Welcome to West Plains ...
The city of West Plains is located in the Missouri Ozarks.
West Plains is located in Howell County<1> and is the County Seat for Howell County.
The location of West Plains has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of West Plains, you might consider that their post office opened in 1846.
A typical abbreviation for West Plains: W. Plains
From the Census Estimates for 2019, West Plains has a population of 12,294 people<3> (see below for details).
The community of West Plains is 980 feet [299 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: West Plains lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
West Plains lies within the (417) area code.
The ZIP code for West Plains: 65775<5>
Websites for West Plains ...
Official Website: www.westplains.net/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, West Plains had an population of 12,294 people. This is an increase of 2.57% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 13.14% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, West Plains had a population of 11,986 people (or 29.67% of the total population of Howell County). This makes West Plains the county's most populous community.
The population of West Plains represents 0.2% of the population of Missouri (which has 5,988,927 people), making it the state's 59th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 11,986 people, the population of West Plains increased 10.31% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 10,866 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for West Plains.
Communities Also Named West Plains ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 2 communities that are also named West Plains - they are located in Kansas and Michigan.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Plains.
Communities near West Plains ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near West Plains.
- Willow Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Springs
- Willow Springs is located in Howell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,098 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willow Springs <6>
- Koshkonong
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Koshkonong
- Koshkonong is located in Oregon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Brandsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brandsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandsville
- Brandsville is located in Howell County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
- Chapin
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast) - Pomona
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north) - Pottersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pottersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottersville
- Pottersville is located in Howell County
- South Fork
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fork
- South Fork is located in Howell County
- Peace Valley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peace Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peace Valley
- Peace Valley is located in Howell County
- Siloam Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam Springs
- Siloam Springs is located in Howell County
- Burnham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around West Plains. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for West Plains.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of West Plains. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Plains.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around West Plains. Our list includes 16 papers. See our Newspapers Page for West Plains.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for West Plains ...
Looking for more information about West Plains? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for West Plains, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for West Plains.
Adding West Plains to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of West Plains in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for West Plains was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the West Plains post office opened in 1846.
We also found West Plains in the book titled List of Post Offices in the United States (1870).
For more details, see References and Mentions for West Plains.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for West Plains: www.westplains.net/
The official website for State of Missouri: https://www.mo.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Missouri's counties, including Howell, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for West Plains. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around West Plains - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as West Plains). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether West Plains or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |