Walnut Grove is a city in Greene 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 652 at the 2020 census. It 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 town, incorporate ...

. Claudette Riley of the ''

Springfield News-Leader The ''Springfield News-Leader'' is the predominant newspaper for the city of Springfield, Missouri, and covers the Ozarks. The ''News-Leader'' has a daily circulation of 32,363 and a Sunday circulation of 51,402 as of September 2013. Sunday sin ...

'' described it as "a largely agricultural community with a relatively low tax base."

History

Walnut Grove 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 1859. It was named for the groves of wild black walnut trees growing near the original town site. The original name of the town was Possum Trot, referring to the multitude of possums in the area.Exploring Missouri Highways: Trip Trivia
page 134

Geography

Walnut Grove is located at (37.410728, -93.548305). 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 , all land. It is north of

. In addition to Springfield, Bolivar has workers who live in Walnut Grove.

Demographics

Walnut Grove hosted an annual celebration in September called 'Possum Trot Days.' Generally, there was a town wide garage sale with various activities interspersed throughout the day at the community park. The town also annually celebrates bluegrass with a festival called 'Pickin' in the Park 'the second Saturday in June .

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 665 people, 274 households, and 184 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 306 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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 1.4% Native American, and 0.9% 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 0.8% of the population. There were 274 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% 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, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 35.9 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 24.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.9% 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 630 people, 264 households, and 165 families living in the city. The

was 1,124.1 people per square mile (434.4/km). There were 290 housing units at an average density of 517.5 per square mile (199.9/km). The racial makeup of the city was 96.83%

, 2.38% Native American, 0.16%

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 ...

, 0.32% from other races, and 0.32% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.48% of the population. There were 264 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% 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 3.08. In the city the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,563, and the median income for a family was $39,688. Males had a median income of $29,297 versus $20,556 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 $16,019. About 7.4% of families and 12.8% 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 t ...

, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 20.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

construction and screen printing companies are based in Walnut Grove.

Education

Walnut Grove R-V School District is the local school district.

Notable person

* Ken Gables (1919–1960),

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

, born and died in Walnut Grove

References

{{authority control Cities in Greene County, Missouri Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri Cities in Missouri