Sparta is a city in north central

Christian County Christian County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Christian County, Illinois * Christian County, Kentucky * Christian County, Missouri Christian County is located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, United States. The population was 1,756 at the 2010 census. Sparta is part of the

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

A post office called Sparta has been in operation since 1876. The city's name is a transfer from

Sparta, Tennessee Sparta is a city in and the county seat of White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,001 in 2020.U.S. Census we ...

. Sparta got rail service when a subsidiary of the

St. Louis–San Francisco Railway The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway , commonly known as the "Frisco", was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central United States from 1876 to April 17, 1980. At the end of 1970, it operated of road on of track, not includi ...

(Frisco) extended a line from

Ozark, Missouri Ozark is a city in and the county seat of Christian County, Missouri. Its population was 21,284 as of the 2020 census. The 2019 population estimate was 20,482. Ozark is also the third largest city in the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Area, ...

Chadwick, Missouri Chadwick is an unincorporated community in eastern Christian County, Missouri, United States. It is located approximately six miles southeast of Sparta along Missouri Route 125. The community of Oldfield is approximately three miles to the north al ...

in the Spring of 1883. But passenger service on the Frisco line was discontinued in March of 1933, and in 1934 the line from Ozark to Chadwick was abandoned entirely.

Geography

Sparta is in north central Christian County on the south edge of the Springfield Plateau. The community lies at the intersection of

Missouri Route 14 Route 14 is a state highway traveling through the southern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in Marionville, and its eastern terminus is at US 63 on the northern edge of ...

and Missouri Route 125 approximately six miles east of

Ozark 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 porti ...

. To the south and southeast the edge of the plateau is dissected by the headwaters of

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

and Swan creeks. 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 t ...

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

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 1,756 people, 696 households, and 476 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 763 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.6%

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 o ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 2.6% of the population. There were 696 households, of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.6% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the city was 30.8 years. 29.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.3% were from 25 to 44; 18.8% were from 45 to 64; and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,144 people, 463 households, and 324 families residing in the city. The

was 1,304.3 people per square mile (501.9/km²). There were 509 housing units at an average density of 580.3 per square mile (223.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.50%

, 0.26%

, 0.87% Native American, 0.35%

, 0.35% from

, and 1.66% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.22% of the population. There were 463 households, out of which 87.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 45.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city the population was spread out, with 10.9% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 10.3% from 25 to 44, 38.6% from 45 to 64, and 64.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 62 years. For every 100 females, there were 60.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 61.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $16,768, and the median income for a family was $17,981. Males had a median income of $15,227 versus $11,206 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 $6,869. About 34.3% of families and 87.7% 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 32.1% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

Sparta has a Mayor and Board of Alderman System with 2 wards and 2 alderman per ward. As of July 2021, the mayor is Jenni Davis and as of April 2018, Ward 1 alderman are Jenni Davis and Jason Stephens and Ward 2 alderman are Steve Otten and Jarret Iorg. After several closed meetings, City Clerk Sharon Mickey was terminated from the city by Mayor Nathan Stapp. Mayor Stapp cited poor attitude and Sharon Mickey's threatening to delete the city's accounting software as reasons for her termination. Sparta provides policing services through the Sparta Police Department. Since March 2016, the chief of police is Trampus Taylor of Ava, Missouri. Sparta has one patrol officer and some reserve police officers. The Christian County Sheriff's office provides services when no Sparta police officer is available.

Education

The Sparta R-III School District is a K–12 institution of about 750 students that serves Sparta and the surrounding area and has been led by Landon Gray since 2021.

Notable person

* William T. Tyndall, Missouri congressman (1905-1907) and Sparta postmaster (1891-1893, 1897-1905)

References

{{Missouri Cities in Christian County, Missouri Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri