West Plains, Missouri
Encyclopedia
West Plains is a city in Howell County
, Missouri
, United States
. The population was 10,866 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Howell County
. The West Plains Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Howell County.
, the city has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²), of which 12.4 mi2 is land and 0.04 mi2 (0.16%) is water.
, that a truck full of dynamite parked in the garage below might have caused the explosion.
of 2000, there were 10,866 people, 4,518 households, and 2,909 families residing in the city. The population density
was 879.0 people per square mile (339.4/km²). There were 5,072 housing units at an average density of 410.3 per square mile (158.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.72% White, 0.73% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races
, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 4,518 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,122, and the median income for a family was $30,369. Males had a median income of $24,705 versus $17,312 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,019. About 15.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
. Private schools include: Faith Assembly Christian School (PK-12) and Ozarks Christian Academy.
Howell County, Missouri
Howell County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 40,400. The largest city and county seat is West Plains...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 10,866 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Howell County
Howell County, Missouri
Howell County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 40,400. The largest city and county seat is West Plains...
. The West Plains Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Howell County.
Geography
West Plains is located at 36°44′14"N 91°51′54"W (36.737355, -91.864991). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²), of which 12.4 mi2 is land and 0.04 mi2 (0.16%) is water.
West Plains Dance Hall Explosion
West Plains was the site of a disaster remembered in folksong. On April 13, 1928, about sixty young people had gathered in the Bond Dance Hall, on the second floor of an East Main Street building (the ground floor was occupied by Wiser Motors). At 11:05 p.m., as the orchestra played "At Sundown," a violent explosion occurred. Thirty-seven people were killed and 22 more were injured. Twenty of the dead were never positively identified. They were buried in a mass grave at Oak Lawn Cemetery, where they are memorialized by the Rock of Ages monument, erected October 6, 1929. The origin of the explosion was never ascertained; it was suspected that the cause was leaking gasoline from the garage below. Windows were shattered throughout the Halstead block, and the heat, combined with subsequent explosions, twisted cars on the street out of shape. The nearby West Plains Courthouse was so badly damaged by the explosion that it had to be vacated and demolished. Robert Neathery, a lifelong resident of West Plains who died at the age of 96 in 2003, wrote in his 1994 book, West Plains as I Knew ItWest Plains as I Knew It
West Plains as I Knew It is a 1994 book by Robert Neathery about the history of West Plains, Missouri. The book covers the time period between the 1820s and 1994. Neathery died in September 2003....
, that a truck full of dynamite parked in the garage below might have caused the explosion.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,866 people, 4,518 households, and 2,909 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 879.0 people per square mile (339.4/km²). There were 5,072 housing units at an average density of 410.3 per square mile (158.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.72% White, 0.73% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 4,518 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,122, and the median income for a family was $30,369. Males had a median income of $24,705 versus $17,312 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,019. About 15.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
K-12 Public education is provided by the West Plains R-7 School DistrictWest Plains R-7 School District
- Schools :* West Plains Elementary School * West Plains Middle School * West Plains High School * South Central Career Center * South Fork Elementary...
. Private schools include: Faith Assembly Christian School (PK-12) and Ozarks Christian Academy.
Notable residents
- Ha Ha TonkaHa Ha TonkaHa Ha Tonka is a band originally formed in Springfield, Missouri and currently signed to Bloodshot Records out of Chicago, Illinois. Named after Ha Ha Tonka state park in southern Missouri, their music is steeped in Ozark folk, bringing the passion, spirituality, hardships, and roots of the people...
, an indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band founded in Springfield, MissouriSpringfield, MissouriSpringfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, but three members were raised in West Plains. - Jan HowardJan HowardLula Grace Johnson , known professionally as Jan Howard, is an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry star. She attained moderate success as a country female vocalist during the 1960s and early 1970s...
Born Lula Grace Johnson March 13, 1930, country and western singer. - Preacher RoePreacher RoeElwin Charles Roe was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals , Pittsburgh Pirates , and Brooklyn Dodgers .-Early years:...
Born Elwin Charles Roe (February 16, 1916 – November 9, 2008), major league baseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
left-handed pitcher for the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
and Brooklyn DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. - Stephen W. ThompsonStephen W. ThompsonStephen W. Thompson was an American aviator of World War I, and the first person in the U.S. Military to shoot down an enemy aircraft .-Early life:...
(March 20, 1894 – October 9, 1977), credited with the first aerial victory by the U.S. military. - Dick Van DykeDick Van DykeRichard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
(b. December 13, 1925 in West Plains, but raised in Danville, Illinois), actor. - Porter WagonerPorter WagonerPorter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
(August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007), country and western singer. - Daniel WoodrellDaniel WoodrellDaniel Woodrell is an American writer of fiction. He has written eight novels, most of them set in the Missouri Ozarks. Woodrell coined the phrase "country noir" to describe his 1996 novel Give Us a Kiss...
(b. March 4, 1953), crime fictionCrime fictionCrime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
novelist (Woe to Live On, Winter's Bone). - Bill VirdonBill VirdonWilliam Charles Virdon is a former outfielder, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. A premier defensive outfielder during his playing days as a center fielder for the St...
born June 9, 1931 in Michigan, graduated from WPHS. Outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. 1955 National League Rookie of the Year.
See also
- National Audio Theatre FestivalNational Audio Theatre FestivalThe National Audio Theatre Festivals, Inc. is a US-based organization sponsoring a yearly, five-day workshop on radio drama, voiceover and the audio arts, as well as other special training. Participants take classes on subjects such as voiceover and voice acting, audio engineering, Foley and...
, an annual conference and group of performances frequently held in West Plains, and including local participants. In past years, an audio play was written around the events in the city.
External links
- City of West Plains
- Chamber of Commerce
- West Plains Public Library
- Historic maps of West Plains in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...