▁city ▁is ▁situated ▁upon ▁the ▁S ik eston ▁R idge ▁which ▁runs ▁north ▁and ▁south ▁from ▁ ▁north ▁of ▁S ik eston ▁through ▁New ▁Madrid . ▁Prior ▁to ▁ 1 9 2 7 , ▁the ▁New ▁Madrid - S ik eston ▁R idge ▁Le vee ▁was ▁constructed ▁to ▁protect ▁the ▁area ▁from ▁flo oding ▁from ▁the ▁Mississippi ▁River . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 0 s , ▁the ▁Little ▁River ▁D rain age ▁District ▁was ▁formed ▁to ▁d rain ▁the ▁low ▁land ▁area ▁west ▁of ▁the ▁S ik eston ▁R idge . ▁By ▁ 1 9 3 1 , ▁the ▁le vee ▁construction ▁had ▁created ▁the ▁New ▁Madrid ▁flo od way . ▁ ▁Dem ograph ics ▁▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁census ▁As ▁of ▁the ▁census ▁of ▁ 2 0 1 0 , ▁there ▁were ▁ 1 6 , 3 1 8 ▁people , ▁ 6 , 7 4 9 ▁households , ▁and ▁ 4 , 3 2 6 ▁families ▁res iding ▁in ▁the ▁city . ▁The ▁population ▁density ▁was ▁. ▁There ▁were ▁ 7 , 2 8 9 ▁housing ▁units ▁at ▁an ▁average ▁density ▁of ▁. ▁The ▁ra cial ▁make up ▁of ▁the ▁city ▁was ▁ 6 9 . 9 5 % ▁White , ▁ 2 6 . 2 0 % ▁Black ▁or ▁African ▁American , ▁ 0 . 1 5 % ▁Native ▁American , ▁ 0 . 8 5 % ▁Asian , ▁ 0 . 0 4 % ▁Native ▁Hawai ian ▁or ▁Pacific ▁Island er , ▁ 0 . 8