Saint Joseph, city, seat of Buchanan County, northwestern Missouri, on the Missouri River; incorporated as a city 1885. It is a trade, processing, and shipping center of a livestock-breeding and grain- and tobacco-producing area. In addition to agricultural products, manufactures include animal health products, fabricated metal, chemicals, electrical equipment, paper goods, and hats. Missouri Western State College (1915) is here. The community is named for the patron saint of its first settler, Joseph Robidoux, a French-Canadian who established a trading post here in 1826. The community grew as a starting point for westward emigration and was (early 1860s) the eastern terminus of the Pony Express (a notable Pony Express museum is in the city). Jesse James, the outlaw, was killed here in 1882. The city is frequently called Saint Joe. Population 76,691 (1980); 71,852 (1990); 73,990 (2000).
