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Ozark County
County
Ozark County Courthouse in Gainesville
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°39′N 92°26′W / 36.65°N 92.44°W / 36.65; -92.44
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	January 29, 1841
Named for	Ozark Mountains
Seat	Gainesville
Largest city	Gainesville
Area
• Total	755 sq mi (1,960 km)
• Land	745 sq mi (1,930 km)
• Water	10 sq mi (30 km)  1.4%
Population
• Total	8,553
• Density	11/sq mi (4.4/km)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.mogenweb.org/ozark/

Ozark County is a county in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,553. The largest city and county seat is Gainesville. The county was organized as Ozark County, named after the Ozark Mountains, on January 29, 1841. It was renamed Decatur County, after Commodore Stephen Decatur, from 1843 to 1845, after which the name Ozark County was restored.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 755 square miles (1,960 km), of which 745 square miles (1,930 km) is land and 10 square miles (26 km) (1.4%) is water. Arkansas is located to the south of Ozark County.

Adjacent counties

• Douglas County (north)
• Howell County (east)
• Fulton County, Arkansas (southeast)
• Baxter County, Arkansas (south)
• Marion County, Arkansas (southwest)
• Taney County (west)

Major highways

• U.S. Route 160
• Route 5
• Route 95
• Route 142
• Route 181

National protected area

• Mark Twain National Forest (part)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,542 people, 3,950 households, and 2,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5.0 people/km). There were 5,114 housing units at an average density of 7 units per square mile (2.7/km). The racial makeup of the county was 97.57% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Approximately 0.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Among the major first ancestries reported in Ozark County were 28.6% American, 15.9% German, 12.1% English, and 11.4% Irish.

There were 3,950 households, out of which 26.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.10% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 22.80% from 25 to 44, 28.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,508, and the median income for a family was $36,622. Males had a median income of $21,685 versus $17,312 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,302. About 16.10% of families and 21.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.80% of those under age 18 and 17.20% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives County Membership Report (2000), Ozark County is a part of the Bible Belt with evangelical Protestantism being the majority religion. The most predominant denominations among residents in Ozark County who adhere to a religion are Southern Baptists (25.79%), Churches of Christ (24.83%), and Pentecostals (17.07%).

2020 Census

Education

Of adults 25 years of age and older in Ozark County, 73.0% possesses a high school diploma or higher while 8.3% holds a bachelor's degree or higher as their highest educational attainment.

Public schools

• Thornfield R-I School District - Thornfield - (K-08)
• Lutie R-VI School District - Theodosia
  • Lutie Elementary School (K-06)
  • Lutie High School (07-12)
• Gainesville R-V School District - Gainesville
  • Gainesville Elementary School (K-06)
  • Gainesville High School (07-12)
• Dora R-III School District - Dora
  • Dora Elementary School (K-06)
  • Dora High School (07-12)
• Bakersfield R-IV School District - Bakersfield
  • Bakersfield Elementary School (PK-05)
  • Bakersfield High School (06-12)

Public libraries

Gainesville Library

Politics

This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (April 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Local

The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Ozark County. Republicans hold all but one of the elected positions in the county.

State

All of Ozark County is a part of Missouri's 155th District in the Missouri House of Representatives and is represented by Travis Smith (R-Dora).

All of Ozark County is a part of Missouri's 33rd District in the Missouri Senate and is currently represented by Carla Eslinger (R-Wasola).

Federal

Ozark County is included in Missouri's 8th Congressional District and is currently represented by Jason T. Smith (R-Salem) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to finish out the remaining term of U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-Cape Girardeau). Emerson announced her resignation a month after being reelected with over 70 percent of the vote in the district. She resigned to become CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative.

Political culture

Like most counties situated in Southwest Missouri, Ozark County is a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. George W. Bush carried Ozark County in 2000 and 2004 by convincing two-to-one margins. Like many other rural counties throughout Missouri, Ozark County favored John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008. No Democratic presidential nominee has won Ozark County in over 150 years.

Like most rural areas throughout the Bible Belt in Southwest Missouri, voters in Ozark County traditionally adhere to socially and culturally conservative principles which tend to influence their Republican leanings. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it overwhelmingly passed Ozark County with 82.18 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it narrowly failed in Ozark County with 51.07 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research. Despite Ozark County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes like increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Ozark County with 76.94 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri with 78.99 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage.

Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)

In the 2008 presidential primary, voters in Ozark County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally. Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas) received more votes, a total of 766, than any candidate from either party in Ozark County during the 2008 presidential primary.

Communities

City

• Gainesville (county seat)

Villages

• Bakersfield
• Theodosia

Census-designated places

• Pontiac
• Sundown
• Wasola

Unincorporated communities

• Almartha
• Brixey
• Dora
• Dugginsville
• Elijah
• Foil
• Hammond
• Hardenville
• Howards Ridge
• Isabella
• Longrun
• Lutie
• Mammoth
• Noble
• Nottinghill
• Ocie
• Rockbridge
• Romance
• Souder
• Sycamore
• Tecumseh
• Thornfield
• Trail
• Udall
• Willhoit
• Zanoni

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ozark County, Missouri

References

1. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Disappearing Missouri Names". The Kansas City Star. March 19, 1911. p. 15. Retrieved August 15, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
8. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
9. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
11. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Ozark County, Missouri".
12. "Missouri House of Representatives District 155". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
13. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
14. Brandt, Maxwell; ‘A Few Lists of 2008 Election Results’

External links

• Digitized 1930 Plat Book of Ozark County Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine from University of Missouri Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books

v t e Places adjacent to Ozark County, Missouri
Douglas County Douglas County Howell County Taney County Ozark County, Missouri Howell County Marion County, Arkansas Baxter County, Arkansas Fulton County, Arkansas

v t e Municipalities and communities of Ozark County, Missouri, United States
County seat: Gainesville
City	Gainesville
Villages	Bakersfield Theodosia
Townships	Barren Fork Bayou I Bayou II Big Creek Bridges Dawt Jackson Jasper Lick Creek Longrun Noble Nottinghill Pine Creek Pontiac Richland Spring Creek Thornfield West Bridges
CDPs	Pontiac Sundown Wasola
Other communities	Almartha Brixey Dawt Dora Dugginsville Elijah Fay Foil Hammond Hardenville Howards Ridge Isabella Locust Longrun Lutie Mammoth Noble Nottinghill Oak Mound Ocie Pondfork Prestonia Rockbridge Romance Sharp Souder Sycamore Tecumseh Thornfield Thuroy Toledo Trail Udall Willhoit Zanoni
Ghost towns	Althea Dillia Luna
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36°39′N 92°26′W / 36.65°N 92.44°W / 36.65; -92.44

• Missouri counties
• Ozark County, Missouri
• 1841 establishments in Missouri
• Populated places established in 1841