Portageville, Missouri

Portageville is a city in New Madrid and Pemiscot Counties, Missouri. It had a population of 3,228 at the 2010 census.

History

Portageville's name derives from Portage Bayou, which flows generally west to east through the town and marks part of the boundary between New Madrid and Pemiscot counties. It was used as part of an early portage line between the St. Francis and Mississippi rivers, hence the name.

A settlement may have been made on the site as early as 1807, but if so, it was abandoned around the time of the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes, which delivered violent shocks to the surrounding area. A permanent settlement began in 1848; after a slow start, the town grew steadily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with many arriving from Point Pleasant, a community to the east that had caved into the Mississippi. By 1912 Portageville was home to a woodworking factory, numerous stores, and two banks.

A minor league baseball team, the Portageville Pirates, briefly played during the 1930s.

Geography

Portageville is mostly located in southern New Madrid County, with a small portion lying south of Portage Bayou in Pemiscot County. Its exact coordinates are 36°25’47”N 89°42’04”W. It is about 14 miles southwest of New Madrid, and eight miles west of the Mississippi River. U.S. Route 61, Missouri State Highway 162, and State Route T run through the town, with Interstate 55 passing along its eastern edge.

The city has a total land area of 2.04 square miles, and an average elevation of 285 feet. Like most of Southeast Missouri, it has a humid subtropical climate, with average temperatures of 34°F in January and 80°F in July, and an average annual precipitation of 47 inches.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Portageville had a total of 3,228 inhabitants, grouped into 1,346 households, with a population density of 1,582.4 people per square mile. This figure represented a slight decrease from the 2000 census, when Portageville had a population of 3,295. 78.62% of the inhabitants were White, 18.96% were African-American, 0.06% were Native American, 0.19% were Asian, 0.19% were from some other race, and 1.98% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 0.87% of the population.

The median age in Portageville was 38.6 years, with 25.7% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 7.9% between 18 and 24 years old, 24.0% between 25 and 44, 26.0% between 45 and 64, and 16.4% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 46.4% male, 53.6% female.

According to the 2017 American Community Survey, the median household income in Portageville was $29,004, and the median family income was $35,227. The unemployment rate was 8.0%. The per capita income was $18,383. About 27.3% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 45.5% of people under the age of 18 and 12.4% of people 65 years old or older.

Education

Portageville is served by the Portageville School District, a PK-12 public institution with an enrollment of about 800 students. Its mascot is the Bulldogs, and its colors are blue and white. There is also a small Catholic K-8 school, operated by St. Eustachius Catholic Church.

The city is also home to the New Madrid County Library.