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==Geography==

==Geography==

St. Francois County is located in southeast Missouri, one of the counties that make up the so-called "Lead Belt" on account of the many deposits of lead scattered throughout the region. It is bordered on the north by Jefferson County, on the east by Ste. Genevieve County, on the southeast by [[Perry County, Missouri|Perry County]], on the south by [[Madison County, Missouri|Madison County]], on the southwest by Iron County, and on the west by Washington County.

St. Francois County is located in southeast Missouri, one of the counties that make up the so-called "Lead Belt" on account of the many deposits of lead scattered throughout the region. It is bordered on the north by Jefferson County, on the east by Ste. Genevieve County, on the southeast by [[Perry County, Missouri|Perry County]], on the south by [[Madison County, Missouri|Madison County]], on the southwest by [[Iron County, Missouri|Iron County]], and on the west by Washington County.

The county has a total area of 454.68 square miles, including 451.89 of land and 2.79 of water.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> The most prominent natural feature is the St. Francois Mountains, which are especially high and rugged in the southwest, from the boundary with Iron County to about the city of Park Hills. Brown Mountain, the county's highest peak at 1,650 feet, is in this region, near the city of Iron Mountain Lake. Farther north and east, the terrain is more open and rolling, with relatively flat sections around Farmington that contain fertile farmland.<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=6573</ref> The lowest elevations, at about 600 feet, occur in the far north in the valley of the Big River.

The county has a total area of 454.68 square miles, including 451.89 of land and 2.79 of water.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20131021170230/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_29.txt</ref> The most prominent natural feature is the St. Francois Mountains, which are especially high and rugged in the southwest, from the boundary with Iron County to about the city of Park Hills. Brown Mountain, the county's highest peak at 1,650 feet, is in this region, near the city of Iron Mountain Lake. Farther north and east, the terrain is more open and rolling, with relatively flat sections around Farmington that contain fertile farmland.<ref>https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=6573</ref> The lowest elevations, at about 600 feet, occur in the far north in the valley of the Big River.