Licking, Missouri

Licking is a city in northern Texas County, Missouri. It had a population of 3,124 at the 2010 census, making it the largest city in the county.

History

Licking takes its name from a nearby "salt lick" that existed just east of the present town center, a spring that dried up part of the year and left behind salt and other minerals for consumption by local animals, especially the bison that were once common in this region. Members of the Osage nation and other Indian tribes used the lick as well, both to gather the minerals and hunt the animals nearby, and at the beginning of the 19th century, a number of American frontiersmen (including Daniel Boone, according to some reports) spent time there as well.

The first permanent settlement in the area occurred around 1826, and became steadily more densely populated over the next several decades, though it was not until the late 1850s that a post office was established and the community became officially known as Licking. It was finally incorporated as a town in 1878, having already undergone a period of rebuilding following the Civil War, and was again disrupted by a destructive tornado in 1880. Licking recovered from this as well, though, and maintained a slow but steady growth through the 20th century.

The most important event in the town's modern history came with the state's construction of the South Central Correctional Center, a 1,600-bed prison that opened in June 2000. This led to a doubling of Licking's population, further increased by the arrival of an Amish community from Indiana in 2009, and since then it has been the largest city in Texas County.

Geography

Licking is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 63 and Missouri State Highway 32 in northern Texas County, as well as being the northern terminus of State Highway 137. It is about 13 miles northeast of Houston, and about 20 miles southwest of Salem. Its exact coordinates are 37°29’58”N 91°51’26”W.

The city lies on an elevated plateau that separates the Current River valley to the east from the Big Piney River, a tributary of the Missouri River, to the west. Montauk State Park, at the headwaters of the Current River, is a few miles to the east. Licking has a total area of 2.14 square miles, and an average elevation of 1,263 feet.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Licking had a total of 3,124 inhabitants, grouped into 634 households, with a population density of 1,466.7 people per square mile. This figure represented a dramatic increase from the 2000 census, when Licking had a population of 1,471, and is mostly due to the opening of the South Central Correctional Center in 2000. 73.08% of the inhabitants were White, 25.64% were African-American, 0.58% were Native American, 0.19% were Asian, 0.03% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.06% were from some other race, and 0.42% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.21% of the population.

The median age in Licking was 35 years, with 12.9% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 16.2% between 18 and 24 years old, 36.8% between 25 and 44, 23.2% between 45 and 64, and 10.8% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 73.3% male, 26.7% female.

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Licking had a median household income of $27,929, and a median family income of $37,045. The unemployment rate was 13.1%. The per capita income was $11,368. About 26.9% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 33.5% of people under the age of 18 and 13.4% of people 65 years old or older.