St. Joseph, Missouri

St. Joseph (informally St. Joe) is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. 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 2010 census, St. Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state, third largest in Northwest Missouri. The metropolitan area had a population of 127,329 in 2010.

St. Joseph is located on the Missouri River. It is perhaps best known as the starting point of the Pony Express and the death place of Jesse James; the rapper Eminem was born here as well. St. Joseph is also home to Missouri Western State University.

History

St. Joseph was founded on the Missouri River by Joseph Robidoux, a local fur trader, and officially incorporated in 1843. In its early days, it was a bustling outpost and rough frontier town, serving as a last supply point and jumping-off point on the Missouri River toward the "Wild West". It was the westernmost point in the United States accessible by rail until after the American Civil War.