Belton is a city in northwestern Cass County,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, United States. The population was 23,116 at the 2010 census.

History

Belton was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1871. The city was likely named for surveyor Capt. Marcus Lindsey Belt. A post office called Belton has been in operation since 1872.

Geography

Belton is located in northwest Cass County and is four miles from the Missouri-

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

border. The city is on Missouri Route 58 west of I-49/ U.S. Route 71. Raymore lies four miles to the east, Peculiar is seven miles to the southeast along Route 71 and Grandview is five miles to the north in Jackson County. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2013, there were 23,175 people, 8,623 households, and 6,083 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 9,440 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 6.0%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 3.7% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 8.1% of the population. There were 8,623 households, of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age in the city was 33.6 years. 28.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 10.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 21,730 people, 7,945 households, and 5,807 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 8,411 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.95%

, 3.85%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

, 0.60% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.09%

, 1.08% from other races, and 1.85% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.69% of the population. There were 7,945 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were

living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.15. The population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $45,581, and the median income for a family was $51,268. Males had a median income of $35,518 versus $25,542 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,572. About 6.5% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Largest employers

According to the city's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Education

Belton School District #124 includes most of Belton. It operates six elementary schools, two middle schools, and Belton High School. A portion of eastern Belton is in the Raymore-Peculiar School District. Belton has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamen ...

, a branch of the Cass County Public Library.

Notable people

* Dale Carnegie, author of ''How to Win Friends and Influence People'' (parents moved to community when he was adult but he is buried in Belton) * Emmett Dalton, of the bank-robbing Dalton Gang * Ben Hardaway, storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer, and director during the

Golden Age of American animation The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the late 1960s, where theatrical animated shorts began losing popularity to the ...

. *

Kevin Hern Kevin Ray Hern (born December 4, 1961) is an American businessman and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Republican, he is a member of the United States House of Representatives for . He was first elected in 2018. Hern was ranked number 7 ...

, businessman and member of the U.S. House of Representatives for

Oklahoma's 1st congressional district Oklahoma's 1st congressional district is in the northeastern corner of the state and borders Kansas. Anchored by Tulsa, it is largely coextensive with the Tulsa metropolitan area. It includes all of Tulsa, Washington and Wagoner counties, an ...

* Carrie Nation, leader of

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

* Tate Stevens, 2012 winner of '' The X Factor'' * Harry S. Truman, 33rd

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

Sister Cities

* Manzanillo, Mexico * Selkirk, Canada

References

External links

City of Belton
* Historic maps of Belton in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

{{authority control Cities in Cass County, Missouri Cities in Kansas City metropolitan area 1871 establishments in Missouri Cities in Missouri