Bloomsdale, Missouri

Bloomsdale is a city in northern Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri. It had a population of 521 at the 2010 census.

History

Bloomsdale has been in existence as a settlement since around 1790, known during its first years as La Fourche a Duclos, having been founded by French colonists from Ste. Genevieve. In the 1830s and '40s, its parish priest, by the name of Blume, purchased land on the north side of Establishment Creek and arranged for the settlers to relocate there in order to form a more condensed community. By the time the community had a post office (1876), it had received its present name. The most likely explanation of how this happened is it was first called "Blumesdale" in honor of Father Blume, and this was at some point anglicized to "Bloomsdale."

The town has had a rather quiet existence for most of its history, but beginning in the 1990s it began a moderate expansion, probably due to people employed in the St. Louis metropolitan area using it as a bedroom community.

Geography

Bloomsdale is located along U.S. Route 61 in northern Ste. Genevieve County, with Interstate 55 passing along its western boundary a short distance away. It lies about 10 miles northwest of the city of Ste. Genevieve, and about 16 miles southeast of Festus. Its exact coordinates are 38°00’57”N 90°13’42”W.

The city is situated within a range of relatively high hills northwest of Establishment Creek, a small tributary of the Mississippi River; several nearby hills peak at over 700 feet, with deep hollows between. It has a total area of 1.64 square miles, and an average elevation of 509 feet.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Bloomsdale had a total of 521 inhabitants, grouped into 202 households, with a population density of 319.6 people per square mile. This figure marked a significant increase from the 2000 census, when Bloomsdale had a population of 419. 98.66% of the inhabitants were White, 0.58% were African-American, 0.19% were Native American, and 0.58% were from two or more races.

The median age in Bloomsdale was 35.3 years, with 30.7% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 5.4% between 18 and 24 years old, 26.4% between 25 and 44, 21.1% between 45 and 64, and 16.5% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 48.9% male, 51.1% female.

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Bloomsdale had a median household income of $69,375, and a median family income of $94,375. The unemployment rate was 3.8%. The per capita income was $29,393. About 9.5% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 13.6% of people under the age of 18 and 6.3% of people 65 years old or older.

Education

Bloomsdale and the surrounding area are served by the Ste. Genevieve County R-II School District. The district operates one K-05 school in the community, Bloomsdale Elementary School.

There is also one parochial school, St. Agnes Catholic Elementary School (K-08), operated by the local church of the same name. Its mascot is the Crusaders.