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Lexington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,453 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lafayette County. Located in western Missouri, Lexington lies east of Kansas City.
History
Lexington was the site of two of the largest battles in the western campaign of the American Civil War. One of which is known today as The Battle of Lexington. On September 12, 1861, 18,000 Confederate soldiers of the Missouri militia, led by Major General Sterling Price began a siege against the military post commanded by Colonel James A. Mulligan. On September 18, Price's army mounted an assault which forced Mulligan's surrender on September 20. Combined casualties were 73 dead, 270 wounded.
The Second Battle of Lexington was a battle in Price's Missouri Expedition of the American Civil War, occurring on October 19, 1864, in Lafayette County, Missouri.
Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's march along the Missouri River was slow, providing Union forces a chance to concentrate against him. Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Department of the Missouri, proposed a pincer movement to trap Price and his army, but he was unable to communicate with Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, commander of the Department of Kansas, to formalize the plan. Curtis was having problems because many of his troops were Kansas militia and they refused to enter Missouri, but a force of 2,000 men under the command of Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt did set out for Lexington. On October 19, Price's army approached Lexington, collided with Union scouts and pickets about 2:00 p.m., drove them back, and engaged in a battle with the main force. The Yankees resisted at first, but Price's army eventually pushed them through the town to the western outskirts and pursued them along the Independence Road until nightfall. Without Curtis's entire force, the Union troops could not stop Price's army, but they did further retard their slow march. Blunt gained valuable information about the size and disposition of Price's army.
Geography
Lexington is located at (39.183060, -93.875070).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.5 km² (3.7 mi²). 9.0 km² (3.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (4.92%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,453 people, 1,815 households, and 1,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 494.1/km² (1,279.7/mi²). There were 2,015 housing units at an average density of 223.6/km² (579.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.02% White, 6.04% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.06% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.18% of the population.
There were 1,815 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,759, and the median income for a family was $39,583. Males had a median income of $31,672 versus $21,646 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,879. About 12.8% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- Lexington Chamber of Commerce
- Lexington, Missouri Tourism Bureau
- Lexington Economic Development Council
"Lexington, Missouri"