Tightwad is a village in Henry 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. Its population was 64 at the 2010 United States Census. Tightwad is located along

Missouri Route 7 Route 7 is a state highway with its northern terminus at U.S. Route 24 in northeast Independence and its southern terminus at Interstate 44 southeast of Richland (near the town of Laquey which it doesn't quite reach). The section bet ...

History and name

Tightwad was originally called Edgewood, for the woods near the original town site. The village's unusual name is said to stem from an episode in which a store owner cheated a customer, who was a postman, by charging him an extra 50 cents for a better watermelon. Some sources claim the transaction involved a rooster rather than a watermelon. Due to its proximity to

Truman Reservoir The Harry S. Truman Dam and Reservoir, also known as Truman Lake, is located in the state of Missouri, United States. It is located between Clinton and Warsaw, on the Osage River and extends south to Osceola. The dam is located in Benton C ...

, Tightwad saw some limited growth starting in the mid-1980s. As of 2010, the village's business district included a bank (see below), café, tavern, and convenience store. As of April 2019, the bank is now closed and is being used for personal use.

Geography

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

Demographics

The median income for a household in the village was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $35,417 versus $30,625 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 village was $18,981. There were no families and 16.7% of the population living 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 no under eighteens and 21.4% of those over 64.

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 69 people, 31 households, and 18 families residing in the village. 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 36 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.6%

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 ...

and 1.4% from two or more races, although it's unclear whether everyone was accounted for in this Census. There were 31 households, of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% 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, 3.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.9% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age in the village was 53.5 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 2.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.8% were from 25 to 44; 30.4% were from 45 to 64; and 29% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2020 census

As of the

of 2020, there were 58 people, and 35 households, 13 of which were married couple households, 13 were cohabiting, 6 were male, no spouse/partner with 5 of those being 65 or older, 3 were female, no spouse/partner, of which 1 was over 65. 3 households had people 18 years, 22 had people 65 or older. 4 children enrolled in school, 3 in elementary schools, one in college or graduate school.

Tightwad Bank

The first Tightwad Bank opened in 1984 as a branch of the Citizens Bank of Windsor (

Windsor, Missouri Windsor is a city in Henry and Pettis counties, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,901 at the 2010 census. History Windsor was laid out in 1855, and originally known as Belmont. Its name was changed to Windsor in 1859, after Windsor ...

) at first housed in a portable trailer then eventually a one-story brick building still in use today.(Now currently out of business) Publicity over the unusual name eventually led to deposits totalling over $2 million. However an expected business boom from nearby

never materialized and the bank fell victim to armed robbery twice in the 1990s. Thus in November 2006, UMB, the bank's owner at the time, announced that the Tightwad branch bank would close, and accounts would be shuffled to UMB locations in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

and

Clinton, Missouri Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Missouri, Henry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 9,174 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Clinton was laid out in 1836. The city was named for Ne ...

.
In May 2008, Tightwad Bank was reopened under new ownership, as an FDIC insured institution. The bank was a full-service branch of the former Reading State Bank,

Reading, Kansas Reading is a city in Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 181. History For millennia, the land that is currently Kansas was inhabited by Native Americans. In 1803, the United States sec ...

. To capitalize on the notoriety of the unusual name, the Reading location's name was changed to Tightwad Bank as well. "We're seeking the customers with a sense of humor", admitted bank co-owner Donald Higdon in a 2008 interview with ''The Washington Post''. In 2010 the two locations of Tightwad Bank reported combined deposits of over $20 million (US). As of July 2018 Tightwad Bank in Tightwad Missouri is closed.

References

{{authority control Villages in Henry County, Missouri Populated places established in 1984 Villages in Missouri