Gladstone, Missouri

Gladstone is a city in Clay County, Missouri, founded in 1952 and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. Like nearby North Kansas City, the city of Gladstone is now completely surrounded by Kansas City. Prior to 1952 this area was known as Linden. The population was 26,365 at the 2000 census. The city's informal nickname is Happy Rock, and there is a Happy Rock Park near the northeastern city limits on Old Antioch Road. The city is served by the Mid-Continent Public Library system and the North Kansas City School District. The city was hit hard by at least one tornado in the early morning hours of May 2, 2008.

Geography
Gladstone is located at 39.21167°N, -94.56167°W (39.211752, -94.561687). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (20.7 km²), all of it land. The city is connected to nearby North Kansas City and Kansas City proper by Routes 1 and 269 as well as nearby U.S. Route 169, which sits less than a mile from the city's western border. I-29 runs near the city's southern-most tip shortly after its initial break from I-35. A handful of small subdivisions maintain independent municipalities along Route 269, which is also known as North Oak Trafficway, host to most of the area's shopping.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,365 people, 11,484 households, and 7,384 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,297.2 people per square mile (1,272.4/km²). There were 11,919 housing units at an average density of 1,490.6 per square mile (575.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.25% White, 2.05% African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.56% of the population.

There were 11,484 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,333, and the median income for a family was $55,128. Males had a median income of $40,114 versus $27,429 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,105. About 3.1% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

 * Melana Scantlin, Miss Missouri USA 2002 and Average Joe star
 * Jerry Nolte, artist and representative to the Missouri state legislature