St. Joseph, Missouri

St. Joseph, Missouri
City
Downtown St. Joseph, the Missouri River, and the Pony Express Bridge viewed from King Hill
Robidoux Row
Pony Express Museum
Jesse James Home Museum
Buchanan County Courthouse
Missouri Theater
Missouri Western State University
Nickname(s): 
St. Joe; The City Worthwhile
Motto(s): 
"Where the Pony Express started and Jesse James ended."
Location of St. Joseph in Missouri
US Census map
St. Joseph
Location within Missouri
St. Joseph
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 39°45′29″N 94°50′12″W / 39.75806°N 94.83667°W / 39.75806; -94.83667
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
CountyBuchanan, Andrew
Incorporated1843 (1843)
Named afterJoseph Robidoux IV and Saint Joseph
Government
 • MayorJohn Josendale
Area
 • Total
44.82 sq mi (116.09 km2)
 • Land44.04 sq mi (114.05 km2)
 • Water0.79 sq mi (2.04 km2)
Elevation889 ft (271 m)
Population
 • Total
72,473
 • Estimate 
(2024)
71,098
 • Density1,645.77/sq mi (635.43/km2)
DemonymSt. Josephian
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
64501-64508
Area codes816, 975
FIPS code29-64550
GNIS feature ID2396498[2]
Websitewww.stjosephmo.gov

St. Joseph is a city mostly in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County.[4] Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Buchanan, Andrew, and DeKalb counties in Missouri and Doniphan County, Kansas. As of the 2020 census, St. Joseph had a total population of 72,473, making it the 8th most populous city in the state, and the 3rd most populous in Northwest Missouri.[5] St. Joseph is located roughly thirty miles north of the Kansas City, Missouri, city limits and approximately 125 miles (201 km) south of Omaha, Nebraska.

The city was named after the town's founder Joseph Robidoux and the biblical Saint Joseph.[6] In the nineteenth century, it was the death place of American outlaw Jesse James. It was also the starting point of the Pony Express serving the West. Today, St. Joseph is home to Missouri Western State University, which enrolls over 3,800 students.[7]

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: St. Joseph, Missouri
  3. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024". Retrieved May 21, 2025.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "Population Estimates: 2000-2007". US. Census Bureau. 2007. Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  6. ^ "Missouri Place Names". Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  7. ^ "College Navigator - Missouri Western State University". nces.ed.gov. National Center for Education Statistics.