Click Image to Enlarge
Missouri Counties
Missouri has one hundred and fourteen counties and one independent city. St. Louis City is separate from St. Louis County and is referred to as a "city not within a county." Following the Louisiana Purchase and the admittance of Louisiana into the United States in 1812, five counties were formed out of the Missouri Territory at the first general assembly. Most subsequent counties were apportioned from these five original counties.Scott County, Missouri
Scott County Education, Geography, and History
Scott County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the state of Missouri. Based on the 2010 census, the population was
39,191. Its county seat is Benton. The county was organized in 1821 and named for US Representative John Scott, the first federal
representative from Missouri.
Scott County comprises the Sikeston, MO Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cape Girardeau-Sikeston, MO-IL Combined
Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Scott County Name
Named for John Scott, Missouri congressman.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
History of Scott County
Created by act of legislature December 28, 1821; organized from New Madrid County in 1822 and named in honor of Hon. John Scott (1782-1861), the first congressman from Missouri. The boundaries of the county were fixed as follows: "And now the county of New Madrid shall be and the same is hereby divided and erected into two separate counties, by a line running as follows: Beginning in the main channel of the river Mississippi opposite a small creek or bayou, called James Creek or Bayou; thence in a direct line to the mouth of said creek; thence in a northwestern course to a point in the swamp due north of the line between townships 25 and 26 east of the fifth principal meridian parallel with the northern boundary line of the tract of land situated in the upper end of Big Prairie originally granted and confirmed to Moses Hurley, and where Mrs. Elizabeth Phillips now lives; thence running due west to the western boundary line of said county of New Madrid; and that the said tract of the county lying to the south of said line shall be continued to be called and known by the name of New Madrid County and the tract of country lying north and east of said line shall be called Scott County." The present townships are: Sylvania, Kelso, Sandywoods, Commerce, Tywappity, Morley, Moreland, and Richland. (Douglass I 303, County Court Record, Ency. of Am. Biog., Goodspeed 353)
Source: Hamlett, Mayme L. "Place Names Of Six Southeast Counties Of Missouri." M.A. thesis., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1938.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 426 square miles (1,100 km2), of which 420 square miles (1,100 km2) is
land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (1.4%) is water. The county's eastern border with Illinois is formed by the Mississippi River.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Cape Girardeau County (northwest)
- Alexander County, Illinois (northeast)
- Mississippi County (southeast)
- New Madrid County (south)
- Stoddard County (southwest)
Education
Of adults 25 years of age and older in Scott County, 72.9% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 10.6% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.
Public schools
Chaffee R-II School District - Chaffee
Oran R-III School District - Oran
Scott County R-IV School District - Benton
Scott City R-I School District - Scott City
Scott County Central School District - Sikeston
Sikeston R-VI School District - Sikeston
Private schools
St. Denis School - Benton - (01-08) - Roman Catholic
St. Ambrose School - Chaffee - (K-08) - Roman Catholic
St. Augustine School - Kelso - (01-08) - Roman Catholic
Guardian Angel School - Oran - (K-08) - Roman Catholic
St. Joseph School - Scott City - (K-08) - Roman Catholic
St. Francis Xavier Christian Academy - Sikeston - (PK-08) - Roman Catholic
Southeast Missouri Christian Academy - Sikeston - (PK-K) Daycare Center - Non-denominational Christian
Solid Rock Christian Academy - Sikeston - Non-denominational Christian
Colleges and universities
Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC) - Sikeston - A satellite campus of Southeast Missouri State University.
Sikeston Career & Technology Center - Sikeston - A technical school based out of the Sikeston R-VI School District.
Three Rivers Community College - Sikeston
Click Image to Enlarge
