket launch site in [[Cape Canaveral]].<ref>(2010, December 1). "[https://www.semissourian.com/story/95036.html Mexico, Mo., faces shutdown of its last brick factory]." The Associated Press.</ref> The industry fell on hard times and both major [[refractory]] plants in the area closed in 2002. There is no active quarrying for clay used in fire brick or refractories production in the area.

 

The historic downtown square, with the typical courthouse as the focal point, is surrounded by dozens of multi-story brick buildings—some dating to the founding of the community. There are, of course, other historic spots including Simmons Stables and Graceland. In the late 1970s, Mexico began ripping up crumbling sidewalks of the downtown square and installing red paver bricks accented with turn-of-the-century lamp posts and park benches. In the 1980s, Mexico was one of six nationwide finalists for [[Saturn Corporation|Saturn]]'s new U.S. auto plant. It lost to [[Spring Hill, Tennessee]] because Mexico was not served by a four-lane freeway. So as not to lose future development, Mexico officials quickly lobbied state and federal officials to secure funding for a new four-lane divided highway ([[U.S. Route 54]]) which now serves the community from [[Interstate 70]]. Formerly known as the "Saddle Horse Capital of the World," Mexico still hosts Hollywood celebrities and other visitors from around the world who come to purchase riding horses. The Simmons Stables, currently being revitalized, are now listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00235541&format=pdf

| title = Station: Mexico, MO

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = July 22, 2021}}</ref>

|2010= 11543

|2020= 11469

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>

}}

 

 

There were 4,727 households, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.5% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.91.

Mexico has a lending library, a branch of the Mexico-Audrain Library District.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mexico-audrain.lib.mo.us/mexico-audrain/directory.asp |title=Directory |publisher=Mexico-Audrain Library District |access-date=June 1, 2019}}</ref>

 

{{div col}}

*[[Tom Bass (horse trainer)|Tom Bass]], horse trainer

*[[Howard Kindig]], former [[Super Bowl]] winning [[NFL]] player

*[[Tyronn Lue]], head coach of the [[Los Angeles Clippers]] and former NBA player

*[[Prim Siripipat]], television anchor

*[[Lebbeus R. Wilfley]], federal judge

*[[Xenophon P. Wilfley]], United States Senator

 

==See also==

[[Category:County seats in Missouri]]

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[[Category:Populated places established in 1855]]

[[Category:Cities in Missouri]]