Lake Ozark is a city in Camden and

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

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 ...

, near its

namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...

, the

Lake of the Ozarks Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Parts of three smaller tributaries to the Osage are included in the impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek ...

. The population was 2,077 at the 2020 census.

History

A post office called Lake Ozark has been in operation since 1932. The community took its name from the nearby Lake of the Ozarks.

Bagnell Dam Bagnell Dam (informally, the Osage Dam) impounds the Osage River in the U.S. state of Missouri, creating the Lake of the Ozarks. The dam is located in the city of Lakeside, Missouri, Lakeside in Miller County, Missouri, Miller County, near the Ca ...

was added to 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 2008. The segment of Bagnell Dam Boulevard from Horse Bend Parkway to the Bagnell Dam is named "Bagnell Dam Strip." There are two

muffler man Muffler men are large molded fiberglass sculptures that are placed as advertising icons, roadside attractions, or for decorative purposes, predominantly in the United States. Standing approximately tall, the first figure was a Paul Bunyan charac ...

s named Injun Joe and another named Country Bumpkin. The latter was gone from 2013 until 2024. It unfortunately suffered damage on the shoe part from vandalism a few weeks after returning.

Geography

The city is in western Miller County, with a portion crossing into eastern Camden County. The city sits at the northeast (downstream) end of the

, with the lakeshore forming portions of the city's western border. The city is bordered to the northeast by the town of Bagnell and to the south by the city of Osage Beach. Lake Ozark encircles the smaller, inactive city of Lakeside.

U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific an ...

passes through the east side of the city, while Route 54 Business passes through the center. US 54 leads north to Eldon and northeast to

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

, the state capital, while to the south it passes through Osage Beach and leads to Camdenton. The Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge carries Highway MM across the lake from the southwest part of the city; the highway leads west to Sunrise Beach. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the city of Lake Ozark has a total area of , of which are land and , or 9.10%, are water.

Climate

Lake Ozark 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 ...

. Summers are hot and humid, with thunderstorms and other severe weather common. Winters are generally cold with mild periods, but the temperature of the lake can alter the climate with heavy fog and milder weather than other municipalities further away from the lake. Winters also consist of occasional snowfall of about 10 inches per year.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,077.

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 1,586 people, 715 households, and 455 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 1,688 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.5%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.3% from other races, and 1.3% 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 1.2% of the population. There were 715 households, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.4% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the city was 48 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 36.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.3% male and 48.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,489 people, 649 households, and 427 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,143 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.24%

, 1.34% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.40%

, 0.47% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.15% of the population. There were 649 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.76. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 30.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,386, and the median income for a family was $40,515. Males had a median income of $26,750 versus $21,667 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 $20,830. About 11.3% of families and 13.1% 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 19.2% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Roads

Route 242 (MO 242), a four-lane highway which connects the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge to U.S. Highway 54, opened in December 2011. At the junction of US 54 and Route W in the northern part of Lake Ozark, an interchange was completed in 2021 to replace a spotlight intersection.

References

External links

*
Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Camden County, Missouri Cities in Miller County, Missouri Cities in Missouri