Blue Springs, Missouri

Blue Springs, Missouri
City
Motto: City of Cooperation

Location of Blue Springs, Missouri
Coordinates: 39°1′4″N 94°16′28″W / 39.01778°N 94.27444°W / 39.01778; -94.27444Coordinates: 39°1′4″N 94°16′28″W / 39.01778°N 94.27444°W / 39.01778; -94.27444
Country United States
State Missouri
County Jackson
Incorporated 1880
Government
 • Mayor Carson Ross (R)
Area[1]
 • Total 22.35 sq mi (57.89 km2)
 • Land 22.27 sq mi (57.68 km2)
 • Water 0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation 974 ft (297 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 52,575
 • Estimate (2012[3]) 53,014
 • Density 2,360.8/sq mi (911.5/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 64013-64015,64064
Area code(s) 816
FIPS code 29-06652[4]
GNIS feature ID 0714434[5]
Website www.bluespringsgov.com

Blue Springs is a city located in the U.S. State of Missouri and within Jackson County. Blue Springs is located nineteen miles east of downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Blue Springs is the 7th largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census[4] the population was 52,575, tying it for 10th largest city in the state of Missouri with St. Peters. In 2010, CNN/Money Magazine ranked Blue Springs 49th on its list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the United States.[6]

History

Blue Springs’ history is tied to the migration of settlers on their westward journey. Pioneers found the area to be an ideal stopover due to the abundance of cool, clean water from a spring of the Little Blue River - hence the name Blue Springs. The presence of water and a need for pioneer supplies led to the construction of a grist mill and permanent settlement at the current site of the City’s Burrus Old Mill Park, on Woods Chapel Road.

The Jackson County Court granted the incorporation of Blue Springs on September 7, 1880, making the City the fourth settlement in the county. An early settler, Franklin Smith, arrived in Blue Springs from Virginia in 1838 and became a leading figure in the community’s development. He established the first post office in 1845,[7] naming it after the well-known springs.

The settlement continued to grow near the springs until 1878, when the Chicago and Alton Railroad announced plans to build a station about one mile east of the original settlement. To take advantage of the commerce the railroad would bring, the town moved its center to the site of the new station and continued its development as a rural trading center.[8] The Chicago & Alton Hotel built in 1878, located on Main Street west of the railroad tracks is the oldest business in the City of Blue Springs.

Historical attractions near or in Blue Springs include: Missouri Town 1855, Fort Osage National Historic Landmark, Dillingham-Lewis House Museum, Chicago & Alton Hotel Museum, and the Lone Jack Civil War Museum.

Until 1965, the Blue Springs City Hall was located in a very small block building under the old water tower on the northwest corner of 11th and Walnut Streets. City Hall and the water tower were torn down not long after vacating the buildings. From 1965 to 1968, the second City Hall was a metal building located in the 200 block of 11th Street, across the street from the former Blue Springs Post Office. It also has since been torn down. In 1968 the current City Hall was built at 903 W. Main Street as the Blue Springs Municipal Building. The Blue Springs Municipal Building held the Blue Springs Police Department in the lower level and city hall functions on the main level until 1988, when the Police Department moved to a new police station at 1100 SW Smith Street. The Municipal Building was remodeled in 1989 and was renamed the Blue Springs City Hall.

After the old water tower was torn down, a new water tower was built in nearly the same location. The new water tower was torn down in April 2014, to make way for an expansion of the police department building.[9]

The June 1911 issue of Technical World magazine published an article claiming that Blue Springs "boasts of possessing the world's champion marble players," and published a picture of a competition. It named Dan Stanley, George Webb, George Binger, and Lynn Pryor as the best.

On May 24, 2012, Chris Oberholtz & Dave Jordan of KCTV5 reported that several residents had seen strange lights in the evening sky above Blue Springs.

Past Mayors of Blue Springs[10]

Geography

Blue Springs is located at 39°1′4″N 94°16′28″W / 39.01778°N 94.27444°W / 39.01778; -94.27444 (39.017778, -94.274444).[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.35 square miles (57.89 km2), of which, 22.27 square miles (57.68 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2) is water.[1]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880129—
1890506292.2%
1900468−7.5%
191056119.9%
1920551−1.8%
193070628.1%
194078811.6%
19501,06835.5%
19602,555139.2%
19706,779165.3%
198025,936282.6%
199040,15354.8%
200048,08019.7%
201052,5759.3%
Est. 201554,148[12]3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 52,575 people, 19,522 households, and 14,468 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,360.8 inhabitants per square mile (911.5/km2). There were 20,643 housing units at an average density of 926.9 per square mile (357.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.6% White, 6.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.0% of the population.

There were 19,522 households of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.9% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% 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 3.09.

The median age in the city was 34.7 years. 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 9.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000,[4] there were 48,080 people, 17,286 households, and 13,362 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,642.7 people per square mile (1,020.5/km²). There were 17,733 housing units at an average density of 974.7 per square mile (376.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.18% White, 2.93% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.76% of the population.

There were 17,286 households out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.16. In the city the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $55,402, and the median income for a family was $61,008. Males had a median income of $41,373 versus $29,688 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,444. About 3.9% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The City of Blue Springs has a Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government as set forth in the Home Rule City Charter. The City Council is the governing body of the City, elected by the public. The City of Blue Springs employs a workforce of more than 285 employees who serve the City and its residents under the leadership and direction of the City Administrator. The City Administrator is appointed by the City Council and is responsible for the implementation of policies and decisions made by the Mayor and City Council. The elected governing body for the City of Blue Springs is composed of a Mayor and six Councilpersons. The current elected officials (as of March 7, 2012) are: Mayor Carson Ross, District 1 Councilman Dale Carter, District 1 Councilman Jeff Quibell, District 2 Councilman Chris Lievsay, District 2 Councilman Kent Edmondson, District 3 Councilman Susan Culpepper, District 3 Councilman Ron Fowler.

Public safety

Blue Springs has a Municipal Police Department, a Department of Public Safety which services the Blue Springs School District, and two Fire Districts providing public safety services to Blue Springs.

Transportation

Major highways and roadways

Culture/parks and recreation

Fleming Park is home to Blue Springs Lake and Lake Jacomo. The park is operated by Jackson County. Fleming Park offers many recreational features. Fleming Park's total land area is 7,809-acre (32 km2) of which 1,690-acre (7 km2) is water.

Blue Springs also has 22 city parks which offer a vast array of recreational activities. They are:

Blue Springs City owned or ran recreational facilities are:

Private clubs or organizations

Newspapers

Education

Blue Springs is served by three public schools districts and three private schools. Public Schools are as follows:

The private schools are as follows:

Climate

Blue Springs experiences a colder variation of a four-season humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with mild days and cold nights during the winter, and hot days and muggy nights during the summer.

Climate data for Blue Springs, MO
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 73
(23)		 80
(27)		 87
(31)		 91
(33)		 91
(33)		 103
(39)		 108
(42)		 107
(42)		 105
(41)		 95
(35)		 82
(28)		 73
(23)		 108
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 41
(5)		 46
(8)		 53
(12)		 63
(17)		 74
(23)		 82
(28)		 87
(31)		 86
(30)		 78
(26)		 68
(20)		 51
(11)		 44
(7)		 64.4
(18.2)
Average low °F (°C) 23
(−5)		 26
(−3)		 37
(3)		 45
(7)		 53
(12)		 61
(16)		 66
(19)		 64
(18)		 55
(13)		 44
(7)		 35
(2)		 26
(−3)		 44.6
(7.2)
Record low °F (°C) −19
(−28)		 −15
(−26)		 −5
(−21)		 11
(−12)		 28
(−2)		 35
(2)		 48
(9)		 43
(6)		 29
(−2)		 7
(−14)		 −3
(−19)		 −25
(−32)		 −25
(−32)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.30
(33)		 1.51
(38.4)		 2.81
(71.4)		 3.78
(96)		 5.06
(128.5)		 5.47
(138.9)		 4.19
(106.4)		 3.82
(97)		 4.89
(124.2)		 3.54
(89.9)		 2.95
(74.9)		 1.86
(47.2)		 41.18
(1,046)
Source: [14]

Infrastructure

Utilities

Blue Springs is served by the following utilities:

Hospital

St. Mary's Medical Center

Libraries

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-24. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  3. ↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-06-17. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  4. 1 2 3 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. ↑ "Best Places to Live 2010". CNN.
  7. ↑ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 177.
  8. ↑ Earngey, Bill (1995). Missouri Roadsides: The Traveler's Companion. University of Missouri Press. p. 18.
  9. ↑ "Demolition begins on Blue Springs water tower". Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  10. ↑ "Past Mayors". City of Blue Springs, MO. BlueSpringsGov.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  12. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  13. ↑ http://publicsafetyexcellence.org/agency-accreditation/list-of-accredited-agencies.aspx
  14. ↑ "Average Weather for Blue Springs, MO - Temperature and Precipitation". Weather.com. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  15. ↑ Rockhurst.edu University Community News, Feb 21, 2014

External links

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