Buffalo is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Dallas County,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') 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 border ...

, United States. The population was 3,290 at the 2020

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

. Buffalo is part of the

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Buffalo was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1841, and named after a Buffalo Skull marker that was erected at the (now) 65 and 32 highway intersection, the native home of a first settler. A post office called Buffalo has been in operation since 1846.

Geography

The city is located in west central Dallas County, approximately 2.5 miles west of the Niangua River. The city is served by U.S. Route 65 and Missouri state routes 73 and 32. Bolivar is about 18 miles to the west and Marshfield is about 22 miles to the southeast. Springfield lies 28 miles to the south-southwest along Route 65. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

Buffalo is the home to the Dallas County R-I School District. The school district includes a service area that includes students from western Laclede, southern Dallas, and eastern Polk counties. The school district includes an elementary school in Buffalo (Dillard A. Mallory Elementary). Buffalo Prairie Middle School, Buffalo High School, and the Dallas County Technical Center are all part of the school district. The mascot for Dallas County R-I Schools is the Bison (commonly named Buffy). The school district is part of the Central Ozarks Conference (COC) and currently has an enrollment of approximately 1,800 students grades K-12.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 3,084 people, 1,266 households, and 760 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,518 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 1.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 1,266 households, of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.4% 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 2.30 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 37.9 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 20.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,781 people, 1,213 households, and 702 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,367 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.91%

, 0.29%

, 0.72% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population. There were 1,213 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were

living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,632, and the median income for a family was $26,179. Males had a median income of $24,306 versus $16,397 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $11,942. About 25.9% of families and 28.9% 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 ...

, including 50.4% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Much of the economy of Buffalo is related to agriculture, government, education, and healthcare.

Top employers

Major employers include Dallas County R-1 Schools, Dallas County government, the City of Buffalo, Wood's Supermarket, O'Bannon Bank, and Bank of Urbana.

Government

Buffalo was a Fourth class (population less then 3,000) city in 2016. Buffalo city government has a mayor and six aldermen. Buffalo provides municipal water and sewer and contracts for refuse service.

Education

The Dallas County R-1 School District serves Buffalo and surrounding areas. Approximately 1700 students attend 4 schools, including Mallory Elementary, Buffalo Prairie Middle School, Dallas County Technical Center, and Buffalo High School. The town has a lending library, the Dallas County Library.

Recreation

Buffalo has two large city parks. The city also features an extensive network of trails and sidewalks connecting Buffalo Prairie Middle School to the south across town to the new city park to the north. Buffalo features numerous opportunities within the city for recreation including Buffalo Bowl, several restaurants, and various street festivals throughout the year. Nearby Missouri Department of Conservation areas include the Barclay Conservation Area, Bennett Spring Access, Bennett Spring Fish Hatchery, Goose Creek Conservation Area, and Lead Mine Conservation Area. Recreational resources in the area include Pomme de Terre Lake and various theaters, shopping and other entertainment in Bolivar, Springfield and the Lake of the Ozarks area.

Sports

In 2015, the Lady Bison high school basketball team competed in the Final 4 at state competition. In 2020 they won a football district championship.

Arts and culture

Buffalo has for years hosted the Southwest Missouri Celtic Heritage Festival & Highland Games. Buffalo annually hosts the Buffalo Art Walk and Craft Fair.

Transportation

Highways

Buffalo is served by U.S. Route 65 which connects the city with Branson, Springfield, Warsaw, and Sedalia. Missouri Route 32 carries traffic from El Dorado Springs, Stockton, Fair Play, Bolivar, Lebanon, Lynchburg and other communities. Missouri Route 73 connects Buffalo to U.S. Route 54 in Camden County.

Airport

The Buffalo Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located 1.2 miles (1.9 km) north of Buffalo's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

Notable people

* Hugh Alexander, baseball player * Marion Tinsley Bennett, US Congressman, 1943-1949 * Philip Allen Bennett, Missouri Senator and Lt. Governor, US Congressman *

Miranda Maverick Miranda Rachelle Maverick (born July 1, 1997) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She competed in Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division of the Invicta Figh ...

, fighter in the flyweight division of the UFC * James B. Potter, Jr., Los Angeles City Council member, 1963–71 * Terry D. Scott, 10th Master Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Navy * Dallas Willard, Christian philosopher and author.

References

External links

City of Buffalo

Buffalo Reflex newspaper

Dallas County R-I School District

Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce
* Historic maps of Buffalo in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the

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

{{authority control Cities in Dallas County, Missouri County seats in Missouri Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri Cities in Missouri