Moniteau

Formed February 14, 1845 (85^th county)

Moniteau County (15,477), California (4,497)

The red brick Second Empire and Italianate facility was erected in 1868.  The courthouse is on a square at West, Main, East, and North streets.  United States Highway 50 passes nine blocks south of the site.  The building features white domes and wooden floors.  It was remodeled in 1905 and 1934.  William Vogdt was the architect.  The county was formed on February 14, 1845 from parts of Cole and Morgan counties as the 85^th county with California as the only county seat.  The county is named for the river which is French for a Native American god, “Great Spirit.”  The county seat is reported to be named for settler California Wilson or for the California Territory. 

Moniteau County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Three Circuit Court Judges serve Moniteau, Camden, Laclede, Miller, and Morgan counties and One County Court Judge serves Moniteau County.  The county is in central Missouri.  Kansas City, Missouri is west and Saint Louis, Missouri is east of the county.  The Missouri River forms its northeast border.  The county center is 2.4 miles West-Northwest of California.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Boone, Cole, Miller, Morgan, and Cooper counties. 

The area of the county is 417 square miles.  It is 107 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 67 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 37.1 persons per square mile making it 48 out of 115 in the state.  Moniteau County has 51.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 50 crosses the county east to west from Cole County to Morgan County.  The county is shaped like the capital letter J.  California is in the eastern third of the county.  California is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 29.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced MON-I-TOE.  This county is in the Jefferson City Metropolitan Statistical Area.