Advance is a town located at the intersection of State Highway 25 and State Highway 91/Route C in northern Stoddard 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 1,349 at the 2020 census. Advance was founded ''circa'' 1882. The town is pronounced ''ADD-vance''.

History

Advance had its start in 1910 when the railroad was extended to that point.

Overview

There is no sustained industry in the town or near surrounding area. Agriculture, although small, is the most viable local source of income. Public services available in the city include three health/medical clinics: Advance Medical Clinic, Cross Trails Medical Center and Haven Health Care Medical. There are two parks within the city limits: Umfleet Park and the Advance Ballpark, the latter of which is where high school baseball and softball games are played as well as summer league T-ball and also has tennis courts and a sand volleyball court. The town also has one lending library: the Advance Community Library. Advance is governed by a mayor-council form of government with Ryan Slinkard, currently serving as mayor. The city also has a police department with two full-time and two reserve officers. The Advance Volunteer Fire Department has approximately 15 firefighters with five vehicles. There are no hospitality services or full-service medical facilities; the closest hotels and hospitals are located about 20–25 miles each direction in Dexter (south) and Cape Girardeau (northeast).

Geography

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

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to 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 ...

system, Advance has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

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 1,347 people, 578 households, and 356 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 635 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.74%

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 ...

, 0.07%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.30% Native American, 0.15% Asian, and 0.74% 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 0.64% of the population. There were 578 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% 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, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 22.8% were from 45 to 64; and 24.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,244 people, 544 households, and 348 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 593 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.31%

, 0.08%

, 0.56% Native American, 0.16% Asian, and 0.88% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population. There were 544 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were

living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.1% 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 2.80. It was reported that in Advance, 0.2% of all households contain lesbians. For people in the city aged 15 and over, 55.0% were married, 9.9% were divorced, 14.8% were single, never married, 19.0% were widowed, and 1.3% were separated. In the city the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,734, and the median income for a family was $38,167. Males had a median income of $27,833 versus $19,702 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 $15,036. About 8.1% of families and 12.9% 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 16.6% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

It is in the Advance R-IV School District. The Advance R-4 School District runs throughout most of the northern parts of Stoddard County as well as the extreme southern portions of Bollinger County. There is a preschool, one elementary school for grades K-6 and a consolidated junior-senior high school for grades 7–12 with an average yearly enrollment of 500 students in the district. The school colors are orange and black and its mascot is the hornet. Athletics at the school consist of boys' and girls'

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, girls'

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

(spring season),

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

, boys'

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

, and coed cross country. The Advance High School Lady Hornets varsity volleyball team won the Class 1 state championship during the 2018–2019 season, the school's first-ever state title in girls’ volleyball. The Lady Hornets defeated Calvary Lutheran 25–12, 25–22 to clinch the championship. The Lady Hornets went on to defend their Class 1 state title for two more consecutive seasons, defeating Santa Fe 25–11, 25–12 in 2019-2020 and topping local nemesis Lesterville 25–13, 25–15, 18–25, 25–08 in 2020–2021. The Lady Hornets were denied a bid at the state tournament for a fourpeat during the 2021–2022 season in which the Lady Hornets fell to Gideon in the Class 1 state quarterfinals. Advance rebounded and went on to reclaim their Class 1 state championship during the 2022-2023 and 2023–2024 seasons, dethroning then-Class 1 state champion Miller in a five-set thriller and then topping local rival South Iron 25–13, 25–13, 25-20 most recently to earn the school its fifth state volleyball championship. All five teams were coached by Erin Hoffman. The Advance Hornets boys basketball team took second place at the Class 1 state tournament during the 2016–2017 season after a heartbreaking 65–62 loss to Walnut Grove.

Notable people

* Bill Burlison, politician * Dewayne Staats, broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Rays

References

External links

''Unlocking the Past''
by Madeline DeJournett and Elfreda Cox is a history of more than a dozen abandoned towns in the north Stoddard County area near Advance. {{authority control Cities in Stoddard County, Missouri 1910 establishments in Missouri Cities in Missouri