Sikeston, Missouri

Sikeston, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Settled	1860
Population	16,318 (2010 census)
Area (sq mi)	17.48 mi²
Current mayor	Steven Burch

Sikeston is a city in Scott and New Madrid Counties, Missouri (though mostly in Scott). Its population was 16,318 at the 2010 census, making it one of the largest cities in Southeast Missouri.

Because of its location, approximately halfway between St. Louis and Memphis, and at the intersection of several major national highways, Sikeston is considered something of a gateway to the South. It is often included as part of the Missouri "Bootheel".

History

According to legend, the Sikeston area was first visited by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1541, though there is no evidence to substantiate this. The first documented presence in the area came in 1789, when the Spanish colonial authorities laid out "El Camino Real," a road to connect towns along or near the Mississippi River south of St. Louis; now known as Kingshighway, this route eventually formed a major north-south avenue for the city. American frontiersmen soon followed, and in 1814 a first settlement, known as "Winchester" in honor of a local resident, was laid out just to the south; it briefly served as the county seat of New Madrid County but ceased to exist after 1822, when that function was moved to New Madrid.

Much of the land north of what had been Winchester was acquired in the early 19th century by the Stallcup family. In 1859 it passed into the hands of John Sikes, who had married into the family. Work by now had begun on the Cairo-Fulton Railroad that extended westward from the Mississippi through southern Missouri; seeing the economic potential this represented, in 1860 Sikes platted a town at the point where the railroad crossed Kingshighway, and named it "Sikeston" after himself.

The area was not a major theater of conflict during the Civil War, which broke out soon after the town's founding, but it did see considerable activity early on. Sikes himself was said to have narrowly avoided lynching at the hands of Confederate guerrillas, while according to another legend, Confederate general M. Jeff Thompson, who dominated Southeast Missouri in the first months of the war, buried money from a bank robbery at nearby Charleston under an oak tree at what is now the corner of New Madrid Street and Kingshighway, though no signs of the money have ever been found. Sikeston was occupied in March 1862 as part of Union General John Pope's operations against New Madrid and Island Number Ten; the city had a Union garrison for the rest of the war, though Confederate forces reappeared in the vicinity from time to time.

Sikeston grew slowly in the years after the war. Though businesses and a public school were soon added, it had only about 250 residents at the time of its incorporation in 1875. Significant growth did not come until the creation of the Little River Drainage District in 1907, which cleared and drained the swamps of Southeast Missouri and opened the fertile ex-wetlands to agriculture. Land prices quickly rose from 60 cents to over $200 an acre, and Sikeston (like other towns) boomed. A regional history in 1912 noted that it had some 50 businesses, multiple churches and newspapers, and two schools. For a time, Sikeston was said to have more millionaires per capita than any other community in the country.

20th and 21st centuries

Sikeston's boom years were ended by the Great Depression, in which two of its three banks failed and many businesses shut down. The policies of the New Deal had only mixed results; the WPA constructed some new buildings and paved the major streets, but the AAA's efforts to reduce farm production led to a major demonstration by sharecroppers in 1939. Economic recovery in the area was mainly due to the continued demand for cotton, now an important crop in the Sikeston region.

The city grew further during World War II, as an airport was constructed and served as the site of the Missouri Institute of Aeronautics, used to train thousands of combat pilots. More institutions were established in the post-war era, including a permanent hospital in 1948, a Wal-Mart in 1968 (the first outside of Arkansas), and a large power plant in 1978. More recently, several large industrial plants and distribution centers have been opened, and the opening of Interstates 55 and 57 have encouraged economic growth along the city's southern and eastern edges.

Geography

Sikeston is located mostly in extreme southern Scott County, though a small portion of it does lie in extreme northern New Madrid County. The latter consists chiefly of businesses near the intersection of U.S. Routes 60 and 61, with the large majority of residential units on the north side of the line in Scott County. The exact coordinates are 36°52’46”N, 89°35’07”W.

The city has a total area of 17.48 square miles, all but 0.16 square miles of it land, and an average elevation of 328 feet. This is slightly higher than the surrounding region, as most of Sikeston is located on a very low, sandy ridge, known locally as "Sikeston Ridge" and superior to the nearby bottomlands for building purposes.

A number of major highways meet in or near Sikeston. Interstate 55 runs just to the east, passing through the adjacent town of Miner, while the city is also the southern terminus of Interstate 57. Three U.S. Highways also meet in Sikeston: U.S. Route 60 skirts the southern edge of the city; U.S. Route 61 (Kingshighway) runs through it from north to south; and U.S. Route 62, entering Sikeston from the east as Malone Avenue, joins with Route 61 at Kingshighway and continues south.

Weather and Climate

Like most of Southeast Missouri, Sikeston has a humid subtropical climate. Summers are usually hot, with winters generally cool. Periods of extreme cold are very rare, but it is not unheard of for summer daytime temperatures to exceed 100°F.

Month	Average high (°F)	Average low (°F)	Average mean (°F)
Jan	43.8	27.4	35.6
Feb	48.4	31.2	39.8
Mar	59.3	39.4	49.4
Apr	70.3	48.9	59.6
May	80.0	59.3	69.6
Jun	88.4	68.0	78.2
Jul	91.5	71.2	81.4
Aug	90.6	68.9	79.7
Sep	83.4	60.3	71.9
Oct	72.0	48.7	60.3
Nov	58.7	39.9	49.3
Dec	46.0	30.6	38.3

The city averages about 49 inches of rainfall a year.

Incidents of severe weather are not highly frequent but are not unknown, either, the most common being thunderstorms in the spring and summer months. On May 15, 1986, an F3 tornado struck the area, injuring several and destroying about 100 homes. The most recent incident of destructive weather, however, was a massive ice storm in January 2009 that inflicted extensive damage to trees and knocked out power to the city for several days.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Sikeston had a total of 16,318 inhabitants, grouped into 6,749 households, with a population density of 942.1 people per square mile. This figure represented a slight decrease from the 2000 census, when Sikeston had a population of 16,992. 69.95% of the inhabitants were White, 26.2% were African-American, 0.15% were Native American, 0.85% were Asian, 0.04% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.8% were from other races, and 2.01% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.32% of the population.

The median age in Sikeston was 38.5 years, with 25.1% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 8.6% between 18 and 24 years old, 24.1% between 25 and 44, 26.2% between 45 and 64, and 16% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 45.8% male, 54.2% female.

According to the 2017 American Community Survey, the median household income in Sikeston was $38,911, and the median family income was $46,961. The unemployment rate was 6.9%. The per capita income was $23,105. About 22.1% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 32.8% of people under the age of 18 and 13.6% of people 65 years old or older.

Government

Upon its incorporation in 1875, Sikeston adopted a mayor-council form of government, with a city manager position added in 1959. In 2002, the city adopted a charter commission. It is now governed by a mayor (serving a three-year term) and a six-member council, composed of one alderman from each of the four wards and two at-large members, and a city manager appointed by the council. Municipal elections are held each April. The current mayor is Steven Burch, who was elected in 2018.

Most of Sikeston is part of the 148th District in the Missouri House of Representatives, except for the southern portions, which fall within the 149th District.

Education

A public school system has existed in Sikeston since 1869. It has grown dramatically over time, due to the city's expansion and to the incorporation of schools in outlying areas. Today, it exists as the Sikeston R-VI School District, which includes the city and nearby portions of Scott and New Madrid Counties. Enrollment in 2018 was estimated at 3,353 students.

The district includes the following schools:

• Early Education Center/Preschool
• Kindergarten Center
• Lee Hunter Elementary (grades 1-4)
• Southeast Elementary (1-4)
• Wing Elementary (1-4)
• 5th and 6th Grade Center
• Sikeston Junior High (7-8)
• Sikeston Senior High (9-12)

The school mascot is the Bulldogs, and its colors are red and white.

The Bulldogs have been highly successful in athletics in recent years, winning the Class 4 state championship in boys' basketball in 2011, and the Class 3 state championship in boys' track and field in 2009, while the football team was the first in the state to mark 400 wins in program history.

In addition, Sikeston has three private schools: St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, Solid Rock Christian Academy, and Southeast Missouri Christian Academy. Southeast Missouri State University and Three Rivers Community College operate satellite campuses in Sikeston, which is also home to the Sikeston Career & Technology Center.

Sikeston also has a public library, with some 42,000 books.

Media

Sikeston has operated several newspapers over its history, including the Star, the Herald, and others. At present, the only newspaper is the Standard Democrat, formed from two earlier publications, which puts out several editions a week.

There are several radio stations: KBXB (97.9 FM), which broadcasts country music and baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals; KRHW (1520 AM), also a country music station; KSIM (1400 AM), a news-talk program featuring broadcasts by Rush Limbaugh and others; and in nearby Miner, KBHI (107.1 FM), playing rock music.

Economy

Historically, like much of Southeast Missouri, the Sikeston economy was based primarily on agriculture, with cash crops (especially cotton) providing large fortunes to landowners and employment to many workers. Following the mechanization of agriculture in the mid-20th century, this declined as a major source of employment, and today, a larger proportion of residents work in the service industry. The Missouri Delta Medical Center on North Kingshighway is one of the largest employers, with a workforce of over 600; Wal-Mart and Sikeston Public Schools are close behind.

Manufacturing and utilities are also a significant part of the local economy. The Sikeston Power Plant, along the western city limits, was opened in 1981; a 235-megawatt coal-fired plant, it provides electricity to the entire city and to many nearby communities. Unilever, a multinational producer of household goods, and Orgill, a hardline distributor, both have large facilities located in the industrial park.

Sikeston has a fairly low cost of living compared to other communities. In 2016, it was estimated at 78.0, compared to a national average of 100.

Attractions

The most popular community event in Sikeston is the Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, first held in 1953. Usually taking place the second week in August and lasting Wednesday through Saturday, it features competitions by members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association as well as headline performances by country music artists. The rodeo frequently attracts 35-40,000 visitors each year.

Sikeston is widely known as the home of Lambert's Cafe, which opened in 1942 and now has multiple locations in Missouri and Alabama. It features Southern-themed homestyle cooking, and is famous for its "throwed rolls," in which servers toss hot rolls across the dining area to customers.