Monett is the most-populous city in Barry and Lawrence counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. The city 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, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

, just south of

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, T ...

between Joplin and Springfield. According to the 2024 census population estimate, the town is home to an estimated 10,108 individuals.

History

Southwest Missouri, including the area of what is now Monett, was inhabited by Native Americans of the

Osage Nation The Osage Nation ( ) () is a Midwestern Native American nation of the Great Plains. The tribe began in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 1620 A.D along with other groups of its language family, then migrated west in the 17th cen ...

until their forced removal to

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

Settlement: 1870-1900

Monett was created as a

railroad town A railway town, or railroad town, is a settlement that originated, or was expanded, as a result of a railway line being constructed there. North America During the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, temporary, ...

by the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway ("Frisco Line"), which was extended into the area in 1870, and a branch line going to

Paris, Texas Paris is a city and county seat of Lamar County, Texas, United States. Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods, the population of the city was 24,171 in 2020. History Present-day Lamar County was part of Red River ...

, was built. Both lines are still in existence and operated by the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

. During this time the area went through several names including Kings Prairie Depot, Plymouth, Plymouth Junction (when the southern branch was built in 1880), Gonten (named for the local

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

because the Post Service said there were other Plymouths); and finally, Monett in 1887 when the area was formally platted and the Monett name was applied to the post office. It was named for Henry Monett who was a popular general station agent for various railroads including the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad ("Nickel Plate Railroad") before becoming an agent for the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

shortly before his death at the age of 35 in 1888. Monett MO Presby PHS1028

The community was noted for being a rail town and had a Harvey House operating at the Frisco train station from 1896 until 1930. The community in the

Ozark Mountains 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, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

also had a thriving fruit business and was nicknamed the "Strawberry Capital of the Midwest." The Ozark Fruit Growers Association building, which was built in 1927, is part of the Downtown Monett Historic District and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The David W. Courdin House, Downtown Monett Historic District, and

Waldensian Church and Cemetery of Stone Prairie Waldensian Church and Cemetery of Stone Prairie (The Waldensian Presbyterian Church and Cemetery) is a historic Waldensian church located near Monett, Barry County, Missouri. History In 1875, the Monett congregation was among the first Wal ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. In 1894, a

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of i ...

and

race riot This is a list of ethnic riots by country, and includes riots based on Ethnic conflict, ethnic, Sectarian violence, sectarian, xenophobic, and Racial conflict, racial conflict. Some of these riots can also be classified as pogroms. Africa A ...

took place in Monett before the violence spread to Pierce City and other southwestern Missouri towns. Monett became a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...

, banning African Americans from living or staying there after dark, with a sign across the main street saying: "Nigger, don't let the sun go down." A newspaper in another Missouri town reported in 1906 that " Monett, Pierce City, Rogers, Ark., and several other towns around here have driven the negros out." When Pierce City drove out its African American population in an act of

ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, or religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making the society ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal such as deportation or population transfer, it ...

, the ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democra ...

'' said the town had been "Monettized".

20th century

From 1908 through 1911, Monett investors led by L. B. Durnil and U. S. Barnsley sought to build an airplane. Their most successful attempt was the DeChenne airplane. The DeChenne airplane gave its first public demonstration flight in Monett on July 4, 1911, flown by Monett pharmacist Logan McKee. It then made an exhibition tour in Oklahoma and Texas. The population had reached 4,177 by 1910, due in large part to the railroad and its roundhouse. By 1937, a promotional pamphlet reported that one out of eight people in Monett worked for the railroad. In a postwar industrialization effort, the Monett Industrial Development Corporation brought light industry to the town, further diversifying the local and broader economy. This diversification nearly doubled the population during the century, to 7,396 by 2000.

21st century

Through a combination of private investment and public resources, numerous restoration and revitalization projects have been undertaken in the historic downtown to restore its architectural quality, upgrade the infrastructure, drive local business success, and improve the quality of life. In 2018, Missouri Governor

Eric Greitens Eric Robert Greitens (born April 10, 1974) is an American businessman, author, former politician and former Navy SEAL, who served as the 56th governor of Missouri from January 2017 until June 2018, when he resigned that month amid allegations o ...

and Senator

Roy Blunt Roy Dean Blunt (born January 10, 1950) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he pre ...

announced an "Opportunity Zone" in Monett, allocating state and federal tax incentives for businesses that invest in the areas designated. In 2018, Monett adopted the

complete streets Complete streets is a transportation policy and design approach that requires streets to be planned, designed, operated and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of ...

policy, the 39th city in Missouri to do so.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 9,576 people, 3,246 households, and 2,193 families in Monett. The population density was 1,089.4 per square mile (420.6/km). There were 3,537 housing units at an average density of 402.4 per square mile (155.3/km). The racial makeup was 68.8% (6,588)

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 ...

, 0.29% (28) black or African-American, 1.99% (191) Native American, 3.94% (377) Asian, 0.46% (44)

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 ...

, 12.95% (1,240) from other races, and 11.57% (1,108) 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 was 32.4% (2,925) of the population. Of the 3,246 households, 35.5% had children under the age of 18; 46.9% were married couples living together; 28.9% had a female householder with no husband present. Of all households, 26.4% consisted of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.8 and the average family size was 3.3. 26.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 111.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 103.5 males. The 2016-2020 5-year

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates show that the median household income was $39,435 (with a margin of error of +/- $4,302) and the median family income was $45,522 (+/- $7,363). Males had a median income of $30,238 (+/- $2,467) versus $22,928 (+/- $3,920) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $26,624 (+/- $1,764). Approximately, 11.1% of families and 17.8% 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 23.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.2% of those ages 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

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 ...

of 2010, there were 8,873 people, 3,405 households, and 2,282 families residing 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 3,828 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.8%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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, 1.0% Asian, 0.1%

, 8.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 19.0% of the population. There were 3,405 households, of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the city was 34 years. 27.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 7,396 people, 2,904 households, and 1,916 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,130 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.45%

, 2.00%

, 0.82% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.11%

, 7.82% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. There were 2,904 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,764, and the median income for a family was $36,858. Males had a median income of $26,150 versus $18,211 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 $17,048. About 9.2% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the

, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Monett's economy is based on manufacturing, financial services, software, retail, and education. This community is driven primarily by its industrial sector. Several key businesses in town include Jack Henry & Associates, CoxHealth,

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation based in Springdale, Arkansas that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of broiler industry, chicken, beef, and pork after JBS ...

, Miracle Recreation Equipment Company,

Schreiber Foods Schreiber Foods Inc., is a dairy company which produces and distributes natural cheese, processed cheese, cream cheese, yogurt and beverages. It is an Employee-owned corporation, employee-owned customer brand dairy company headquartered in Green ...

, Hydro Aluminum, International Dehydrated Foods, Miracle, Architectural Systems Inc., EFCO, and WinTech. The town has seen rapid growth over the last two decades. More recently, heavy investment into Monett's Historical Downtown has brought new life to many businesses, and the area's cultural scene. Monett is a part of the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG), providing urban planning and economic development resources for the ten-county region around the

Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri The Springfield, Missouri, metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of five counties in southwestern Missouri, anchored by the city of Springfield, the state's third largest city. Other primary popu ...

Transportation

Highways

Monett is at the crossroads of U.S. Route 60 and Missouri Route 37, connecting the town to

and the metropolitan areas of Joplin, Springfield and

Northwest Arkansas Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozarks. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers, ...

Airport

The Monett Municipal Airport (HFJ) is a public-use airport, registering 18,100 aircraft operations annually in 2008. In the 2012 economic impact study conducted by the Missouri Department of Transportation, The Airport ranked 9th in the state of Missouri with a total output of 13.1 million dollars annually.

Railroads

Monett was once a thriving depot used by the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, today it is served by the

and the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad.

Education

Public

Monett is part of the Monett R-1 School District. The district has the following schools: * Monett High School * Scott Regional Technology Center * Monett Middle School * Monett Intermediate School * Central Park Elementary * Monett Elementary Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled (MSSD) is a state-operated program serving Missouri students with severe disabilities in the greater Monett area at: * Oakview State School K-12

Private

The private schools in Monett include Berean Christian Academy and St. Lawrence Catholic Elementary.

Higher education

Satellite campuses for

Drury University Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,590 undergr ...

and Cox College.

Library

Monett has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending 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 servic ...

, a branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library.

Culture

Southwest Missouri is a close collection of cities, towns, and communities in the heart of the

; the majority of these are located between the metropolitan areas of Joplin and Springfield and the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers area.

Entertainment and performing arts

*The Ozark Festival Orchestra is an independent and established orchestra residing in Monett for over 45 years. Performing various shows annually, their songs feature great works of classical, baroque, romantic, pop, and patriotic music. *Performing Arts Center (PAC) hosts performances by the Community Theatre, Ozark Festival Orchestra, and productions put on by Monett High School. *Starting in 2018, on the first Friday of each month from May to August, the town holds the "First on Front", on Front Street and Broadway; this remains a festival with live music, food trucks, and a beer garden.

Sports

*From 1936 to 1939, the Monett Red Birds played in the Arkansas-Missouri League, as a minor league affiliate of the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. *As a program, in 2018, the Monett High School Football team was inducted into the

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1994 by Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons, the Hall of Fame is housed in a two-story, 32,000-square-foot building. On display are more than 4,0 ...

, for being one of the most successful football programs in state history, from 1927 to the present day. The program has won three state championships in 1971, 1977, and 2016; this is in addition to 12 conference championships and 13 district titles since the state implemented a structured post-season.

Media

Hospitals

Cox Monett Hospital, part of CoxHealth, built in 2021

Notable people

* Linda Bartelsmeyer - Former member of the Missouri House of Representatives, 132nd district * Walter Bribeck - American Negro League First Baseman * Amber Cox - Chief Operation Officer & General Manager of the

Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Fever compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team was founded for ...

* Ginny Duenkel - (Ginny Fuldner) 1964 Olympic gold medalist and former Olympic record-holding swimmer * Erv Dusak - MLB baseball player, started career with Monett Red Birds *Jack Henry - founder of Jack Henry & Associates, S&P 500 financial services company headquartered in Monett * James B. Kring - University of Massachusetts & University of Florida entomology professor * Heinie Mueller - (Clarence Francis "Heinie" Mueller) MLB Baseball player, manager of the Monett Red Birds *

Phil Mulkey Philip Roy Mulkey (January 7, 1933 – September 17, 2022) was an American track and field athlete, primarily known for the multi-event decathlon. Mulkey was the second place American behind Rafer Johnson at the 1960 USA Outdoor Track and Fiel ...

- Track and Field athlete * Gary Nodler - Missouri State Senator 32nd District, Former Executive Director of the Monett Chamber of Commerce * Sally Shelton-Colby - U.S. Ambassador to

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

and Dominica * Howard F. Stone - Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army *

Titanic Thompson Alvin Clarence Thomas (November 30, 1893 – May 19, 1974), better known as Titanic Thompson, was an American gambler, golfer, and hustler, who killed five men but was never charged with a crime. Thompson traveled the country wagering at cards, ...

- (Alvin Clarence Thomas), gambler, golfer and hustler

Geography

Monett is located at (36.923725, -93.922332). 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 , of which is land and is water.

Climate

The climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).

References

External links

City of Monett official website

Monett Chamber of Commerce
* Historic maps of Monett 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 Barry County, Missouri Cities in Lawrence County, Missouri Sundown towns in Missouri Cities in Missouri