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Festus, Missouri

17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1915 and the latest in 1985. It stands in River View Township. It lies in ZIP code area 63028. The Survey maps it on the Festus quadrangle. 12,706 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 427 feet above sea level.

Festus within Jefferson County

On record in Festus

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Festus grew from 11,602 to 12,706 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201011,602
202012,706+1,104 (+10%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 17 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

37 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 37 fires within 5 miles of Festus between 1997 and 2020, burning about 49 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning16
Missing data/not specified/undetermined14
Recreation and ceremony3
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Equipment and vehicle use1
Arson/incendiarism1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
3 September 2011Debris and open burning1.0 acresMissouri Department of Conservationnot named
22 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMissouri Department of Conservationnot named
7 August 2020Debris and open burning1.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resources62220
30 June 2006Debris and open burning1.0 acresMissouri State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
2 April 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.2 acresMissouri Department of Conservation178419-05039-04022019-1627
14 April 2013Recreation and ceremony1.5 acresMissouri Department of Conservationnot named
1 April 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMissouri Department of Conservationnot named
9 March 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMissouri Department of Conservationnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Jefferson County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 35 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 35 workings within 5 miles of Festus: 26 past producers, 8 producers, 1 plant. 9 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Lead, Silica, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
(Facility) Herculaneum SmelterLead, SmelterPlant
Crystal City Sand PlantSand and Gravel, Construction, SilicaProducer
Selma Quarry Ls & Ss & PlantStone, Crushed/Broken, ClayProducer
Unknown - Lead & ZincLead, ZincPast Producer
Unknown - S&GSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown - S&GSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Festus Pit & PlantSilicaPast Producer
Martin Marietta Sand PitSilicaProducer
Unimin MineSilicaProducer
Unimin PlantSilicaProducer

Every working recorded in Jefferson County

Storms near this place

43 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Festus in 43 storm reports between 1994 and 2023: 27 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 3 lightning, 2 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2001LightningFestus$15,000Lightning struck the Danby-Rush Tower Middle School south of Festus causing considerable to the telephone system. The strike apparently came in through the telephone lines and and knocked out the computerized switchboard. Other parts of the computer system were also damaged.
April 1994HailFestus$5,000County officials reported golf ball-size hail southwest of Festus.
April 1994HailFestus$5,000The public reported golf ball-size hail but reported damage was minor, limited to mainly automobiles.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindFestus-Trained spotter reported an estimated 60 mph wind gust on I-55 just south of Exit 175.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindFestus-Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees in a small residential area and throughout Sunset Park in Festus. Some siding was also removed from a home. Damage appears to be from a microburst.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindFestus-Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and power lines, as well as numerous large tree limbs.
March 2006Tornado (F3)Festus-The second Jefferson County tornado first formed about 9:42 pm CST about 8.5 miles south southeast of Festus, near Interstate 55 where it sheared off the tops of several trees. The tornado then hit a small subdivision on the east side of the highway destroying three homes. The tornado crossed Highway 61 and destroyed another home and caused one minor injury. The tornado continued northeast causing minor to moderate damage to homes and outbuildings. At it approached the Mississippi River, the tornado blew down two high power electric transmission towers. It then crossed the river into Monroe County Illinois. The Jefferson County portion of the tornado track was about 3.1 miles with a maximum width of 200 yards and a F3 rating.
March 2006Tornado (F0)Festus-The first of three tornadoes from a supercell thunderstorm occurred about 9 miles south of Festus on the north side of Route TT were several trees were blown over.
May 2006HailFestus-Golfball sized hail was reported at the intersection of I-55 and Hwy 61.
August 2006HailFestus-Amateur radio spotters reported 1 inch hail.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindFestus-Thunderstorm wind gusts downed some large tree limbs and power lines. A couple of mobile homes at a mobile home sales lot were also damaged.
August 2006LightningFestus-A mobile home at a mobile home sales lot was destroyed by a fire started by a lightning strike. A home nearby was also struck by lightning resulting in a fire in the attic causing extensive damage.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindFestus-Thunderstorm wind gusts downed some tree limbs resulting in power outages in Festus and surrounding areas. About 4000 people lost power for about 5 hours.
November 2005LightningFestus-A lightning strike knocked down a 12 foot section of a concrete block retaining wall at a home in rural Festus. The strike also damaged an electric transformer and the electrical systems of 3 homes in the area.
March 2003HailFestus-The Missouri Highway Patrol reported 1 inch hail.
May 1995HailFestus-Reported by local media and the county sheriff's department.
February 2023HailFestus-no account filed
October 2019HailFestus-no account filed
May 2016HailFestus-no account filed
July 2013HailFestus-no account filed
September 2012HailFestus-no account filed
April 2011Thunderstorm WindFestus-no account filed
April 2011HailFestus-no account filed
June 2011HailFestus-no account filed
April 2011HailFestus-no account filed
June 2010HailFestus-no account filed
April 2007HailFestus-no account filed
April 2007HailFestus-no account filed
April 2007HailFestus-no account filed
March 2006HailFestus-no account filed
May 2006HailFestus-no account filed
May 2005Thunderstorm WindFestus-no account filed
November 2005HailFestus-no account filed
June 2004Thunderstorm WindFestus-no account filed
May 2003HailFestus-no account filed
May 2003Flash FloodFestus-no account filed
May 2002Thunderstorm WindFestus-no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindFestus-no account filed
April 2001HailFestus-no account filed
April 2000HailFestus-no account filed
May 1996HailFestus-no account filed
December 1996HailFestus-no account filed
April 1996HailFestus-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Jefferson County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Crystal City0.9 miles17
Ludwig1.6 miles17
Silica1.9 miles17
Bailey1.9 miles17
Munsons2.7 miles25
Donnell3.4 miles17
Herculaneum3.4 miles25
Horine3.5 miles25

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on FestusAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q966396The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 736296. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.