Springfield is the
third most populous city 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 ...
of
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 ...
and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
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 estimated population of 487,061 in 2022 and includes the counties of
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
,
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Greene,
Polk, and
Webster,
The city sits on the Springfield Plateau of the
Ozarks
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...
, which ranges from nearly level to rolling hills. Springfield is the largest city in the Ozarks.
Springfield's nicknames include "Queen City of the
Ozarks
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...
" and "The Birthplace of
Route 66". The city has been called the "Buckle of the
Bible Belt
The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri (which also has significant Southern influence), where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been de ...
" due to its association with evangelical Christianity. The city is the headquarters for
Bass Pro Shops and the adjoining
Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium. It is also home to
O'Reilly Auto Parts, which began as a family business with 13 employees in 1957. Springfield is close to
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield and is along the national historic
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...
. In 2020, Springfield's largest ethnicities were 87.6% white, 4% black, and 5% two or more races, placing it among the least diverse cities in the United States. The city is a regional center of medical care, with the two largest hospitals,
CoxHealth and
Mercy
Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts.
In the social and le ...
, being the largest employers in the city. Springfield hosts several universities and colleges, including
Missouri State University
Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...
,
Drury University, and
Evangel University. Springfield is an important regional center for distribution, logistics, and manufacturing.
Toponymy
The origin of the city's name is unclear, but the most common view is that it was named by migrants from
Springfield,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. One account is that James Wilson, who lived in the new settlement, offered free
whiskey
Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...
to anyone who would vote for the name Springfield, after his hometown in Massachusetts.
''Springfield Express'' editor J. G. Newbill said in the November 11, 1881, issue: "It has been stated that this city got its name from the fact of a spring and field being near by just west of town. But such is not a correct version. When the authorized persons met and adopted the title of the 'Future Great' of the Southwest, several of the earliest settlers had handed in their favorite names, among whom was Kindred Rose, who presented the winning name in honor of his hometown,
Springfield,
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
."
In 1883, historian R. I. Holcombe wrote: "The town took its name from the circumstance of there being a spring under the hill, on the creek, while on top of the hill, where the principal portion of the town lay, there was a field."
History
Early settlement
Native American peoples had long lived in this area. In the 1830s, the native
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation ( ) () is a Midwestern Native American nation of the Great Plains. The tribe began in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 1620 A.D along with other groups of its language family, then migrated west in the 17th cen ...
, the
Kickapoo people
The Kickapoo people (; Kickapoo language, Kickapoo: Kiikaapoa or Kiikaapoi; ) are an Algonquian languages, Algonquian-speaking Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe and Indigenous people in Mexico, originating in the regio ...
from Indiana, and the
Lenape
The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada.
The Lenape's historica ...
(Delaware) from the mid-Atlantic coast had settled in this general area trying to evade encroachment by European Americans on their lands. The Osage had been the dominant tribe for more than one century in the larger region.
On the southeastern side of the town in 1812, about 500
Kickapoo built a small village of about 100
wigwams. They abandoned the site in 1828.
Ten miles south of the site of Springfield, the Lenape had built a substantial community of houses that borrowed elements of Anglo colonial style from the mid-Atlantic, where some of their people had migrated from.
The first European-American settlers to the area were John Polk Campbell and his brother, who reached this area in 1829 from Tennessee. Campbell chose the area because of the presence of a natural well that flowed into a small stream. He staked his claim by carving his initials in a tree.
Campbell was joined by settlers Thomas Finney, Samuel Weaver, and Joseph Miller. They cleared the land of trees to develop it for farms. A small general store was soon opened.
In 1833, the southern part of the state was named Greene County after Revolutionary War hero
General Nathanael Greene.
Campbell Township was one of the seven original townships organized on March 11, 1833, when Greene County was much larger.
An 1876 map shows its boundaries include all the sections in T29N and R21 and 22W. It was bounded by Center Township on the west, Robberson, and Franklin Townships on the north, Taylor Township on the east, and Wilson and Clay Townships on the south. (Later, Campbell was split into Campbell No. 1 Township and Campbell No. 2 Township, then into North Campbell No. 1 Township, North Campbell No. 2 Township, and North Campbell No. 3 Township.)
The county seat of Springfield is located in Campbell Township due to the efforts of John Polk Campbell. The township is named after John Polk Campbell, who donated the land for Springfield's public square and platted the town site. In 1835 he deeded 50 acres of land to the legislature for the creation of a county seat. Campbell laid out city streets and lots. The town was incorporated in 1838. In 1878, the town got its nickname as the "Queen City of the Ozarks".
The United States government enforced
Indian removal during the 1830s, forcing land cessions in the Southeast and other areas, and relocating tribes from east of the Mississippi River to
Indian Territory
Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...
. This later developed as the state of Oklahoma in 1907.
During the 1838 relocation of most of the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
, the
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...
passed through Springfield to the west, along the
Old Wire Road.
Civil War
By 1861, Springfield's population had grown to approximately 2,000, and it had become an important commercial hub. In the late 1850s, telegraph lines, previously connected only as far as St. Louis, reached Springfield. News from points further west was brought to Springfield overland. It was sent by telegraph to what was then called the New York Associated Press.
At the start of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, Springfield was divided in its loyalty. It had been settled by people from both the North and South, including slaveholders. It also attracted many
German immigrants in the mid-19th century, who tended to support the Union.
The Union and Confederate armies both recognized the city's strategic importance and sought to control it. They fought the
Battle of Wilson's Creek
The Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was the first major battle of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri.
In August, Confe ...
on August 10, 1861, a few miles southwest of town.
The battle was a Confederate victory, and
Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was a United States Army officer who was the first Union Army, Union General officer, general to be killed in the American Civil War. He is noted for his actions in Missouri in 1861, at the beginn ...
was killed here, the first Union General to die in the Civil War. Union troops retreated to the nearby town of
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
to regroup. When they returned, they found that most of the Confederate army had withdrawn.
On October 25, 1861, Union Major
Charles Zagonyi
Károly Zágonyi (19 October 1822 in Seini, Szinyérváralja, Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary – around 1870), known in the United States, U.S. as Charles Zagonyi, was a former Hungarians, Hungarian military officer who served in the American Civil Wa ...
led an attack against the remaining Confederates in the area, in a battle known as the
First Battle of Springfield, or Zagonyi's Charge. Zagonyi's men removed the Confederate flag from Springfield's public square and returned to camp. It was the only Union victory in southwestern Missouri in 1861. The increased military activity in the area set the stage for the
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge (March 7–8, 1862), also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, took place during the American Civil War near Leetown, Arkansas, Leetown, northeast of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas. United States, Feder ...
in northern Arkansas in March 1862.
On January 8, 1863, Confederate forces under General
John S. Marmaduke advanced to take control of Springfield and an urban fight ensued. But that evening, the Confederates withdrew. This became known as the
Second Battle of Springfield
The Second Battle of Springfield took place during the American Civil War on January 8, 1863, in Springfield, Missouri. It is sometimes known as The Battle of Springfield. (The First Battle of Springfield was fought on October 25, 1861, and the ...
. Marmaduke sent a message to the Union forces asking that Confederate casualties have a proper burial. The city remained under Union control for the remainder of the war.
The US army used Springfield as a supply base and central point of operation for military activities in the area.
Promptly after the Civil War ended on July 21, 1865,
Wild Bill Hickok shot and killed
Davis Tutt in a
shootout
A shootout, also called a firefight, gunfight, or gun battle, is a confrontation in which parties armed with firearms exchange gunfire. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used in a non-military context or to ...
over a disagreement about a debt Tutt claimed Hickok owed him. During a poker game at the former Lyon House Hotel, in response to the disagreement over the amount, Tutt had taken Hickok's watch, which Hickok immediately demanded be returned. Hickok warned that Tutt had better not be seen wearing that watch, then spotted him wearing it in Park Central Square, prompting the gunfight.
On January 25, 1866, Hickok was still in Springfield when he witnessed a Springfield police officer, John Orr, shoot and kill James Coleman after Coleman interfered with the arrest of Coleman's friend Bingham, who was drunk and disorderly. Hickok provided testimony in the case. Orr was arrested, released on bail, and immediately fled the country. He was never brought to trial or heard from again.
Race relations
Lynchings
From the period after
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
into the early 20th century, lynchings of
freedmen
A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...
and their descendants occurred in some cities and counties in Missouri, particularly in former slaveholding areas.
On April 14, 1906, a white mob broke into the Springfield county jail, and
lynched two black men, Horace Duncan and Fred Coker, for allegedly sexually assaulting Mina Edwards, a white woman. Later they returned to the jail, where other African-American prisoners were being held, and pulled out Will Allen, who had been accused of murdering a white man. All three suspects were hanged from the Gottfried Tower, which held a replica of the
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
Their bodies were burned in the courthouse square by a mob of more than 2,000 white residents. Judge Azariah W. Lincoln called for a grand jury, but no one was prosecuted. The proceedings were covered by national newspapers, including the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''.
Duncan's and Coker's employer testified that they were at his business at the time of the crime against Edwards, and other evidence suggested that they and Allen were all innocent.
[Kimberly Harper, ''White Man's Heaven: The Lynching and Expulsion of Blacks in the Southern Ozarks, 1894-1909''](_blank)
University of Arkansas Press, 2012, pp. 144-145 These three are the only recorded lynchings in Greene County.
[''Lynching in America''/ ''Supplement: Lynchings by County, 3rd edition''](_blank)
, Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative, 2015, p. 7
But the extrajudicial murders were part of a pattern of discrimination, repeated violence and intimidation of African Americans in this city and southwest Missouri from 1894 to 1909, in an attempt to expel them from the region.
Whites in the bordering
Lawrence County also lynched three African-American men in this period.
After the mass lynching in Springfield, many African Americans left the region.
[Harper (2012), ''White Man's Heaven'']
A historic plaque on the southeast corner of the Springfield courthouse square commemorates Duncan, Coker, and Allen, the three victims of mob violence.
Country music
Four nationally broadcast
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
originated from the city between 1955 and 1961: ''
Ozark Jubilee'' and its spin-off, ''
Five Star Jubilee
''Five Star Jubilee'' is an American country music variety show carried by National Broadcasting Company, NBC-TV from March 17–September 22, 1961. The live program, a Spin-off (media), spin-off of ABC-TV's ''Ozark Jubilee, Jubilee USA'', wa ...
''; ''
Talent Varieties''; and ''
The Eddy Arnold Show''. All were carried live by
ABC except for ''Five Star Jubilee'' on
NBC. They were produced by Springfield's Crossroads TV Productions, owned by
Ralph D. Foster.
Many of the biggest names in
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
frequently visited or lived in Springfield at the time. City officials estimated the programs meant about 2,000 weekly visitors and "over $1,000,000 in fresh income."
Staged at the Jewell Theatre (demolished in 1961), ''Ozark Jubilee'' is the first national country music TV show to feature top stars and attract a significant viewership. ''Five Star Jubilee'', produced from the
Landers Theatre, was the first network
color television
Color television (American English) or colour television (British English) is a television transmission technology that also includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improv ...
series to originate outside of New York City or Hollywood. Springfield's NBC affiliate,
KYTV-TV (which helped produce the program), was not equipped to broadcast in color and aired the show in
black-and-white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
.
The
ABC,
NBC and
Mutual radio network
There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass media, mass-media entertainment, and the two-way radio (Duplex (teleco ...
s all carried country music shows nationally from Springfield during the decade, including KWTO'S ''Korn's-A-Krackin'' (Mutual).
The Ozark Hillbilly Medallion
The Springfield Chamber of Commerce once presented visiting dignitaries with an "Ozark
Hillbilly
''Hillbilly'' is a term historically used for White people who dwell in rural area, rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in the Appalachian region and Ozarks. As people migrated out of the region during the Great Depression, ...
Medallion" and a certificate proclaiming the honoree a "hillbilly of the Ozarks". On June 7, 1953, U.S. President
Harry Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
br>
received the medallion after a breakfast speech() at the Shrine Mosque for a reunion of the
35th Division. Other recipients included
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
generals
Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley (12 February 1893 – 8 April 1981) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army (United States), General of the Army. He wa ...
and
Matthew Ridgway
Matthew Bunker Ridgway (3 March 1895 – 26 July 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Although he ...
,
US Representative Dewey Short,
J. C. Penney,
Johnny Olson
John Leonard Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman P ...
,
Ralph Story and disc jockey
Nelson King.
Geography

Springfield is on the Springfield Plateau of the
Ozarks
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...
region of southwest Missouri. 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 (0.7%) is water.
The city of Springfield is mainly flat with rolling hills and cliffs surrounding its south, east, and north sections. Springfield is on the Springfield Plateau, which reaches from Northwest Arkansas to Central Missouri. Most of the plateau is characterized by forest, pastures and shrub-scrub habitats. Many streams and tributaries, such as the
James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
, Galloway Creek and Jordan Creek, flow within or near the city. Nearby lakes include
Table Rock Lake
Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam, ...
,
Stockton Lake,
McDaniel Lake,
Fellows Lake,
Lake Springfield, and
Pomme de Terre Lake
Pomme de Terre Lake is located in southwest Missouri at the confluence of Lindley Creek and the Pomme de Terre River (for which it is named). The lake is located in southern Hickory and northern Polk counties, about north of Springfield. It ...
. Springfield is near the
population center of the United States, about to the east.
Climate
Springfield has an average surface wind velocity comparable to that of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, according to information compiled at the
National Climatic Data Center
The United States National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), previously known as the National Weather Records Center (NWRC), in Asheville, North Carolina, was the world's largest active archive of weather data.
In 2015, the NCDC merged with two other ...
at
NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploratio ...
. It is placed within "Power Class 3" in the Wind Energy Resource Atlas published by a branch of the
U.S. Department of Energy; having an average wind speed range of 6.4 to 7.0 miles per hour.
Springfield lies in the northern limits of 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 ...
(''Cfa''), as defined by 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. As such, it experiences times of exceptional humidity; especially in late summer. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from in January to in July.
On average, there are 40 days with high temperatures of or greater, 2 days of or greater, 15 days where the high temperature fails to rise above freezing, and 1.3 nights of lows at or below per year.
[ It has an average annual precipitation of , including an average of snow.][ Extremes in temperature range from on February 12, 1899 up to on July 14, 1954.][
According to the 2007 '']Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' list of "America's Wildest Weather Cities" and the Weather Variety Index, Springfield is the city with the most varied weather in the United States. On May 1, 2013, Springfield reached a high temperature of 81 degrees Fahrenheit. By the evening of May 2, snow was falling, persisting into the following day and eventually accumulating to about two inches. This was only the second instance of measurable May snowfall in Springfield since record keeping began in 1888.
Demographics
2020 census
The 2020 United States census counted 169,176 people, 78,027 households, and 37,297 families in Springfield. The population density was . There were 83,116 housing units at an average density of .
The U.S. Census accounts for race by two methodologies: "Race alone" where Hispanics are allocated to the various racial categories and "Race alone less Hispanics" where Hispanics are excluded from the racial categories and delineated separately as if a separate race.
According to the 2020 United States census, the racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 81.12% (137,235) white alone, 4.77% (8,063) black or African-American alone, 0.79% (1,334) Native American or Alaska Native alone, 2.28% (3,853) Asian alone, 0.18% (304) Pacific Islander alone, 2.21% (3,731) other race alone, and 8.66% (14,656) from two or more races.
According to the 2020 United States census, the racial and ethnic makeup (where Hispanics are excluded from the racial counts and placed in their own category) was 79.38% (134,294) White alone (non-Hispanic), 4.66% (7,877) Black alone (non-Hispanic), 0.63% (1,074) Native American alone (non-Hispanic), 2.25% (3,809) Asian alone (non-Hispanic), 0.16% (276) Pacific Islander alone (non-Hispanic), 0.41% (699) Other Race alone (non-Hispanic), 6.63% (11,221) Multiracial or Mixed Race (non-Hispanic), and 5.87% (9,926) Hispanic or Latino.[
Of the 78,027 households, 19.4% had children under the age of 18; 33.1% were married couples living together; 33.6% had a female householder with no husband present. Of all households, 39.4% consisted of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.0 and the average family size was 2.7.
17.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 19.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 93.0 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 91.1 males.
The 2016-2020 5-year ]American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
estimates show that the median household income was $37,491 (with a margin of error of +/- $1,212) and the median family income was $52,296 (+/- $1,594). Males had a median income of $28,927 (+/- $1,383) versus $23,395 (+/- $767) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $25,751 (+/- $590). Approximately, 12.8% of families and 21.7% 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 20.8% of those under the age of 18 and 12.1% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census
In the 2010 United States census, there were 159,498 people, 69,754 households, and 35,453 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 77,620 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.7% 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 ...
, 4.1% 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 ...
, 0.8% Native American, 1.9% 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 ...
, 1.2% from other races, and 3.2% 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 3.7% of the population.
There were 69,754 households, of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no spouse present, 4.7% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 49.2% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.81.
The median age in the city was 33.2 years. 18.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 18.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
2000 census
According to the 2000 United States census, 151,580 people, 64,691 households, and 35,709 families resided in the city. The population density was . There were 69,650 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.69% 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 ...
, 3.27% 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 ...
, 0.75% Native American, 1.36% Asian, 0.09% 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 ...
, 0.88% from other races, and 1.95% 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 2.31% of the population.
There were 64,691 households, out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% 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, 10.9% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 44.8% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city 19.9% were under the age of 18, 17.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,563, and the median income for a family was $38,114. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $20,980 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 $17,711. About 9.9% of families and 15.9% 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 19.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Neighborhoods
Registered neighborhoods include University Heights, Bissett, Bradford Park, Delaware, Doling, Galloway
Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...
, Grant Beach, Heart of the Westside, Midtown, Oak Grove, Parkcrest, Phelps Grove, Robberson, Rountree, Tom Watkins, Weller, West Central, Westside Community Betterment, and Woodland Heights.
Affiliated neighborhood groups unregistered with the city include:
* Chesterfield Village
* Cinnamon On The Hill
* Cinnamon Square
* Coachlight
* Cooper Estates
* Fox Grape
* Kay Pointe
* Kingsbury Forest
* Lakewood Village
* Mission Hills
* National Place
* Parkwest Village
* Parkwood Survival
* Quail Creek
* Ravenwood South
* Sherman Ave Project Area
* Spring Creek
Economy
Springfield's economy is based on health care, manufacturing, retail, education, and tourism. In 2021, the city had a Gross Metropolitan Product of $19.49 billion, making up 6.6% of the Gross State Product of Missouri.
Total retail sales exceed $4.1 billion annually in Springfield and $5.8 billion in the Springfield MSA. Its largest shopping mall is Battlefield Mall. According to the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, an estimated 3,000,000 overnight visitors and day-trippers annually visit the city. The city has more than 60 lodging facilities and 6,000 hotel rooms. The Convention & Visitors Bureau spends more than $1,000,000 annually marketing the city as a travel destination.
Positronic, Bass Pro Shops, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, BKD, Noble & Associates, Prime Inc., Springfield ReManufacturing, Andy's Frozen Custard, and O'Reilly Auto Parts all have national headquarters in Springfield. Two major American Christian denominations — (one of the largest of the Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
denominations) and Baptist Bible Fellowship International (a fundamentalist Baptist denomination) — are headquartered in the city.
According to the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, these are the top 2023 employers in the metro:
Government
Springfield's city government is based on the council–manager system. By charter, the city has eight council members, each elected for a four-year term on a nonpartisan basis, and a mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
elected for a two-year term. Jason Gage, the City Manager, appointed by the council, serves as the chief executive and administrative officer for the city and is responsible for directing the overall operations of the City of Springfield and for executing all policies and programs authorized by City Council. Anita Cotter, the City Clerk, appointed by the council to serve as the Chief of Staff for City Council Members and Custodian of Records, coordinates and responds to all Sunshine Requests and maintains official City records, including minutes, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and other vital documents. The presiding officer at council meetings is the mayor. Council meetings are held every other Monday night in City Council Chambers. City Council elections are held the first Tuesday in April.
City Utilities of Springfield (CU) is a city-owned utility serving the Springfield area with electricity, natural gas, water, telecommunications and transit services. CU provides service to over 115,000 electric, 84,000 natural gas, and 83,000 water customers.
Education
Springfield has several universities, colleges, and high schools. Four of the main higher learning institutions, Missouri State University, Drury University, Evangel University, and Ozarks Technical Community College, are all located in and around downtown Springfield.
Universities
Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, Missouri State University
Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...
(MSU) is the state's second largest university by enrollment, with over 23,000 students.
Drury University is a private university with over 1,000 students Founded in 1873 by congregationalists, it is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
.
Evangel University, founded in 1955, is a private liberal arts university. In 2013, Central Bible College and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary consolidated with the university. Evangel is affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA denomination
The University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
opened a clinical campus in 2016 of the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
Other branches include Mercy College of Nursing and Health Sciences (in partnership with Southwest Baptist University), Bryan University, Columbia College, and University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...
.
Colleges
Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) is the second largest college in the city of Springfield, having more than 11,000 students in attendance.
Other colleges in Springfield include Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible College) and Cox College (Nursing and Allied Health).
K-12 schools
The Springfield Public School District is the largest district in the state of Missouri. Public high schools include Central High School, Kickapoo High School, Hillcrest High School, Parkview High School, and Glendale High School.
While the majority of Springfield is in the Springfield school district, portions of the city limits are in other school districts: Willard R-II School District, Republic R-III School District, Strafford R-VI School District, and Logan-Rogersville R-VIII School District.
Private high schools include Springfield Sudbury School, Summit Preparatory School, Greenwood Laboratory School, New Covenant Academy, Springfield Catholic High School, Christian Schools of Springfield, and Grace Classical Academy.
Parks and recreation
The Springfield-Greene County Park Board manages 3,200 acres and 103 sites, including the Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, which contains the historic Gray-Campbell Farmstead, Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, Master Gardener demonstration gardens, Doling Park, Bill Roston Native Butterfly House, and Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center; the Rutledge-Wilson Farm Community Park; the Mediacom Ice Park; the Cooper Park and Sports Complex; Fantastic Caverns, Dickerson Park Zoo; and various other public parks, community centers, and facilities.
The non-profit Ozark Greenways Inc. promotes trail recreation and local bicycling through the establishment of greenway trails, including a 35-mile crushed-gravel trail, the Frisco Highline Trail connecting Springfield to the town of Bolivar, and smaller trails connecting parks and sites of interest within the town and county.
The Missouri Department of Conservation operates the Springfield Nature Center and numerous nearby conservation areas.
The National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
operates the nearby Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.
Springfield's metropolitan area is situated within close distance of recreational lakes, waterways, caves, and forests, such as the James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
, Busiek State Forest, Lake Springfield, Table Rock Lake
Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam, ...
, Buffalo National River, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Fellows Lake, and Fantastic Caverns.
Culture
Like many cities across the nation, Springfield has seen a resurgence in its downtown area. Many of the older buildings have been, and are continuing to be, renovated into mixed-use buildings such as lofts, office space, restaurants, coffee shops, bars, boutiques, and music venues. The Downtown Springfield Community Improvement District (CID) has historic theaters that have been restored to their original state, including the Gillioz Theatre and the Landers Theatre.
In 2001, Phase I of Jordan Valley Park opened along with the Jordan Valley Ice Park. 2001 also saw the opening of The Creamery Arts Center, a city-owned building inside Jordan Valley Park. Phase II of Jordan Valley Park was completed in 2012. It provides office and meeting space for arts organizations which serve the community. The center has been renovated to include two art galleries with monthly exhibitions, an Arts Library, rehearsal studios, and classrooms offering art workshops and hands-on activities. The facilities also include an outdoor classroom.
A March 2009 ''New York Times'' article described the history and ascendancy of cashew chicken in Springfield, where local variations of the popular Chinese dish are ubiquitous.
Cultural organizations
The Ozarks Lyric Opera (formerly the Springfield Regional Opera) has operated in the city for nearly 40 years. In its history, the opera has performed various well known shows, such as The Barber of Seville
''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( ) is an ''opera buffa'' (comic opera) in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's French comedy ' ...
, La bohème
''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...
and Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
.
The Springfield Ballet was founded in 1978 as a not-for-profit
A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives.
While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...
to bring ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
to the region. The first performance was held at the Springfield Art Museum in November 1976, and the first public performance in March 1977. The ballet currently performs at the Landers Theatre in downtown Springfield, and has performed with the Springfield Symphony for holiday programs.
The Springfield Little Theatre was founded in 1934 and purchased the Landers Theatre in 1970 for its permanent performance venue. The theatre is the oldest civic theatre in Missouri and one of the oldest in the Midwest
The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
, attended by 60,000 people yearly. The venue has been the setting for performances by actors such as Kathleen Turner
Mary Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. Known for her distinctive deep husky voice, she is the recipient of two Golden Globes, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Grammy, and two Tony Awards.
After debuting ...
, Tess Harper, and Lucas Grabeel.
The Springfield Symphony was founded in 1935 and is one of the oldest arts organizations in the city. The symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...
was one of the founding members of the American Symphony Orchestra League, now known as the League of American Orchestras, the largest international body for symphonies and orchestras. The symphony performs monthly at Juanita K. Hammons Hall on the Missouri State University campus.
The Springfield Art Museum was started by a small group of women, headed by Deborah D. Weisel. Within two years of its original founding as an art study club, the museum had been formed and began showing traveling exhibitions from cities like New York and Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. In 1948, the museum was handed into the control of the city. In 2018, a 30-year plan was revealed with the intent of updating the museum to be comparable to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art gallery, art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of A ...
in Kansas City and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozarks. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers, ...
, capitalizing on its central location in the city and adjacent park space.
The GLO Center is the LGBTQIA+ community center for Springfield and the Ozarks. Founded in 1996, it is the oldest operating LGBTQIA+ center in Missouri, and the only of its kind in southwest Missouri.
OLGA, founded in 2003 is the Ozarks Lesbian and Gay History Archives. It is housed at the Missouri State University, Meyer Library, and has oral histories, collections, and records of lived experiences of the LGBTQ population of southwest Missouri and the Ozarks.
In 1938, a Springfield flag was made official. It resembled the flag of St. Louis (which was later replaced by a new flag). In 2017, the Springfield Flag Movement proposed a new flag for Springfield, arguing that the current flag is disconnected from modern Springfield culture, as it "doesn't speak to the unique history and identity of Springfield". On January 10, 2022, Springfield's city council voted 7–2 in favor of adopting the Springfield Flag Movement's proposed flag as the official city flag. The new flag was officially adopted by the city on March 1, 2022.
Events
The Missouri Food Truck Festival brings food trucks from Springfield and surrounding states. Like most local events, it includes live music and specialty cuisine
A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...
s.
First Friday is a monthly event held in Downtown Springfield that allows local artists to show off their works and encourages people to stroll the streets and art galleries
An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...
to look at local works of art. The event is sponsored by the Springfield Regional Arts Council and has been a regular event in the city since 2001.
Cider Days is a two-day event held on Walnut Street downtown featuring local artists showing their crafts, fall themed activities and performances by local groups, as well as cider
Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...
sampling. Arts Fest is held in May also on Walnut Street downtown, and features similar art vendors showing crafts as well as entertainment for children.
Since 2010, the city has hosted the annual Birthplace of Route 66 Festival in the downtown area along the historic Route 66 and in Park Central Square. A parade starts the event with a collection of dozens of vintage cars traveling along the former highway. There are also live performances in Park Central Square as people move around St. Louis Street to observe classic car
A classic car is typically described as an automobile 25 years or older, although a car's age is not the only requirement it must meet before being considered a "classic." However, a standard criteria for recognizing cars as classics does not ex ...
s and browse items from vendors selling artwork and literature about Route 66. The event also holds a 6.6 kilometer
The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American and Philippine English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is the preferred mea ...
run. The 2018 festival lasted two days and was attended by 56,000 people.
The Japanese Fall Festival usually takes place in September at the Springfield Botanical Gardens in Nathanael Greene
Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...
Park. The event is put on by the Sister Cities Association and commemorates Japanese culture
Japanese culture has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world.
Since the Jomon period, ancestral ...
, often involving visitors from Springfield's sister city of Isesaki, offering Japanese tea, giving live performances and selling traditional items like Bonsai
Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...
and kimono
The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...
dresses. Springfield in turns sends local groups to Isesaki's city festival each year.
Pridefest is an annual LGBTQ gathering, taking place every June, first organized in 1998. The GLO Center organizes the event, as well as Pride in the Park, a yearly event in October.
Several holiday events take place in Springfield, including the yearly Downtown Christmas Parade showcasing local schools and businesses sponsoring floats. There's also a yearly lighting of a Christmas tree
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance.
The custom was deve ...
at Park Central Square and the Festival of Lights in Jordan Valley Park.
Points of interest
*Air & Military Museum of the Ozarks
*American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
Library at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
* Battle of Springfield Driving Tour
*Commercial Street Historic District
*The Creamery Arts Center
* Dickerson Park Zoo
* Discovery Center of Springfield
*Dr. Michael J. Clarke History Museum of Ozarks Scouting
*Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
*Founders Park
*Gray-Campbell Farmstead
*History Museum on the Square
*Missouri Institute of Natural Science - Riverbluff Cave
*Springfield Art Museum
* Springfield-Greene County Library District
* St. John's Episcopal Church
* Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
* US Route 66 marker
* Wild Bill Hickok–Davis Tutt shootout site
* Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium
Sports
Springfield hosts college teams from Missouri State University
Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...
(NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
), Drury University (NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
), and Evangel University ( NAIA). Great Southern Bank Arena (capacity 11,000) opened in 2008 and hosts the Missouri State Bears and Lady Bears basketball teams, the O'Reilly Family Event Center, which opened in 2010, hosts the Drury Panthers men's and women's basketball teams, and the AGFinancial Arena, which opened in 2024, hosts th
Evangel Valor
men's and women's basketball teams and volleyball team.
The Springfield Cardinals, the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, have played at Hammons Field in downtown Springfield since their inaugural season in 2005 after the team moved from El Paso
El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
. There have been more than 100 Springfield Cardinals who have gone on to play for St. Louis. Springfield has had minor league teams dating back to 1905, and this city has hosted various exposition games.
Springfield Rugby Football Club (SRFC) was established in 1983 and is a well-known rugby club in the Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
. SRFC plays in Division II of the Frontier Region of the Western Conference which runs teams for men, women and youth.
The PGA sponsored Price Cutter Charity Championship is played at Highland Springs Country Club on the southeast side of Springfield every year. The event is sponsored by Dr Pepper. Since the event started in 1990, more than $14 million has been raised for local children's charities.
Springfield has hosted various sporting events. Missouri State's campus in Springfield has hosted the Missouri Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...
several times. Springfield has also hosted the Show-Me Games and regularly hosts the Missouri Winter Games in the sports of racquetball
Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase vel ...
, trap shooting
Trap shooting is one of the three major disciplines of competitive clay pigeon shooting. The other disciplines are skeet shooting and sporting clays.
Trap shooting is distinguished by the targets being launched from a single "house" or machine, ...
, swimming
Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...
, 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 ...
and gymnastics
Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
. In 2019 and 2020 Springfield hosted the NAIA Softball Championship World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
. Springfield has also been the host of the Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament, as well as finals for the Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the fourth-oldest collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the Midwestern Unite ...
in sports like tennis and volleyball. As a city with a World TeamTennis
World TeamTennis (WTT) was a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973.
The league's season normally took place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA would ...
team, the Springfield Lasers, Springfield has hosted final games at Cooper Tennis Complex.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is located in the city. Opening in 1994, the hall of fame contains over four thousand sports related items and exhibits. Each year the hall inducts new members who have contributed to sports in the state of Missouri, including athletes, broadcasters, coaches, physical therapists, winning sports teams and Olympic athletes.
Beginning in 2003, Springfield was only one of thirteen cities in the United States to be a part of the US Olympic Committee's Olympic Development Program. The goal of the program was to develop beginning athletes into elite athletes, with Springfield's program focusing on archery, hockey, tennis and volleyball. Despite the end of the Olympic program in all cities, the city maintains the program as the Community Sports Development Program sponsored by the Springfield Greene County Park Board.
On March 9, 2023, Springfield was announced as the first of four teams in The Arena League
The Arena League (The AL or TAL) is an indoor American football league in the United States. The league launched in 2024 with four teams playing six-on-six football, but expanded to six-teams and started playing regular 7-on-7 indoor football i ...
, an indoor football league with its inaugural season in 2024. The Ozarks Lunkers hosts games at the Wilson Logistics Arena at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.
Sports teams
Transportation
Highways
Springfield is served by I-44, which connects the city with St. Louis and Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
. Route 13 (Kansas Expressway) carries traffic north towards Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
. US 60, US 65, and US 160 pass through the city. The average commuting time was 17.7 minutes from 2013 to 2017.
Major streets include Glenstone Avenue, Sunshine Street ( Route 413), National Avenue, Division Street, Campbell Avenue, Kansas Expressway, Battlefield Road, Republic Road, West Bypass, Chestnut Expressway, and Kearney Street.
Springfield is also the site of the first diverging diamond interchange within the United States, at the intersection of I-44 and MO-13 (Kansas Expressway) (at ).
US 66 and US 166 formerly passed through Springfield, and sections of historic US 66 can still be seen in the city. US 166's eastern terminus was once in the northeast section of the city, and US 60 (westbound) originally ended in downtown Springfield. US 60 now goes through town on James River Freeway. In mid-November 2013, the city began discussing plans to upgrade sections of Schoolcraft Freeway (US 65) and James River Freeway (US 60) through the city to an auxiliary route of Interstate 44. The main reason is to minimize confusion should there be an incident on I-44 as a detour route. In early 2023, plans were announced to widen James River Freeway to 6 lanes, 3 lanes each way, and designate the Schoolcraft Freeway and James River Freeway to possibly I-244.
Airport
Springfield-Branson National Airport serves the city with direct flights to 14 cities. It is the principal air gateway to the Springfield region. The Downtown Airport is also a public-use airport located near downtown. In May 2009, the Springfield-Branson airport opened a new passenger terminal. Financing included $97 million in revenue bonds issued by the airport and $20 million of discretionary federal aviation funds, with no city taxes used. The building includes , 10 gates (expandable to 60) and 1,826 parking spaces. Direct connections from Springfield are available to Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
, Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Punta Gorda/Fort Myers, Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, Orlando, Phoenix and St. Petersburg/Clearwater. No international flights have regular service into Springfield-Branson, but it does serve international charters.
Trains
Passenger trains have not served Springfield since 1967, but more than 65 freight trains travel to, from, and through the city each day. Springfield once hosted the headquarters and main shops of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad (Frisco). Into the 1960s, the '' Kansas City-Florida Special'' ran from Kansas City Union Station
Kansas City Union Station (station code: KCY) is a union station that opened in 1914, serving Kansas City, Missouri, and the Kansas City metropolitan area, surrounding metropolitan area. It replaced a small Union Depot built in 1878. Union Stat ...
to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
, and the ''Sunnyland'' ran between Kansas City and Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
and New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
. The railroad also operated two daily trains to St. Louis Union Station through its Springfield station: the ''Meteor
A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere,
creating a ...
'' and the ''Will Rogers.'' Both continued southwest to Oklahoma City Union Station via Tulsa Union Depot. The ''Meteor'' continued on to Lawton, Oklahoma
Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, Oklahoma, Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in western Oklahoma, approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton metropolitan ar ...
. The Frisco's final passenger train was the ''Southland'' (Kansas City - Memphis - Birmingham), a successor to the ''Sunnyland.''
As late as 1949 the Missouri Pacific had a short branch line connection from the company's Springfield station to Crane, whereupon connections could be made to the ''Southern Scenic'' on the railroad's Kansas City to Newport, Arkansas
Newport is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Arkansas, Jackson County, Arkansas, United States located on the White River (Arkansas), White River, northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock. The population was 7,879 at the 20 ...
, line.
The Frisco was absorbed by the Burlington Northern (BN) in 1980, and in 1994 the BN merged with the Santa Fe, creating the current Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. BNSF has three switch yards (two small) in Springfield. Mainlines to and from Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis, and Tulsa converge at the railroad's yard facility in northern Springfield. In October 2006, BNSF announced plans to upgrade its Tulsa and Memphis mainlines into Springfield to handle an additional four to six daily intermodal freight trains between the West Coast and the Southeast. The Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad
The Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad, LLC is a Class II Regional Railroad in the U.S. states of Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas. The company is headquartered in Carthage, Missouri. It is not to be confused with the Missouri and North Arka ...
operates several miles of (former Missouri Pacific) industrial track in the city.
Buses
City Utilities of Springfield operates local bus service. Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...
serves Springfield on its line from New York to Los Angeles. Jefferson Lines
Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States.
History
The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...
serves Springfield on its line from Kansas City to Little Rock/ Pine Bluff.
Healthcare
Springfield is a regional medical hub with the healthcare field employing a large number of people in the city. Major care providers include CoxHealth, Mercy
Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts.
In the social and le ...
, Ozarks Community Hospital and Jordan Valley Community Health Center, with Mercy being classified amongst the top 100 hospitals in the country. The industry employs more than 30,000 people in the Springfield metro.
CoxHealth is a private not-for-profit healthcare system headquartered in Springfield. It is ranked in the top ten hospitals in Missouri and it is a seven time top 100 hospital system operating six hospitals, over 80 clinics, health plans and other facilities and employing over 12,100 people in southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas (NWA) is a metropolitan area and region in Arkansas within the Ozarks. It includes four of the ten largest cities in the state: Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers, ...
. The largest of the network's hospitals, Cox South is a level one trauma, stroke, and STEMI Center. Cox also runs a Children's Miracle Network Hospital for specialized pediatric care.
Mercy Hospital Springfield, part of the Mercy Health System based in St. Louis, is ranked number six in the state. It has a Level 1 Trauma Center and runs a pediatric cancer center. Mercy Springfield is one of only six St. Jude Children's Research Hospital affiliates in the country, located inside the Jane Pitt Pediatric Cancer Center named for Jane Pitt, mother of actor and Springfield native, Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
, who helped to fund the center with help from his brother, businessman Douglas Pitt, sister Julie, and then partner, actress Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
.
Both Cox and Mercy maintain Ronald McDonald House Charities and houses for families of those who have children undergoing medical treatment.
The United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, one of six federal institutions designed to handle federal inmates' medical concerns, is located at the corner of W. Sunshine Street and Kansas Expressway. Several high-profile criminals, including several mob bosses have been housed at the center. Among them, Joseph Bonanno of the Bonanno crime family and John Gotti of the Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family (pronounced ) is an Italian American Mafia crime family and one of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the American Mafia. ...
, who died in the center. The center also housed mass murderer Jared Lee Loughner, who perpetrated the 2011 Tucson shooting
On January 8, 2011, United States Representative Gabby Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot in Casas Adobes, Arizona, in the Tucson metropolitan area. Six people were killed, inclu ...
injuring US Representative Gabby Giffords.
Media
Print
The city's major daily newspaper is the '' Springfield News-Leader,'' which circulates to more than 50,000 people on Sundays. Other newspapers for Springfield include ''Daily Events'', ''Springfield Business Journal,'' which is a weekly paper that provides comprehensive business news, and ''The Standard'' which is Missouri State University's in-school newspaper, and ''Ozarks Independent'', an online local news publication.
In addition to newspapers, Springfield is the base of 417 Magazine, a local lifestyle and entertainment magazine showcasing restaurants, attractions and local businesses in the 417 area code. The Magazine also maintains 417 Biz for business and networking information highlighting local businesspeople and entrepreneurs, as well as 417 Bride for wedding and bridal related content.
Television
As of 2021, the Springfield media market ranks 74th in the nation, among markets like Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, and Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...
. The area is composed of 31 counties in southwest Missouri and Arkansas. As of 2021, there are 432,370 television-owning households.
Radio
Film
Film and television has been in Springfield since the 1950s. Several films, such as '' The Winning Team'' (1952) starring Doris Day
Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...
, Frank Lovejoy
Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir ''The Hitch-Hiker'' and for starring in the radio drama ''Night Beat ...
and future U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
, held their premieres in Springfield at the Gillioz Theatre downtown. It was attended by Ronald and Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan (; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress who was the first lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, as the second wife of President Ronald Reagan.
Reagan was born in ...
, and President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
.
Springfield hosted the country music television show '' Ozark Jubilee''.
In 2007, Springfield was one of more than a dozen other Springfields in the country vying to host the premiere of ''The Simpsons Movie
''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' created by Matt Groening. The film was directed by series veteran David Silverman (animator) ...
'' through an online video competition voted on by readers of ''USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''. The premiere was ultimately hosted in Springfield, Vermont.
Springfield hosts the SATO 48 film contest (Springfield And The Ozarks 48-Hour Film Challenge) every spring in which filmmakers have 48 hours to make a film running five minutes or less.
In 2018, a new film festival, Rated SGF, began in Springfield. The event is hosted by the Film and Media Association of Springfield and the Downtown Springfield Association.
Notable people
* List of people from Springfield, Missouri
Sister cities
See also
* Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard
* List of mayors of Springfield, Missouri
* Springfield Three
* Tiny Town
Notes
References
Further reading
* Fischer, Cheryl. "Desperately Seeking Justice: Women of Color in Springfield, Missouri, and Their Quest for Civil and Human Rights." in ''Resisting Racism and Xenophobia: Global Perspectives on Race, Gender, and Human Rights'' (2005): 77+
online
* McIntyre, Stephen L., ed. ''Springfield's Urban Histories: Essays on the Queen City of the Missouri Ozarks'' (Springfield: Moon City Press, 2012) 352 pp.
* Nelson, Lynn R., and Frederick D. Drake. "The Eclipse of Progressive, Democratic Education in the United States: A Case Study of Springfield, Missouri Schools, 1924-1952." (ERIC, 1998
online
* Piehl, Charles K. "The Race of Improvement: Springfield Society, 1865-1881." ''Missouri Historical Review'' 67 (July 1973): 484-52
online
* Stewart, Byron. "Springfield and Greene County, Missouri Census Information, 1836-2010." (2011)
online
Primary sources
* ''Personal Reminiscences and Fragments of the Early History of Springfield and Greene County, Missouri: Related by Pioneers and Their Descendants at Old Settlers' Dinners Given at the Home of Capt. Martin J. Hubble, March 31, 1907, 1908, 1908, 1910, 1911'' (Inland Printing Company, 1914
online
External links
City of Springfield
Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau
Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Springfield
* Historic maps of Springfield in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection
at the University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
{{Authority control
Cities in Missouri
Cities in Christian County, Missouri
Cities in Greene County, Missouri
Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri
County seats in Missouri
1835 establishments in Missouri
Populated places established in 1835