Osage Beach 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 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 ...

. Most of the city is in Camden County, while a small eastern sliver is in Miller County. The population was 4,637 at the 2020 census.

History

Osage Beach was founded in 1886 as Zebra before being renamed as Osage Beach in 1935. Osage Beach was incorporated in 1959. When the

was created, it caused the flooding of much of Zebra. Most of the town's merchants chose not to establish new locations.

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 , of which is land and is water. The city is located on the shores of the

Demographics

2020 census

At the 2020 census there were 4,792 people.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 4,351 people, 2,038 households, and 1,166 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,261 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% White, 1.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.8%. Of the 2,038 households 19.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.8% were non-families. 35.3% of households were one person and 13% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.57. The median age was 48.9 years. 15.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.2% were from 25 to 44; 31.3% were from 45 to 64; and 24% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 3,662 people, 1,687 households, and 1,035 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,055 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.35% White, 0.76% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the total population. Of the 1,687 households 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 31.6% of households were one person and 10.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.58. The age distribution was 16.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% 65 or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males. The median household income was $38,448 and the median family income was $49,554. Males had a median income of $30,444 versus $21,440 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,685. About 4.5% of families and 6.7% 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 ...

, including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Schools

*Osage Beach Elementary-Camdenton R-III * School of the Osage (Miller County R-II School District)

Colleges and universities

* Columbia College - Lake of the Ozarks campus * State Fair Community College - Lake of the Ozarks campus * Central Methodist University - Lake of the Ozarks campus

Library

Osage Beach has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, the Osage Beach Library.

Media

Osage Beach is split between two television markets. While Camden County is part of the Springfield television market, Miller County is part of the Columbia/

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 ...

market. Charter Communications' cable system carries stations from both cities.

DirecTV DirecTV, LLC is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital Satellite television, s ...

and

Dish Network DISH Network L.L.C., often referred to as DISH, an abbreviation for Digital Sky Highway, is an American provider of satellite television and IPTV services and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The company was originally establ ...

subscribers in the city receive Springfield stations, mainly because the bulk of the city is in Camden County.

Television

The following is a list of

television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's s ...

s that broadcast from and/or are licensed to Osage Beach, Missouri.

Radio

The following is a list of

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

s that broadcast from and/or are licensed to Osage Beach, Missouri.

Transportation

There are two

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airports in the Osage Beach area: Grand Glaize-Osage Beach Airport, which is within the city limits, and Lee C. Fine Memorial Airport, which is located about away in

Kaiser Kaiser ( ; ) is the title historically used by German and Austrian emperors. In German, the title in principle applies to rulers anywhere in the world above the rank of king (). In English, the word ''kaiser'' is mainly applied to the emperors ...

. The nearest primary commercial airports are Columbia Regional Airport (about away) and Springfield–Branson National Airport (about away). The smaller Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport is about away. US Route 54 runs through Osage Beach. US Route 54 runs north to

. US Route 54 runs south to Camdenton.

Infrastructure

As Osage Beach is predominantly a resort town, as such it boasts several tourist attractions and amenities, including an outlet mall with major national brands.

Healthcare

Osage Beach is home to Lake Regional Hospital. Part of the Lake Regional Health system, this general medical and surgical hospital houses a trauma center and has a total of 116 beds.

In popular media

The TV series '' Ozark'' is set in Osage Beach. In November 2017, it was reported that the series helped increase tourism and notoriety of the

, but did not have a significant economic impact. In February 2018, a restaurant called "Marty Byrde's" was opened in Lake Ozark, Missouri, that is inspired by the series, and includes menu items based on the show, including "Ruth's Smoked Wings".

References

External links

City of Osage Beach official website
{{Authority control Cities in Camden County, Missouri Cities in Miller County, Missouri Cities in Missouri