West Plains, Missouri West Plains, Missouri West Plains City Hall (2017) West Plains City Hall (2017) Location inside Howell County and Missouri Location inside Howell County and Missouri Named for Location on a prairie west of the nearest town West Plains is a town/city in Howell County, Missouri, United States.
1.2.1 West Plains Dance Hall Explosion The history of West Plains can be traced back to 1832, when settler Josiah Howell (after whom Howell County is named) created the first settlement in the region known as Howell Valley.
West Plains was so titled because the settlement was on a prairie in a westerly direction from the nearest town, Thomasville. and Ed Smith Building, and West Plains Bank Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The locale of West Plains led to nearly constant conflict due to the adjacency to what was then the border between the Union and Confederacy.
West Plains was largely burned to the ground, and Howell County as a whole was devastated.
No primary battles occurred in West Plains or Howell County, but much of the devastation came from constant guerrilla warfare.
An overwhelming majority of Howell County inhabitants chose to flee, and over 90% of the populace had fled by the time the war was over. Many, however, also chose to fight for the Confederacy, as Mc - Bride promised to protect his soldiers' property and loved ones.
Although Howell County was in Union-controlled Missouri, it was easily inside Confederate control due to its position on the Arkansas border.
As was the case with many other locations, the Great Depression hit West Plains in the 1930s.
The first bank to fail in West Plains was the Farmers Savings Bank in West Plains about 1926, and the lack of the present-day Federal Deposit Insurance Company meant that some citizens initially lost whatever richness was deposited.
West Plains Dance Hall Explosion On April 13, 1928, for reasons still unknown, a violent explosion occurred in downtown West Plains.
The explosion was reported to be felt for miles, even in Pomona, which is approximately ten miles from West Plains.
The explosion also damaged the close-by Howell County Courthouse so badly that it was vacated and left until late 1933, when it was completed by the Civil Works Administration. 37 citizens were killed in the explosion, and 22 citizens were injured.
In addition, the late West Plains native Robert Neathery explained in his 1994 book, West Plains As I Knew It, that a truck including dynamite parked in the garage may have been the cause, indirectly part of a crime in which someone shot Wiser and set a fire to cover up the crime, and the dynamite exploded. The event is fictionalized in the short novel The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell, which is about a similar dance hall explosion in the fictional town of West Table. On Friday evening, April 2, 1982, a long-track F4 tornado hit the West Plains area, beginning in Ozark County and ending near what was the airport at the time.
Many homes and businesses were decidedly damaged or leveled by the tornado, which killed 3 and injured at least 28 as it hit the West Plains Country Club and close-by homes, as well as businesses positioned on U.S.
The downtown region of West Plains, namely Court Square, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 17, 2003. The Downtown Revitalization Economic Assistance for Missouri (DREAM) Act also opened up funding for renovations and improvements for certain downtown buildings.
West Plains is positioned at 36 44 14 N 91 51 54 W (36.737355, 91.864991). According to the United States Enumeration Bureau, the town/city has a total region of 13.33 square miles (34.52 km2), of which, 13.31 square miles (34.47 km2) is territory and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water. West Plains is characterized by four distinct seasons and is positioned near the northern border of a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), as defined by the Koppen climate classification system; as such, West Plains tends to be exceptionally humid in the late summer.
On average, there are 41 days with highs over 90 F (32 C), three with highs over 100 F (38 C), 13 days where the temperature does not rise above freezing, and 2 evenings of sub-0 F ( 18 C) lows.
Climate data for West Plains (West Plains Regional Airport), 1981 2010 normals The West Plains Micropolitan Travel Destination consists of Howell County.
The median age in the town/city was 36.7 years.
In the city, the populace 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.
West Plains municipal government is based on the mayor-council system.
According to town/city code, the town/city council consists of four councilmembers and the mayor, who presides over each meeting.
Councilmembers are propel by the town/city to four-year terms with no term limits. As of August 28, 2012, the mayor of West Plains is Jack Pahlmann, who was previously the mayor pro-tem of West Plains.
Pahlmann took the place of longtime West Plains mayor Joe Paul Evans, who died from heart enigma ten days before. On April 7, 2015, Pahlmann was propel as mayor after running unopposed. See also: West Plains R-7 School District Public schools are provided by the West Plains R-7 School District, providing education to more than 2,000 students.
West Plains Elementary School (Pre - K-4) West Plains Middle School (5 8) West Plains High School (9 12) In addition, some parts of the immediate region surrounding West Plains are veiled by non-urban schools.
After eighth grade, students from the non-urban schools may merge into West Plains High School.
Private education is also provided in the West Plains area, primarily by theological institutions.
Private schools in the West Plains region include the following: There is one college studies institution positioned in West Plains.
Missouri State University West Plains is a improve college spread athwart the center of town.
The West Plains region is served by U.S.
63 is a four-lane expressway from the 60/63 interchange near Cabool to Route ZZ in the extreme southeastern part of West Plains, then becomes a 2+1 road going southeast.
West Plains is also served by U.S.
Route 160, which formerly ran southwest to northeast through the city; it has since been rerouted around the town/city concurrent with U.S.
Preacher Roe Boulevard, titled after longtime West Plains resident and former baseball player Preacher Roe, has four lanes to its intersection with U.S.
63 to Gibson Avenue, where it turns right crossing Porter Wagoner Boulevard and becoming Missouri Avenue, a left onto Concord Road, and a right onto Independence Dr, which becomes Joe Jones Boulevard, after which the route exits town/city limits and carries traffic on a two-lane route toward Alton.
Routes 63 and 160, West Plains is also served by Routes 14 and 17 and Routes K, CC, JJ, PP, ZZ, AB, and BB.
Main article: West Plains Regional Airport West Plains is also served by the West Plains Regional Airport, which is positioned in close-by Pomona, about 10 miles north of the town/city on U.S.
West Plains Public Library West Plains City Pool (locally known as simply "the Pool") West Plains Civic Center (home of Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies sporting affairs as well as various other affairs including concerts of up-and-coming stars, as well as being the chief site of the annual Bluegrass Old Time Music Festival) Zizzer Stadium (home of West Plains High School Zizzer Football and nationally and state-ranked Zizzer Cross Country) Soccer Fields (host of West Plains Optimist Club soccer) West Plains is served by a several media outlets.
In addition to receiving most tv stations coming from Springfield, one low-power tv station emanates from West Plains, as do eight airways broadcasts.
The town/city also has one daily newspaper, the West Plains Daily Quill.
West Plains Daily Quill, formerly the West Plains Weekly Quill, established in 1885.
West Plains is served by a several airways broadcasts.
The Ozark Radio Network, which is owned by Robert Neathery's granddaughter and her husband, covers Dent, Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon, Texas, and Wright counties as well as adjoining sections of Christian, Taney, and Webster counties in Missouri and Baxter, Fulton, Izard, Marion, Searcy, Sharp, and Stone counties as well as adjoining sections of Boone, Independence, Lawrence, and Randolph counties in Arkansas.
Also positioned in West Plains are: Egbert Brown (1816-1902), Union general in the American Civil War, died in West Plains.
Dick Van Dyke (b.1925), actor, born in West Plains, raised in Danville, Illinois.
Bill Virdon (b.1931), Major League Baseball player and manager, graduated from West Plains High School.
Ha Ha Tonka, an indie modern band established in Springfield, Missouri, but three members were raised in West Plains.
National Audio Theatre Festival, an annual conference and group of performances incessantly held in West Plains, and including small-town participants.
How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named.
State Historical Society of Missouri.
"Missouri Places Roster, 2009 2010" (PDF).
"Jack Pahlmann is new mayor of West Plains".
The State Historical Society of Missouri.
West Plains Weekly Quill.
West Plains, Missouri.
West Plains: 1930 to 1970.
"The West Plains Explosion (song)".
West Plains as I Knew It.
West Plains Daily Quill.
West Plains, Missouri.
"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015".
United States Enumeration Bureau.
"West Plains, MO Code of Ordinances".
"Howell County Election Results".
Howell County, Missouri.
City of West Plains West Plains Public Library Missouri State University-West Plains Historic maps of West Plains in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri Municipalities and communities of Howell County, Missouri, United States
Categories:
Cities in Howell County, Missouri - County seats in Missouri
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