Excelsior Springs is a city in Clay and Ray counties in the U.S. state of Missouri and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. The population was 10,553 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately northeast of central Kansas City, Missouri.

Geography Excelsior Springs is located along the East Fork Fishing River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Excelsior Springs city, Missouri – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)10,03010,0469,22392.47%90.64%87.40%Black or African American alone (NH)3582991693.30%2.70%1.60%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4972530.45%0.65%0.50%Asian alone (NH)3653400.33%0.48%0.38%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)4710.04%0.06%0.01%Other race alone (NH)424430.04%0.22%0.41%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1652146331.52%1.93%6.00%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2013693911.85%3.33%3.71%Total10,84711,08410,553 100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Excelsior Springs had a population of 10,553, 4,326 households, 2,784 families, and a population density of .

The median age was 39.3 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males age 18 and over.

93.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 7.0% lived in rural areas.

Of the 4,326 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 42.0% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 4,727 housing units, of which 8.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.7%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 9,340 88.5% Black or African American 177 1.7% American Indian and Alaska Native 64 0.6% Asian 40 0.4% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1 0.0% Some other race 126 1.2% Two or more races 805 7.6%

Income and poverty The 2016–2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $60,735 (with a margin of error of +/- $8,455) and the median family income was $69,142 (+/- $7,336). Males had a median income of $42,236 (+/- $7,353) versus $29,330 (+/- $3,387) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $35,210 (+/- $4,632). Approximately, 5.6% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under the age of 18 and 11.1% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 11,084 people, 4,278 households, and 2,836 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,771 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.6% White, 2.8% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.

There were 4,278 households, of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.99.

The median age in the city was 36.6 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 10,847 people, 4,079 households, and 2,777 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,426 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.29% White, 3.36% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.85% of the population.

There were 4,079 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,657, and the median income for a family was $46,284. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $22,336 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,718. About 7.3% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

This location had a major incident during the historic march of Zion's Camp in 1834 when a contingent of about 200 Mormon believers, marching to rescue their brethren in Jackson County, faced an angry mob of more than 300. Near two forks of Fishing River, a terrible fight was about to start when a severe thunderstorm rolled in suddenly and put the mob to flight. Zion's Camp was able to move forward unharmed. Historical markers to the incident are located nearby.

1880s to 1910s The town was founded because of the natural spring water that gushed from the depths of the earth. The spring was accidentally discovered in 1880 by a Black farmer, Travis Mellion, when his daughter Opal fell ill with scrofula, a form of cervical tuberculosis. He asked for advice from nearby campers, and they suggested the spring that oozed from the bank of the Fishing River. Water was brought to his daughter and in a few weeks, her health improved noticeably, and she eventually recovered. A log-cabin farmer, Frederick Kugler, also begin to treat his rheumatic knees and a recurring sore from a Civil War wound, and he soon recovered.

Rev. John Van Buren Flack traveled there in 1880 after hearing about the medicinal values of the spring water. The spring belonged to land owner Anthony W. Wyman. After Flack investigated the water sources, he advised Wyman to have the land platted, water analyzed, and to begin advertising the cures the water held. Flack built a home on a tract that Wyman had platted and opened the town's first dry goods store and the first church. The spring was named Excelsior after a popular Longfellow poem, which later changed to Siloam.

On August 17, 1880, Flack and Wyman partnered together to form the community of Excelsior. The post office at the time denied that town name, as there was already one in southern Missouri, so it was named Vigniti. The city kept the name until 1882, when it was renamed Excelsior Springs.

Within one year, nearly two hundred households were built in the valley and the nearby hillsides. The springs proved successful and brought many new people to the area, who camped out in tents or in covered wagons. On February 7, 1881, the town received the designation of village. On July 12, 1881, the community was incorporated as a fourth class city, bringing several hotels, boarding houses, churches, schools, an opera house, livery stables, and stores.

In 1881, a second mineral spring was found by Captain J.L. Farris, first called Empire Spring but renamed Regent Spring. A third, Relief Spring, was discovered at the basin in the Fishing River. Many springs were soon discovered in the area, the most prominent being the Relief, Superior, and Saratoga springs. A pump was installed at the Siloam Spring, and steps from Broadway Street and the city's first hotel, the Excelsior, were constructed. Soon a small wooden bridge was built over the Fishing River to an undeveloped peninsula used for visitors to relax while exploring the spring. No city in Missouri had boomed as much as Excelsior Springs had in its first year.

The city's first hotel, the Excelsior, was built with a foundation of , and locals wondered if a hotel that size would ever be filled to capacity. The Excelsior opened on March 1, 1881, and quickly filled with many visitors seeking the medicinal waters, including from St. Louis, St. Joseph, Kansas City, and Leavenworth. The hotel led until the first Elms Hotel was built and opened in 1888.

In 1887, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad extended its line from Chicago to Kansas City via Excelsior Springs. This brought a larger influx of visitors to the growing city. By this time, the Relief Springs and Land Company had been formed primarily to advertise and pique the interest of outsiders. The company acquired of land surrounding the city and the Fishing River. The historic Elms Hotel's foundation was soon poured. The Music Hall, a state-of-the-art theater for the time, was built nearby with a seating capacity of 1,320 people. An amusement pavilion was erected but was soon changed into a bottling works facility. A larger pavilion with benches and hooks for cups was placed at Siloam Spring where visitors could partake in the water; soon these mugs became stained by the high iron content of the water. Partnered with the Milwaukee Railroad, the city began to advertise their resort status nationwide. In 1897, the city received its first telephone service.

Discovery of new waters continued around the area. W.P. Mason of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute analyzed them. His finding reported the Siloam and Regent spring waters to have bicarbonates of iron and manganese, a rare combination that had only been found in four springs in the entire continent of Europe, and Excelsior Springs held the only two known in the United States. The rarity of having 20 separate mineral springs within the area gave Excelsior Springs the reputation of having the world's greatest collection of mineral waters.

Other minerals found in the springs were Saline-Sulphur, Soda-Bicarbonate, and Calcic-Bicarbonate (also known as Lithia). Mineral water resorts of the time rarely held such variety, most only mineral water baths, but Excelsior Springs held four distinct types of treatment within the region of tonic, alternative, and eliminative treatments, along with the mineral water baths. The city received international attention in 1893 at the Chicago's World Fair when medals were awarded for the iron-manganese water from the Regent Spring and Soterian ginger ale.

In October 1893, more train service was installed with the opening of the Sulpho-Saline route connecting to the Wabash Railroad. Fires destroyed the Excelsior Hotel and the Elms Hotel, leaving only boarding houses to take in visitors. Plans were soon drawn for the rebuilding of the Elms Hotel. The "Second" Elms Hotel was finished in 1908, but was soon destroyed again by fire. The third and present-day Elms Hotel was constructed in 1912. Also built were the Wholf's Tavern (later renamed Royal Hotel) and Snapp Hotel (later renamed Oaks Hotel). By 1909, the growing city had 14 modern hotels and about 200 boarding and rooming houses.