Diamond is a city in north central Newton 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, located southeast of Joplin. The population was 831 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Diamond is primarily renowned as the birthplace of

George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American Agricultural science, agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent bla ...

History

The Diamond area's origins lie in a rolling prairie grassland; large remnants of the prairie survive or are being re-seeded as the Diamond Grove Prairie Conservation Area. The origins of the town started with the building of a log house owned by Dr. and Mrs. Leathers. Initially known as Center, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

's shop opened for business in 1878. The town changed its name to Diamond when, in 1883, a post office came into operation. The area was named for a diamond-shaped tract of land near the original town site.

Mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

was historically the primary industry in Diamond.

Geography

Diamond is located on Diamond Grove Prairie along Alt. Route 71 13 miles south of

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

and about nine miles north-northeast of Neosho. The George Washington Carver National Monument is two miles to the west, south of Missouri Route V. 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

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 902 people, 372 households, and 250 families living 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 409 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.0%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 1.4% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.7% 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 1.9% of the population. There were 372 households, of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% 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, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 35 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 808 people, 320 households, and 234 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 350 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.42%

, 0.74%

, 1.50% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population. There were 320 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 120.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,000, and the median income for a family was $34,167. Males had a median income of $25,719 versus $20,000 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 town was $13,581. About 9.8% of families and 11.6% 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 19.4% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

– scientist,

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, educator, and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

, was born near Diamond 1864. Carver's boyhood home, the George Washington Carver National Monument, is open to the public.

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20131013222920/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ {{Authority control Cities in Newton County, Missouri Joplin, Missouri, metropolitan area Cities in Missouri