Steele, Missouri

Steele is a city in southern Pemiscot County, Missouri. It had a population of 2,172 at the 2010 census.

History

The town of Steele came into existence in the 1890s, following the construction of a branch line of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad through the region. A post office was established in 1897 and the community was incorporated in 1901; around this time, it was named for L. L. Steele, a prominent farmer and businessman who had come to Pemiscot County in the 1880s.

Steele was situated in a swampy area, near one or more lakes, and thus had a tendency to flood early on. It was said that the sidewalks had to be built four feet above ground level, and following heavy rains, one could make one's way through the streets by boat. Organized efforts at draining and clearing the region began after 1910, however, and Steele prospered and rose in population from the rich farmland made available.

Geography

Steele is located near the junction of Interstate 55 and U.S. Route 61 in southern Pemiscot County, about eleven miles southwest of Caruthersville and eleven miles northeast of Blytheville, Arkansas. I-55 and U.S. 61 connect it with both cities, while Missouri State Highway 164 extends from Steele to southern Dunklin County to the west. Its exact coordinates are 36°05’02”N 89°49’45”W.

The city lies on the flat Mississippi Alluvial Plain, partly atop a drained lake. It has a total area of 1.87 square miles, and an average elevation of 262 feet.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Steele had a total of 2,172 inhabitants, grouped into 838 households, with a population density of 1,180.4 people per square mile. This figure represented a slight decrease from the 2000 census, when Steele had a population of 2,263. 77.53% of the inhabitants were White, 18.69% were African-American, 0.46% were Native American, 0.37% were Asian, 1.38% were from some other race, and 1.57% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.16% of the population.

The median age in Steele was 35.4 years, with 29.1% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 9.2% between 18 and 24 years old, 23.8% between 25 and 44, 23.0% between 45 and 64, and 14.9% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 46.6% male, 53.4% female.

According to the 2017 American Community Survey, Steele had a median household income of $32,708, and a median family income of $49,688. The unemployment rate was 12.5%. The per capita income was $18,366. About 31.4% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 49.8% of people under the age of 18 and 8.3% of people 65 years old or older.

Economy

Agriculture provides a large portion of the local economic output as it has for the past century; most of the population, however, is employed in manufacturing, health care, retail trade, and education. The city includes a small industrial park northwest of the downtown district. Steele has an active Chamber of Commerce, which puts on an Arts and Crafts Fair in October and a Christmas Parade in December.

Education

Steele and the surrounding area are served by the South Pemiscot R-V School District, a PK-12 public institution with an enrollment of about 650 students, all of whose facilities are located in Steele. These include the East Elementary School (PK and K), Central Elementary (1-6), and South Pemiscot High School (7-12). The mascot is the Bulldogs, and the school colors are black, gold, and white.