Saint Francois County | |
|---|---|
 St. Francois County Courthouse in Farmington | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Missouri | |
 Missouri's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 37°46′55″N 90°25′20″W / 37.781944444444°N 90.422222222222°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Missouri |
| Founded | December 19, 1821 |
| Named for | St. Francis River |
| Seat | Farmington |
| Largest city | Farmington |
| Area | |
| • Total | 455 sq mi (1,180 km2) |
| • Land | 452 sq mi (1,170 km2) |
| • Water | 2.8 sq mi (7 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 66,922 |
| • Density | 150/sq mi (57/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
St. Francois County (/ˈfrænsɪs/ FRAN-siss) is a county in the Lead Belt region in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 66,922.[1] The largest city and county seat is Farmington.[2] The county was officially organized on December 19, 1821. It was named after the St. Francis River. The origin of the river's name is unclear. It may refer to St. Francis of Assisi.[3] Another possibility is that Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit who explored the region in 1673, named the river for the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier; Marquette had spent some time at the mission of St. François Xavier before his voyage and, as a Jesuit, was unlikely to have given the river a name honoring the Franciscans.[4]
St. Francois County comprises the Farmington Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the St. Louis–St. Charles–Farmington–Illinois Combined Statistical Area.
- ^ "QuickFacts St. Francois County, Missouri; United States". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Eaton, David Wolfe (1918). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 358.
- ^ St. Francois County, Missouri Place Names Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Western Historical Manuscript Collection