SkipCaptcha, Automoderated users, edit
1,631
edits
Changes
Added to page
'''Edgar Springs''' is a city in southern [[Phelps County, Missouri|Phelps County]], [[Missouri]]. It had a population of 208 at the 2010 census.
==History==
The origin of Edgar Springs' name is fairly straightforward, deriving from a homestead belonging to John Edgar, the first known settler to the area, who arrived about 1840; his land included a small natural spring. Also sometimes known as Edgar Prairie, a community had evolved by the early 1870s, but it was always small in size and was not incorporated until 1974, the last in Phelps County to attain city status.<ref>https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/C2366/phelps-county</ref>
Edgar Springs gained some attention following the 2000 census, when it was declared the closest town to the mean population center of the [[United States of America|United States]], a point marking the theoretical center of the nation based on population distribution. This point was said to be 2.8 miles east of the city. Following the 2010 census, the mean population center was moved further southwest, into [[Texas County, Missouri]].<ref>https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2000/geo/2000-centers-population.html</ref> More recently, it drew less-welcome attention as a reputed "speed trap" for motorists on U.S. Route 63; media outlets criticized the community and its police force for squeezing money out of unsuspecting drivers, while town leaders responded that the policy was necessary to stay afloat financially.<ref>"Messenger: Speed Trap Highlights Policing-for-Profit Dilemma," ''St. Louis Post Dispatch'', Sept. 7, 2016. [https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/tony-messenger/messenger-speed-trap-highlights-policing-for-profit-dilemma/article_6acba9a1-a618-5fa0-af5e-b9256966b841.html]</ref>
==Geography==
Edgar Springs is located along U.S. Route 63 in southern Phelps County, about 18 miles south-southwest of [[Rolla, Missouri|Rolla]] and 13 miles north of [[Licking, Missouri|Licking]]. Its exact coordinates are 37°42’16”N 91°52’00”W.
The city lies in upland rolling terrain that forms part of the Salem Plateau, a major subdivision of the Ozarks Mountains. A large portion of the Mark Twain National Forest is immediately to its north and west. It has a total area of 0.66 square miles, and an average elevation of 1,207 feet.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]
==History==
The origin of Edgar Springs' name is fairly straightforward, deriving from a homestead belonging to John Edgar, the first known settler to the area, who arrived about 1840; his land included a small natural spring. Also sometimes known as Edgar Prairie, a community had evolved by the early 1870s, but it was always small in size and was not incorporated until 1974, the last in Phelps County to attain city status.<ref>https://collections.shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/C2366/phelps-county</ref>
Edgar Springs gained some attention following the 2000 census, when it was declared the closest town to the mean population center of the [[United States of America|United States]], a point marking the theoretical center of the nation based on population distribution. This point was said to be 2.8 miles east of the city. Following the 2010 census, the mean population center was moved further southwest, into [[Texas County, Missouri]].<ref>https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2000/geo/2000-centers-population.html</ref> More recently, it drew less-welcome attention as a reputed "speed trap" for motorists on U.S. Route 63; media outlets criticized the community and its police force for squeezing money out of unsuspecting drivers, while town leaders responded that the policy was necessary to stay afloat financially.<ref>"Messenger: Speed Trap Highlights Policing-for-Profit Dilemma," ''St. Louis Post Dispatch'', Sept. 7, 2016. [https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/tony-messenger/messenger-speed-trap-highlights-policing-for-profit-dilemma/article_6acba9a1-a618-5fa0-af5e-b9256966b841.html]</ref>
==Geography==
Edgar Springs is located along U.S. Route 63 in southern Phelps County, about 18 miles south-southwest of [[Rolla, Missouri|Rolla]] and 13 miles north of [[Licking, Missouri|Licking]]. Its exact coordinates are 37°42’16”N 91°52’00”W.
The city lies in upland rolling terrain that forms part of the Salem Plateau, a major subdivision of the Ozarks Mountains. A large portion of the Mark Twain National Forest is immediately to its north and west. It has a total area of 0.66 square miles, and an average elevation of 1,207 feet.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Missouri Cities and Towns]]