Mansfield is a city in Wright 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 1,296 at the 2010 census.

History

Mansfield 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 Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1882 by F. M. Mansfield, and named for him. A post office called Mansfield has been in operation since 1882.

Geography

Mansfield is located in the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...

on the south edge of the

Salem Plateau Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

. The community is served by

US Route 60 U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia. The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...

and

Missouri Route 5 Missouri Route 5 is the longest state highway in Missouri and the only Missouri state highway to traverse the entire state. It is part of a three state, 650 mile highway 5. To the north, it continues into Iowa as Iowa Highway 5 and to the south ...

. The town sits on the

drainage divide A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...

between the White River

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

to the south and the Missouri River tributaries to the north. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

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 1,296 people, 568 households, and 322 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 646 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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.5%

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 ...

, and 0.8% 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 0.9% of the population. There were 568 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% 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, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.3% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the city was 38.1 years. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,349 people, 564 households, and 354 families living in the city. The

was 859.0 people per square mile (331.8/km²). There were 632 housing units at an average density of 402.4 per square mile (155.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.3%

, 0.2%

, 0.8% Native American, 0.3%

, and 1.4% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.6% of the population. There were 564 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were

living together in Mansfield, Mo 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present 37.1% were classified as "non-families" (a U.S. census term for one individual living alone, or a group of individuals who are not all related by blood, marriage, or adoption). 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,875, and the median income for a family was $27,734. Males had a median income of $27,143 versus $15,216 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 $11,303. About 20.9% of families and 24.2% 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 29.8% of those under age 18 and 33.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in Mansfield is administered by Mansfield R-IV School District. Mansfield has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Public Library.

Notable people

In 1894,

Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, mostly known for the ''Little House on the Prairie'' series of children's books, published between 1932 and 1943, which were based on her childhood ...

, along with her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

moved from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

to Mansfield. They remained in the area for the next 60 years and established Rocky Ridge Farm, a large, successful poultry, dairy, and fruit farm on the outskirts of town. Today, their unique 10-room farmhouse is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

, and the home of the

Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum The Laura Ingalls Wilder House is a historic house museum at 3060 Highway A in Mansfield, Missouri. Also known as Rocky Ridge Farm, it was the home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder from 1896 until her death in 1957. The author of the ''Little Hous ...

, which attracts thousands of visitors to Mansfield each year. The Wilders also lived for a time in the Rock House purchased for them by their daughter Rose. As a young man, future actor

Ken Osmond Kenneth Charles Osmond (June 7, 1943May 18, 2020) was an American actor and police officer. Beginning a career as a child actor at the age of four, Osmond played the role of Eddie Haskell on the late 1950s to early 1960s television situation come ...

, of '' Leave It to Beaver'', was a neighbor of the Wilders. File:Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Mansfield, MO IMG 1758.JPG, Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Mansfield File:LauraIngallsWilder-RockyRidgeFarm-MansfieldMO.JPG, Rocky Ridge Farm File:Rock House, Mansfield, MO IMG 1756 (2).JPG, Rock House at Wilder complex

References

External links

Mansfield, Missouri website

Mansfield, Missouri Chamber of Commerce

Official website of the Bakersville Pioneer Village, a reconstructed late 19th-century village strip located at Baker Creek Farm just north of Mansfield

Official website of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum, a local tourist attraction
* Historic maps of Mansfield 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 Wright County, Missouri Cities in Missouri