Plato was officially named the United States’ mean center of population by the U.S. Census Bureau at a news conference Thursday.
Director Robert M. Groves said the exact center is 2.7 miles northeast of Plato during an announcement from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Groves said he had spoken to a chairman of Plato’s city board earlier in the day and congratulated him. Groves said a special marker would be erected at the location in April or May.
“I congratulate Plato and look forward to going out there and having a special celebration,” Groves said.
The center of population moved 23.4 miles from Edgar Springs in 2000. It’s the fourth straight decade the center of population has been in Missouri.
Groves pointed out that Plato’s population is 109 and consists of 95 percent white and non-hispanics.
“It doesn’t exactly look like the rest of the United States,” he said.
In a news release, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said she was proud the mean center of the nation remained in Missouri’s eighth congressional district.
“I think it is in many ways fitting that the center falls right in the middle of the Heartland,” Emerson said. “Our congressional district is a patriotic place, we are home to strong communities, we place a high value on public service and to me, we represent the very heart and soul of our nation.
“No matter where you live in America, you would find a warm welcome if you came to Plato and sat down for coffee in the morning.”
Texas County’s population was announced as 26,008. Missouri’s population is just under six million at 5,988,927.
The Census Bureau said the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2010, was 308,745,538.
Earlier: Texas County is expected to be in the nation’s spotlight Thursday as the U.S. Census Bureau releases the country’s population center. The point is expected to be in or near Plato in northwest Texas County.
U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves will make the announcement at about 1 p.m. at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
The news has put the spotlight on the Village of Plato, population 109. In recent days, the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch conducted interviews in the county. Earlier, Connecticut Public Radio devoted a segment to the news.
The story was featured on the front page of the St. Louis publication one day last week under the headline, “At the center of it all. Missouri town may soon be named new population midpoint.”
The buzz began in late December with a Wikipedia entry for “Mean center of U.S. population,” which listed Plato as the new census center. A few days later a story ran in the Houston Herald and interested media outlets followed.
At issue is the United States center of population, which has made a migration southwesterly over the years. The point currently is at Edgar Springs in Phelps County.
As Michael Ratcliffe, assistant chief of the census bureau’s geography division told the St. Louis newspaper, “If I had to guess, it would be in that area (Plato) or maybe a bit more toward Springfield, Mo.”
Added Ratcliffe, “When we calculate it, I think we’ll find it’s very close to Plato. I don’t think there needs to be any broken hearts.”
Jennifer Smits, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, told the Herald on Tuesday that the world will know at 1 p.m. Thursday.
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