Napoleon, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Napoleon is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri
, United States
. Located about 30 miles east of Kansas City
, it is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area
. The population was 208 at the 2000 census
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.5 km²), all of it land.
Napoleon lies just a few miles west of Wellington, Missouri
; the two towns having been named after the commanders at the Battle of Waterloo
. About halfway between the two towns lies a small, unincorporated crossroads called "Waterloo".
Napoleon, Missouri is located in the northwestern corner of Lafayette County, Missouri and bordered on the north side by the Missouri River and on the south side by U.S. Hwy 24 and on the west side by Jackson County, Missouri. It is about 40 miles east of the Kansas/Missouri line on the south side of the Missouri River and about 6 miles east of the Independence city limits as of this writing. The town measures about 2 & ½ miles east to west and about one mile north to south at its widest point. The town was referred to as Poston's landing for some time and appears that it was a trading post before the first platting of Napoleon by William Ish in 1836. The town at the platting of Napoleon was a venture of shares by several people. There doesn't seem to be records of anyone actually owning specific land in it during this time. The state of Missouri was only 33 years old at the time of the platting of its borders. Shortly after the platting, there was a currency problem. Our Federal Government said that only coin money would be used for purchases. They didn't have enough coins in stock at the time so much business was done through exchange and barter systems. This didn't leave much room for a fledgling town to get started so, almost as fast as it appeared, it disappeared.
Dr. James Belt, a physician from Wellington, Missouri traveled through here often and finally decided to try to buy the town. During its 10 to 15 years of existence, shares were split, traded, share holders died and shares were spit between heirs and the number of people with monetary interests in Napoleon had grown from about 5 or 6 to about 15 or 20. Dr. Belt set forth buying first one person's shares and then other shares until William Ish, the founder of the town, was the last to deal with. Dr. Belt bought William Ish's shares and at that point, Dr. Belt owned the town of Napoleon, Missouri. Unfortunately all marks, for the most part were gone and he had to lay the whole town markings out again. So, he drew up a new map which was entirely different in structure and names, yet on the same ground and took it to the County seat in Lexington, Missouri and recorded it as the new town of Lisbon, Missouri. This was done in 1856. He knew most the people around the area, the money issues had settled down by then, a good portion of the English and French settlers had sold out to the German population that was immigrating into the area. The German people were stable people and made the town of Napoleon thrive. It boasted saw mills, grain mills, general stores, pharmacies, shoe cobblers, physicians, barbers, rail road station, post office, coal mining, newspaper, school, livery stable, saloons, dry goods stores and many other businesses by 1887. The main part of town sits more than 100 feet above the river.
In 1887, the town incorporated as a 4th Class City in the State of Missouri. During this time, there was a problem with a town named Lisbon and a post office named the Napoleon Post Office, so the town once again took on the name of Napoleon, Missouri. Many records of real estate bare the name Lisbon on them to this day. Napoleon had one of the better natural docking ports on the Missouri River which was used for many purposes. The Missouri River changed course in 1914 and dug into the bank of Napoleon, further embedding itself as a major port while cutting the prime bottom farm land in half north of Waterloo and leaving Wellington about a mile from the river at that point. Wellington had a former name also. It was originally called Tyre. Waterloo was a major farming community that never did incorporate but had grain mills, stores for the farmers and lakes for hunting. There are stories that circulate claiming the names of the towns of Wellington, Waterloo & Napoleon relate to the battle of Waterloo, although there doesn't seem to be any record substantiating this.
of 2000, there were 208 people, 86 households, and 63 families residing in the city. The population density
was 119.3 people per square mile (46.2/km²). There were 99 housing units at an average density of 56.8 per square mile (22.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.71% White, 1.92% African American, 0.48% Asian, and 2.88% from two or more races.
There were 86 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 32.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 121.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,875, and the median income for a family was $45,625. Males had a median income of $36,042 versus $23,036 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,546. About 9.0% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located about 30 miles east of Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, it is part of the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
. The population was 208 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Geography
Napoleon is located at 39°7′47"N 94°4′20"W (39.129800, -94.072099).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.5 km²), all of it land.
Napoleon lies just a few miles west of Wellington, Missouri
Wellington, Missouri
Wellington is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. Located about 35 miles east of Kansas City, it is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
; the two towns having been named after the commanders at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. About halfway between the two towns lies a small, unincorporated crossroads called "Waterloo".
Napoleon, Missouri is located in the northwestern corner of Lafayette County, Missouri and bordered on the north side by the Missouri River and on the south side by U.S. Hwy 24 and on the west side by Jackson County, Missouri. It is about 40 miles east of the Kansas/Missouri line on the south side of the Missouri River and about 6 miles east of the Independence city limits as of this writing. The town measures about 2 & ½ miles east to west and about one mile north to south at its widest point. The town was referred to as Poston's landing for some time and appears that it was a trading post before the first platting of Napoleon by William Ish in 1836. The town at the platting of Napoleon was a venture of shares by several people. There doesn't seem to be records of anyone actually owning specific land in it during this time. The state of Missouri was only 33 years old at the time of the platting of its borders. Shortly after the platting, there was a currency problem. Our Federal Government said that only coin money would be used for purchases. They didn't have enough coins in stock at the time so much business was done through exchange and barter systems. This didn't leave much room for a fledgling town to get started so, almost as fast as it appeared, it disappeared.
Dr. James Belt, a physician from Wellington, Missouri traveled through here often and finally decided to try to buy the town. During its 10 to 15 years of existence, shares were split, traded, share holders died and shares were spit between heirs and the number of people with monetary interests in Napoleon had grown from about 5 or 6 to about 15 or 20. Dr. Belt set forth buying first one person's shares and then other shares until William Ish, the founder of the town, was the last to deal with. Dr. Belt bought William Ish's shares and at that point, Dr. Belt owned the town of Napoleon, Missouri. Unfortunately all marks, for the most part were gone and he had to lay the whole town markings out again. So, he drew up a new map which was entirely different in structure and names, yet on the same ground and took it to the County seat in Lexington, Missouri and recorded it as the new town of Lisbon, Missouri. This was done in 1856. He knew most the people around the area, the money issues had settled down by then, a good portion of the English and French settlers had sold out to the German population that was immigrating into the area. The German people were stable people and made the town of Napoleon thrive. It boasted saw mills, grain mills, general stores, pharmacies, shoe cobblers, physicians, barbers, rail road station, post office, coal mining, newspaper, school, livery stable, saloons, dry goods stores and many other businesses by 1887. The main part of town sits more than 100 feet above the river.
In 1887, the town incorporated as a 4th Class City in the State of Missouri. During this time, there was a problem with a town named Lisbon and a post office named the Napoleon Post Office, so the town once again took on the name of Napoleon, Missouri. Many records of real estate bare the name Lisbon on them to this day. Napoleon had one of the better natural docking ports on the Missouri River which was used for many purposes. The Missouri River changed course in 1914 and dug into the bank of Napoleon, further embedding itself as a major port while cutting the prime bottom farm land in half north of Waterloo and leaving Wellington about a mile from the river at that point. Wellington had a former name also. It was originally called Tyre. Waterloo was a major farming community that never did incorporate but had grain mills, stores for the farmers and lakes for hunting. There are stories that circulate claiming the names of the towns of Wellington, Waterloo & Napoleon relate to the battle of Waterloo, although there doesn't seem to be any record substantiating this.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 208 people, 86 households, and 63 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 119.3 people per square mile (46.2/km²). There were 99 housing units at an average density of 56.8 per square mile (22.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.71% White, 1.92% African American, 0.48% Asian, and 2.88% from two or more races.
There were 86 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 32.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 121.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,875, and the median income for a family was $45,625. Males had a median income of $36,042 versus $23,036 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,546. About 9.0% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those sixty five or over.