Chaffee, Missouri

Chaffee is a city in northern Scott County, Missouri. The population was 2,955 at the 2010 census.

History

Chaffee is among the newer communities established in Scott County. Though older settlements existed in the vicinity, the town itself was not laid out until 1905, when land along the new St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad was purchased from Sikeston farmer John Witt and divided into lots. It received its name from the company buying the land, the Chaffee Real Estate Company of St. Louis, which in turn was named for General Adna R. Chaffee, a veteran of the Spanish-American War.

The town grew rapidly as a place for railroad employees to live and do business. Already by 1912, it had a population of about 2,000 and could boast of electric lighting, a prominent hotel, and two factories. Various textile manufacturing enterprises sustained Chaffee after the railroad declined in importance; however, their closure in recent years has left the town's economic future in doubt.

Geography

Chaffee is located near the northwestern edge of Scott County, near the border with Cape Girardeau County. It lies about 13 miles southwest of Cape Girardeau, and eight miles north of Oran. Its exact coordinates are 37°10’47”N, 89°39’34”W. Missouri State Highway 77 is the main road running through town.

The city has a total land area of 1.85 square miles, and an average elevation of 338 feet. It is mostly located on flat bottomlands, though the hills of Crowley's Ridge rise just to the east.

Like most of Southeast Missouri, Chaffee has a humid subtropical climate, resulting in hot summers and cool winters with abundant rainfall. The average temperature ranges between 32°F in January and 79°F in July. Annual precipitation averages about 46 inches.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Chaffee had a total of 2,955 inhabitants, grouped into 1,204 households, with a population density of 1,641.7 people per square mile. This figure was down slightly from the 2000 census, when Chaffee had a population of 3,044. 97.83% of the inhabitants were White, 0.51% were African-American, 0.2% were Native American, 0.1% were Asian, 0.07% were from other races, and 1.29% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 1.25% of the population.

The median age in Chaffee was 36.4 years, with 26.1% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 8.7% between 18 and 24 years old, 24.7% between 25 and 44, 23.8% between 45 and 64, and 16.8% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 48.2% male, 51.8% female.