Cooter is a city in Pemiscot County,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, United States. The population was 343 at the 2020 census.

History

According to Houck's History of Missouri, the town of Cooter was named in 1854 for the Coutre (pronounced "Coo-Tra") family, headed by Frenchman Portell Coutre of

New Madrid, Missouri New Madrid ( ; ) is a city in New Madrid County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,787 at the 2020 census. New Madrid is the county seat of New Madrid County. The city is located 42 miles (68 km) southwest of Cairo, Illinois, a ...

. In 1942, an auxiliary airfield was constructed on the west side of the city as part of Blytheville Army Airfield. In August 1946, the airfield was closed with the declaration of the main air base as surplus property by the War Assets Administration. At the time, doubt was expressed by local leaders that the field would be developed into a municipal airport.

Geography

Cooter is located in the southeast corner of the

Missouri Bootheel The Missouri Bootheel is a Salient (geography), salient (protrusion) located in the southeasternmost part of the U.S. state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30′ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the sta ...

Missouri Route E A supplemental route is a state secondary road in the U.S. state of Missouri, designated with letters. Supplemental routes were various roads within the state which the Missouri Department of Transportation was given in 1952 to maintain in addit ...

1.5 miles east of

I-55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

. The Missouri-

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

border is three miles to the south and the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

lies six miles east. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 469 people, 175 households, and 133 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 191 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.87%

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

, 1.92%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, and 0.21% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population. There were 175 households, of which 45.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were

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

living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.0% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the city was 35.5 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.1% were from 25 to 44; 22.9% were from 45 to 64; and 12.4% 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 440 people, 176 households, and 118 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 200 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.18%

, 0.45%

, 0.68%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.23% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), ...

, and 0.45% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population There were 176 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $32,955. Males had a median income of $26,429 versus $18,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,267. About 16.1% of families and 20.6% 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 18.8% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the Cooter R-IV School District.
Text list
/ref> Three Rivers College's service area includes Pemiscot County.

Notable people

Marvin Childers Marvin Lynn Childers (born 1961) is an attorney from Little Rock, Arkansas, who is the president and chief lobbyist of the interest group, the Poultry Federation, which serves producers in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. A Republican, Childer ...

, member of the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

from Blytheville,

, from 2001 to 2006; lawyer and poultry industry

lobbyist Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

; reared on a diversified farm near Cooter *

Greg Razer Greg Razer is an American politician who served in the Missouri House of Representatives for the 25th district from 2017 to 2021 and in the Missouri Senate from 2021 to 2024. In 2020, he was elected to serve the 7th District in the Missouri Sena ...

, member of the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

; former Deputy Regional Director for U.S. Senator

Claire McCaskill Claire Conner McCaskill (; born July 24, 1953) is an American former politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019 and as State Auditor of Missouri, state auditor of Missouri from 1999 to ...

References

{{Authority control Cities in Pemiscot County, Missouri Populated places established in 1854 1854 establishments in Missouri