Fayette is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,688 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Howard County.  Fayette is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan statistical area.

History 
Fayette was made county seat in 1823. It was named for Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, who at the time was soon expected to pay a visit to the United States from France. It was incorporated in 1855.

The original Town of Fayette was first settled by Hiram Fugate and Hickerson Burnham. Each one gave 25 s of land for the location of the county seat. The town was surveyed and laid out in 1823 by Judge Alfred W. Morrison. He later became the sheriff and county judge. The original town layout formed a rectangle, about three blocks wide and seven blocks long with a public "square" in the center. It was divided into 150 [[wikt:lot}|]]s, with numbering beginning at the southeast corner of the square.

The four major streets bordered the square originally were named "First Main" (east side), "Second Main" (west side), "First Main Cross" (south side) and "Second Main Cross" (north side). In 1900, because of the confusion, the street names were changed to "Main", "Church", "Morrison", and "Davis", respectively.

It should be noted that the Fayette Square configuration is an example of the "Shelbyville Square", so called from its prototype in Shelbyville, Tennessee. This plan included a central courthouse and used the block of the grid plan to lay out the streets. The Shelbyville plan and other central courthouse plans were widely adopted in Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. "The Shelbyville Square quickly became the most frequent county seat plan in new counties in most states." The Shelbyville pattern became less popular 1900.

Geography
Fayette is located at  (39.145468, -92.686126).  According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which  is land and  is water.

Demographics

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,688 people, 949 households, and 509 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,097 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.5% White, 13.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 949 households of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them. married couples living together made up 36.9% , 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.4% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.85.

The median age in the city was 26.1 years. 16.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 32% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.9% were from 25 to 44; 19.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,793 people, 976 households, and 578 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,253.6 people per square mile (483.6/km²). There were 1,133 housing units at an average density of 508.5 per square mile (196.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.16% White, 18.33% African-American, 0.47% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 976 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them. In all 41.4% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families.  34.5% of all households were individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.79.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.9% under the age of 18, 28.2% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,276, and the median income for a family was $35,694. Males had a median income of $27,768 versus $20,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,451. About 9.1% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Fayette is home to Central Methodist University, a private 4-year accredited university. It was also home to the now-defunct Howard-Payne Junior College. In its public school system, Fayette has one elementary school (L. J. Daly), one middle school (W. N. Clark) and one high school (Fayette).

References

Other websites 
 Historic maps of Fayette in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri

Cities in Missouri
County seats in Missouri
1823 establishments in the United States
1820s establishments in Missouri