Editing Seneca, Missouri

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Seneca, Missouri
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Downtown Seneca.jpg
|imagesize                = 200px
|image_caption            = Downtown Seneca
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map = Newton_County_Missouri_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Seneca_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Seneca, Missouri
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Missouri]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Missouri|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Newton County, Missouri|Newton]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=August 28, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 6.63
|area_land_km2            = 6.63
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 2.56
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.56
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 2230
|population_density_km2   = 336.46
|population_density_sq_mi = 871.43
| population_blank1_title = [[Demonym]]
| population_blank1 = Senecan or Senecanian

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 948
|coordinates              = {{coord|36|50|40|N|94|36|34|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 64865
|area_code                = [[Area code 417|417]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 29-66674<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2396574<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2396574}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
}}
'''Seneca''' is a city in western [[Newton County, Missouri|Newton County]], [[Missouri]], United States. The population was 2,336 at the 2010 census. Located on the southwestern border of the state, the city is part of the [[Joplin, Missouri]] [[Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

==History==
Seneca was [[plat]]ted by European Americans in 1869, following the [[American Civil War|Civil War]].<ref name="Eaton, David Wolfe 1917 https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ/page/n106 335">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ | title=How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named | publisher=The State Historical Society of Missouri | author=Eaton, David Wolfe | year=1917 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ/page/n106 335]}}</ref> The city was named for the [[Seneca people|Seneca Nation]], one of the Six Nations of the [[Iroquois League]], or ''[[Haudenosaunee]]'', who had been historically based in New York and south of the Great Lakes.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_newton.html | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624071754/http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_newton.html | archivedate = June 24, 2016 | url-status = live | title=Newton County Place Names, 1928–1945 | publisher=The State Historical Society of Missouri| access-date= November 22, 2016}}</ref>

In the 1830s, many of the [[Seneca people]] still in the East had been pushed west of the Mississippi River into [[Indian Territory]], which included parts of present-day Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. "This tribe was moved to the Indian Territory not many miles west of town.  The word is a corruption of the Dutch word ''"Sinnekaas,"'' a term applied to them."<ref name="Eaton, David Wolfe 1917 https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_RfAuAAAAYAAJ/page/n106 335"/>

A post office called Seneca has been in operation since 1869.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=MO&county=Newton| title=Post Offices| publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=22 November 2016}}</ref>

Several houses in the rural northern Seneca area were destroyed by a tornado on May 10, 2008 in the [[Mid-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence]]. An EF4 tornado hit the county, killing 13 people.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/12/america/Severe-Weather-Optional.php  Pollution may have indirectly saved lives in Okla. town]; May 12, 2008; ''[[International Herald Tribune]];'' Retrieved May 12, 2008</ref> ''[[The Early Show]]'' broadcast their national weather report from the city on the following Monday morning.

On the one- year anniversary of the tornado, Bill Lant, owner of Lant's Feed and Country Store, unveiled a memorial for the people who had died in the disaster. He had donated the plot of land and memorial, and had the memorial built next to his store.

==Geography==
Seneca is located on [[Lost Creek (Spring River)|Lost Creek]], approximately one-quarter mile from the Missouri-[[Oklahoma]] state line. [[Missouri Route 43]] passes through the town and [[U.S. Route 60 in Missouri|U.S. Route 60]] passes just south of the location. [[Neosho, Missouri|Neosho]] is about ten miles east, along Route 60.<ref>''Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer'', DeLorme, 1998, First edition, p. 60, {{ISBN|0-89933-224-2}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.56|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2012-07-08|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archivedate=2012-01-25}}</ref>

Seneca is located in Lost Creek Valley, five miles upstream from the [[Grand Lake of the Cherokees]] and five miles downstream from the quaint Old Settlers town of [[Racine, Missouri|Racine]]. The [[Frisco Railroad]] (now Burlington-Northern) runs through this valley.

Prior to 1959, highway traffic to and from [[Oklahoma]] largely followed [[U.S. Route 60 in Missouri|US 60]] through Seneca. US 60 joins the more famous [[U.S. Route 66 in Missouri|U.S. Route 66]], approximately 15 miles west of Seneca.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=
|1870= 285
|1880= 380
|1890= 1101
|1900= 1043
|1910= 981
|1920= 1104
|1930= 1063
|1940= 1091
|1950= 1195
|1960= 1478
|1970= 1577
|1980= 1853
|1990= 1885
|2000= 2135
|2010= 2336
|2020= 2230
|align-fn=center
|footnote=[https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census]
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2012-07-08}}</ref> of 2010, there were 2,336 people, 877 households, and 612 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|912.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 962 housing units at an average density of {{convert|375.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 85.3% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 8.0% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.4% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Race (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.4% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 5.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 877 households, of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.13.

The median age in the city was 35.3 years. 28.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 21.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 2,135 people, 820 households, and 575 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,231.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 876 housing units at an average density of {{convert|505.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 88.99% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.09% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 6.56% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.23% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.09% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.33% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.70% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.12% of the population.

There were 820 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,441, and the median income for a family was $37,566. Males had a median income of $28,264 versus $19,662 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $14,525. About 8.8% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Public education in Seneca is administered by Seneca R-VII School District.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.senecar7.com | title=Homepage | publisher=Seneca R-VII School District | accessdate=5 June 2019}}</ref>

Seneca has a [[public library]], the Seneca Branch Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.publiclibraries.com/missouri.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610012728/http://www.publiclibraries.com/missouri.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=10 June 2017 | title=Missouri Public Libraries | publisher=PublicLibraries.com | accessdate=5 June 2019}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Scott Elbert]] - Pitcher for the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]]
* [[Steve Gaines]] - Guitarist for [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]]
* [[Cassie Gaines]]- Backup singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd; sister of Steve Gaines
* [[Little Britches (outlaw)|Little Britches]] - Female bandit, associated with [[Cattle Annie]], resided in Seneca during her girlhood in the 1880s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ranchdivaoutfitters.com/cattleannielittlebritches.html|title=Cattle Annie & Little Britches, taken from Lee Paul|publisher=ranchdivaoutfitters.com|accessdate=December 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117175134/http://www.ranchdivaoutfitters.com/cattleannielittlebritches.html|archive-date=2012-01-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Morris Watts]] - Former assistant football coach at [[Michigan State University]]

==Photo gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Bridge Over Creek 01.jpg|Bridge over Lost Creek, taken from Oneida Street.
Image:Seneca MO City Hall.jpg|Seneca, Missouri City Hall. Note veterans monument in lower left-hand corner.
Image:Seneca Old Schoolhouse.jpg|Old Schoolhouse behind City Hall.
Image:Welcome to Seneca.jpg|Sign welcoming people to Seneca, on MO 43.
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* Historic maps of Seneca in the [http://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu/mu/islandora/object/mu%3A138961 Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection] at the [[University of Missouri]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131013222920/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ Census map]

{{Newton County, Missouri}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Newton County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Joplin, Missouri, metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in Missouri]]
[[Category:Seneca]]