A post office called Oak Grove has been in operation since 1840, but the town was originally called Lickskillet. The city was not platted until 1878. It was named for a grove of oak trees near the original town site.
On March 6, 2017, just before 9:00 pm CDT, a tornado touched down near the western edge of Oak Grove and tracked eastward across the city. 483 houses and 12 businesses were damaged, particularly between 25th and Broadway Streets across the southern part of the city. A total of fifteen people suffered injuries, but remarkably there were no fatalities. Communications were lost and power was knocked out to many areas. The National Weather Service rated the tornadoEF3. Missouri Governor Eric Greitens declared a state of emergency for the area, and traveled to Oak Grove on March 7, where he visited first responders and tornado victims.
Geography
Oak Grove is located at . 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 7,795 people, 2,791 households, and 2,068 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 2,990 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 94.7% White, 1.1% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population. There were 2,791 households of which 44.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couplesliving together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.1% 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 2.76 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age in the city was 32.4 years. 30.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.3% were from 25 to 44; 20.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,535 people, 1,944 households, and 1,479 families living in the city. The population density was 1,140.3 people per square mile. There were 2,016 housing units at an average density of 415.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 97.07% White, 0.25% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 0.76% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.66% of the population. There were 1,944 households out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.21. In the city the population was spread out with 31.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,952, and the median income for a family was $49,136. Males had a median income of $35,644 versus $25,238 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,738. About 8.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
