Springfield

History

Native American peoples had long lived in this area. In the 1830s, the native Osage Nation, the Kickapoo from Indiana, and the Lenape (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. 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". 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…

Geography

Springfield is on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozarks region of southwest Missouri. According to the United States Census Bureau, 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, Galloway Creek and Jordan Creek, flow within or near the city. Nearby lakes include Table Rock Lake, Stockton Lake, McDaniel Lake, Fellows Lake, Lake Springfield, and Pomme de Terre Lake. Springfield is near the population center of the United States, about to the east. {{climate chart |Springfied, Missouri |24.2|44.3|2.54 |28.0|49.5|2.40 |36.2|58.9|3.51 |45.6|68.4|4.71 |55.6|76.3|5.56 |64.6|85.2|4.47 |68.8|89.6|3.85 |67.3|89.1|3.59 |59.1|81.4|4.31 |47.3|69.9|3.60 |36.2|57.3|3.56 |27.8|47.0|2.61 |float=left |clear=left |units=imperial |source= 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 (Cfa), as defined by the Köppen climate classification 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…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,253
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  7,318
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6,538
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  6,265
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,061
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,057
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,501
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,289

Largest nearby schools

• KICKAPOO HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,881 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• REPUBLIC HIGH
  High · REPUBLIC · 1,542 students · 17.5:1 ratio
• CENTRAL HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,464 students · 13:1 ratio
• GLENDALE HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,307 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• PARKVIEW HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,234 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• HILLCREST HIGH
  High · SPRINGFIELD · 1,017 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• CHEROKEE MIDDLE
  Middle · SPRINGFIELD · 758 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• PERSHING MIDDLE
  Middle · SPRINGFIELD · 704 students · 16:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.56 — 2025-04-23
  3 km E of Hartville, Missouri
• M 2.51 — 2024-01-04
  13 km E of South Lead Hill, Arkansas
• M 2.53 — 2018-04-29
  3 km WNW of Evergreen, Missouri
• M 2.52 — 2017-06-21
  6 km N of Bergman, Arkansas
• M 2.89 — 2017-06-16
  6 km N of Bergman, Arkansas
• M 3.6 — 2017-06-11
  6 km NNE of Bergman, Arkansas