Ava is the only incorporated city in Douglas County,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States. The population was 2,894 at the 2020 census. Ava is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Douglas County. The city was founded in 1871. It was renamed ''Ava'' in 1881, the town's original name having been "Militia Springs."

Geography

Ava is located in the southern portion of the Missouri Ozarks within the southern escarpment of the Salem Plateau. The lakes of the White River basin of northern

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

and southern

lie to the south. The town is at the intersection of Missouri highways 5, 14 and 76.

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

is 13 miles to the north and Gainesville is approximately 30 miles south. Elevation of the town varies from .''Ava, Missouri,'' 7.5 minute Topographic Quad., USGS, 1982 According to the

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, the city has a total area of , all land. Ava is home to co-owned radio stations KKOZ 1430 AM and KKOZ 92.1 FM.

History

The area was settled during the 1830s and Douglas County was incorporated in 1857, with Vera Cruz as

. In 1864, the town of Militia Springs was founded and became the new county seat in 1870. The town was platted in 1871 and renamed Ava in 1881, although not incorporated until 1908. Militia Springs was the location of an encampment of Union soldiers or Missouri Militia during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. During and after the Civil War, a dispute was ongoing regarding the county seat between Vera Cruz to the east and Arno to the west. In 1871, the citizens of Militia Springs built a

court house A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-sp ...

building and moved the records there as a compromise. However, the building was burned and then rebuilt of hand hewn timbers rather than logs and re-opened in January 1873. The court house was burned again in 1886 and replaced in 1888.Marian M. Ohman, ''Missouri Courthouses, Douglas County,'' University of Missouri Extension Division
/ref> The current court house on the southeast corner of the town square was constructed in 1937. Ava Fox Trot

In 1910 the Kansas City, Ozark and Southern Railroad was extended from Mansfield south to Ava to serve the growing agricultural and lumbering industries of Douglas County. The railroad remained in operation until 1935. Militia Springs 02

A city park, ''Militia Springs Park,'' was established in 2004 along Prairie Creek on North Spring Street. The location is the approximate site of the Civil War era military encampment. It has a play area and pavilion. The Missouri Fox Trotter association was organized in Ava in 1948 and the annual shows are held at the association's property, just north of Ava. The Ava Ranger Station Historic District is listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 2,993 people, 1,296 households, and 753 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,494 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.2%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 1,296 households, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.9% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 40.8 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 22.6% were from 45 to 64; and 22.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.4% male and 55.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,021 people, 1,350 households, and 764 families living in the city. The

was 973.0 people per square mile (376.3/km²). There were 1,493 housing units at an average density of 480.9 per square mile (186.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.79%

, 0.13%

, 0.66% Native American, 0.43%

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.36% of the population. There were 1,350 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were

living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,331, and the median income for a family was $28,228. Males had a median income of $25,865 versus $16,324 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $13,307. About 16.0% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 25.8% of those age 65 or over. Ava High School 2

Education

Ava R-I School District operates one elementary school, one middle school, and Ava High School. The town has a lending library, the Douglas County Public Library.

References

External links

City of Ava website
* Historic maps of Ava in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

{{Authority control Cities in Douglas County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Cities in Missouri 1871 establishments in Missouri