Rolla, Missouri

Rolla is the county seat and largest city of Phelps County, Missouri. It had a population of 19,559 at the 2010 census. Located about halfway between St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, at the intersection of Interstate 44 and U.S. Route 63, Rolla is a natural crossroads for south-central Missouri and one of the most important economic hubs for the northern Ozarks region, benefiting as well from the presence of the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Rolla, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Settled	1858
Population	19,559 (2010 census)
Area (sq mi)	11.85 mi²
Current mayor	Lou Magdits

History

Though the first settlements in what would become Phelps County were made as early as the 1810s, the future site of Rolla was not permanently inhabited until about 1844, when John Webber built a house there, soon followed by others. However, the city really owes its existence to the organization of the Pacific Railroad in 1849, commissioned by the state legislature to build several lines of track, one of which would extend southwest from St. Louis. Construction of this branch began in 1853; at the same time, railroad contractor Edmund Ward Bishop arrived in the future Rolla community and came to view it as a suitable point for the line's progress, as it was along the direct route from St. Louis to Springfield and provided access to the central Ozarks.

At the urging of locals, hoping to profit more directly from the railroad's presence, the legislature separated the region from neighboring counties and organized it as Phelps County in 1857. At the same time, a commission was put to work to select a new county seat near its approximate center. Bishop provided some fifty acres of land for the town, which was laid out in 1858; however, the community of Dillon, a few miles to the east, put forth its own claim to be the county seat, an issue that was not settled until 1861, in favor of the town on Bishop's donated land. There are multiple versions of how the town gained the name of "Rolla." One, more popular locally, is that the disgruntled citizens of Dillon, given the chance to name the community as compensation, named it for a disreputable hunting dog. Another (and generally considered more plausible) is that it was a misspelling of Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, from which many of the early settlers had come.

The Pacific Railroad was extended to Rolla shortly after its founding, with the first train rolling into town on December 22, 1860. It was that same year that the first county courthouse was completed and opened for business. However, Rolla's growth was interrupted almost at once by the outbreak of the Civil War. As a rail terminus providing direct access to St. Louis, it was a valuable strategic point, and although the local population mostly sympathized with the South, it was occupied in the summer of 1861 by Union forces under General Franz Sigel, which would hold it until the end of the war. Two forts were eventually built to defend it against Confederate attacks, and the courthouse was used for a time as a military hospital.

After the Civil War, Rolla was able to recover relatively quickly, thanks to the presence of the railroad as well as the opening in 1870 of the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, an engineering college established to take advantage of the extensive mineral deposits of the Ozarks. By 1900, the city had a population of 1,600, and maintained a slow but steady growth during the early 20th century. U.S. Route 66 was constructed along the railroad path in the 1920s, making Rolla an important stopover for auto travelers and accelerating the expansion of retail trade and service businesses in the local economy. Public education was another factor; the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy was incorporated into the state university system as the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1964, and its fame as an engineering institution gave Rolla the status of a college town as well. (It also made the city the site of the state's first functional nuclear reactor, in 1961.) In 2008, the college was renamed the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Today, Rolla has a population of almost 20,000 and is one of the largest and most significant cities in south-central Missouri.

Geography

Rolla is located in central Phelps County, at the intersection of Interstate 44 and U.S. Route 63 (though most of the city lies south of the interstate). It is about 90 miles southwest of St. Louis, and 95 miles northeast of Springfield, while U.S. 63 connects it with Jefferson City about 50 miles to the north and West Plains about 85 miles to the south. Rolla's official coordinates are 37°56’56”N 91°45’47”W.

The city has a total area of 11.85 square miles, including 11.83 of land and 0.02 of water. Most of it sits on an elevated plateau that divides the watersheds of the Gasconade River (a tributary of the Missouri River) to the west and northwest and the Meramec River (a direct tributary of the Mississippi River) to the east. It has an average elevation of 1,122 feet, the land generally sloping downward toward the south.

Weather and Climate

Like most of southern Missouri, Rolla has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by hot summers and cool winters with a moderately high amount of precipitation. January temperatures average 31°F, while July temperatures average 78°F. Summer highs above 100°F and winter lows below 0°F are fairly rare, but not unknown. The highest recorded temperature was 113°F on July 15, 1954, while the record low was -24°F on January 13, 1912. Average annual precipitation is 48.22 inches, including some 19 inches of snow; the record for one-day precipitation was 7.90 inches, on July 26, 1998.

Month	Average High (°F)	Average Low (°F)	Average Precipitation (in)
January	40.5	21.2	2.56
February	45.7	24.8	2.55
March	55.7	33.7	3.91
April	66.9	44.4	4.39
May	75.4	54.6	5.50
June	83.5	63.5	4.84
July	88.5	68.0	4.77
August	88.1	66.5	4.08
September	79.7	57.4	4.30
October	68.5	46.2	3.66
November	55.8	35.9	4.36
December	43.1	24.5	3.30
Annual	67.9	43.6	48.22

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Rolla had a total of 19,559 inhabitants, grouped into 7,574 households, with a population density of 1,653.3 people per square mile. This figure represented a significant increase from the 2000 census, when Rolla had a population of 16,367. 86.71% of the inhabitants were White, 4.11% were African-American, 0.43% were Native American, 5.70% were Asian, 0.09% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.41% were from some other race, and 2.56% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.62% of the population.

The median age in Rolla was 26.2 years, with 18.2% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 29.4% between 18 and 24 years old, 23.7% between 25 and 44, 17.1% between 45 and 64, and 11.6% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 55.0% male, 45.0% female.

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Rolla had a median household income of $34,934, and a median family income of $53,316. The unemployment rate was 5.4%. The per capita income was $20,753. About 31.1% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 28.9% of people under the age of 18 and 12.7% of people 65 years old or older.

Government

Rolla is a third-class city with a mayor-council form of government. The city council consists of the mayor and two aldermen from each of the city's six wards, each elected for two-year terms (along with the city attorney and the municipal judge; it typically meets on the first and third Mondays of each month. The current mayor of Rolla is Lou Magdits.

In the April 2021 municipal elections, five city council members were voted out of office because they had supported a mask mandate in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Economy

Given its location, almost equidistant between two major urban areas, as well as the intersection of several highways, Rolla is a natural economic hub for much of south-central Missouri. Numerous chain stores and restaurants are located in or near the city, and retail trade and the service industry make up a major part of its employment. Missouri S&T is another major employer and source of income. There are also several manufacturing plants in Rolla, including Royal Canin, a maker of dog and cat food; Hartmann U.S., Inc., a major producer of packaging, and Brewer Science, which manufactures semiconductors.

Health-care service is also a major component of the Rolla economy. Mercy Hospital is one of the city's single largest employers.

Education

The Rolla community has possessed a school system since 1871, originally sharing some of its buildings with the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. Today, the city and the surrounding regions are served by the Rolla School District 31, a PK-12 public institution with a total enrollment of about 4,250 students, which are split between three PK-3 elementary schools (Colonel John B. Wyman, Harry S. Truman, and Mark Twain Elementary Schools), Rolla Middle School (4-6), Rolla Junior High School (7-8), and Rolla High School (9-12). Its mascot is the Bulldogs, and the school colors are maroon and silver.

The city is also home to three private schools: Immanuel Lutheran School (K-6), operated by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod; Rolla Seventh-Day Adventist School (K-7), operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church; and St. Patrick Elementary School (PK-8), operated by the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, there is an alternative K-12 school, B. W. Robinson State School, and two vocational/technical centers for high school students.

Rolla is well-known as the home of the Missouri University of Science and Technology, one of the state's leading institutions of higher education in engineering. Other local institutions at the university/college level include satellite campuses of Columbia College, Drury University, and East Central College.

Media

Rolla has one daily newspaper, The Rolla Daily News, some version of which dates back to the 1870s. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was one of its staff reporters for a time in the 1950s.

The city has no television network affiliates, though it is at the edge of the Jefferson City and St. Louis media markets. There is also a local public-access station, Channel 16. It has several radio stations, including:

• KMNR (89.7 FM), public radio operated by students at Missouri S&T
• KMOZ (106.3 FM/1590 AM), part of the Bott Radio Network playing Christian talk
• KMST (88.5 FM), part of the National Public Radio network
• KZNN (105.3 FM), playing country music

Points of Interest

Several locations in or near Rolla are on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Phelps County Courthouse, the Phelps County Jail, the National Bank of Rolla Building, and the Rolla Ranger Station Historic District.

The Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) has several notable features on its campus, including the state of Missouri's first operational nuclear reactor, an astronomical observatory, and a half-scale replica of Stonehenge, carved from local granite.

The city's downtown section has a number of boutiques, specialty shops, restaurants, and bars, along with historical markers commemorating its early days and the importance of the now-decommissioned Route 66. There are also two professional theaters in the district, Leach Theatre and Ozark Actors Theatre. St. Patrick's Day is a major social occasion in Rolla, with a 5K run and various local festivities, while others come throughout the year to patronize the many wineries in the area, especially in neighboring St. James.

Notable People

• James McQuaid Boo (born 1954), former NHL player
• William B. Breuer (1922-2010), World War II military historian
• Mel Carnahan (1934-2000), former Governor of Missouri; spent adult life in Rolla
• Robin Carnahan (born 1961), daughter of Mel, former Missouri Secretary of State
• Russ Carnahan (born 1958), son of Mel, former Democratic U.S. Congressman
• Claire McCaskill (born 1953), former Democratic U.S. Senator; born in Rolla
• Chuck Shelton (1935-2020), former college football player and coach