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'''Piedmont''' is a city in western [[Wayne County, Missouri|Wayne County]], [[Missouri]]. It is the largest city in the county, with a population of 1,977 at the 2010 census. The community takes its name, meaning "foot of the mountain," from its proximity to Clark Mountain to the north.
'''Piedmont''' is a city in western [[Wayne County, Missouri|Wayne County]], [[Missouri]]. It is the largest city in the county, with a population of 1,977 at the 2010 census. The community takes its name, meaning "foot of the mountain," from its proximity to Clark Mountain to the north.
==History==
The first settlement in the Piedmont area was made in the mid-19th century by one James Daniels and his family, from which it was originally known as "Danielsville." In 1871, however, the Missouri Pacific Railroad built a line through the region, and gave it its present name, as it lay near the foot of Clark Mountain.<ref>https://shsmo.org/collections/manuscripts/ramsay/wayne</ref> Owing to the business provided by the railroad, the town grew rapidly, despite the setback of a highly destructive fire in 1888, and by the early 20th century there were multiple banks and a weekly newspaper, among other businesses.<ref>Robert Sidney Douglass, ''History of Southeast Missouri'' (1912), p. 273.</ref> Further growth was provided by the construction of Clearwater Lake on the Black River nearby in the 1940s. Though Piedmont has declined somewhat since the 1980s, the recreational activities provided by the lake and the local mountains continue to provide a boost to the town's economy.
==Geography==
Piedmont is located at the junction of Missouri State Highways 34 and 49 in western Wayne County, about four miles east of Clearwater Lake and 13 miles west-northwest of [[Greenville, Missouri|Greenville]]. Its exact coordinates are 37°09’14”N 90°41’45”W.
Clark Mountain, from which the city takes its name, rises to a peak of about 1,440 feet some two miles northeast of Piedmont. It is often classed as a part of the St. Francois Mountain range.<ref>https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:3:0::NO::P3_FID:749370</ref> The city itself is laid out within a narrow valley along McKenzie Creek, a tributary of the Black River. It has a total area of 2.14 square miles, and an average elevation of 495 feet.<ref> https://web.archive.org/web/20110220065340/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt</ref>
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]