Neelyville, Missouri

Neelyville is a city in southwestern Butler County, Missouri. It had a population of 483 at the 2010 census.

Neelyville came into existence in 1872, following the extension of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway (later Missouri Pacific Railroad) to that point. Both it and the newly formed township, Neely, within which it was located, were named in honor of Obadiah Neely, a prominent local landowner. The town was known as "Neelysville" until about 1910, when postal authorities shortened the name.^[1]

A large lumber mill existed in the Neelyville area until the 1910s, and the town was formerly important as a rail terminus; since that time, agriculture has been the most important livelihood.^[2]

Neelyville is located near the intersection of U.S. Route 67 and Missouri State Highway 142 in southwestern Butler County, about four miles north of the Arkansas state line. It is about five miles southeast of Naylor, and fourteen miles southwest of Poplar Bluff. Its exact coordinates are 36°33’28”N 90°30’35”W.

The city lies on the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, not far southeast of the Mississippi Escarpment that marks the edge of the Ozark Plateau. A small natural preserve, the Corkwood Conservation Area, is located just west of town. It has a total area of 1.15 square miles, and an average elevation of 305 feet.^[3]

At the 2010 census, Neelyville had a total of 483 inhabitants, grouped into 181 households, with a population density of 420.0 people per square mile. This figure was practically unchanged from the 2000 census, when Neelyville had a population of 487. 82.82% of the inhabitants were White, 12.42% were African-American, 0.83% were Native American, 0.41% were Asian, and 3.52% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 0.41% of the population.

The median age in Neelyville was 33.9 years, with 32.3% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 6.8% between 18 and 24 years old, 26.2% between 25 and 44, 21.5% between 45 and 64, and 13.3% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 52.0% male, 48.0% female.^[4]

According to the 2017 American Community Survey, Neelyville had a median household income of $23,750, and a median family income of $32,031. The unemployment rate was 7.9%. The per capita income was $15,073. About 39.3% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 39.3% of people under the age of 18 and 16.1% of people 65 years old or older.^[5]

Neelyville and the surrounding area are served by the Neelyville R-IV School District, which was formed in 1925 through the consolidation of several smaller schools. Today, the district is a PK-12 institution with a total enrollment of around 630 students.^[6] Its mascot is the Tigers, and the school colors are maroon and yellow.^[7]