Joplin

Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. With a population of 51,762 as of the 2020 census, it is the 13th most-populous city in the state. The city covers an area of 35.69 square miles (92.41 km²) on the outer edge of the Ozark Mountains. It is the main hub of the three-county Joplin-Miami, Missouri-Oklahoma Metro area, which is home to 210,077 people making it the 5th largest metropolitan area in Missouri. In May 2011, the city was hit by a violent EF5 tornado which destroyed one-third of the city. It was once the center of the "Tri-state district", it soon became the lead- and zinc-mining capital of the world. As railroads were built to connect it to major markets in other cities, it was on the verge of dramatic growth. By the start of the 20th century, theCity was becoming a regional metropolis. Construction centered around Main Street, with many bars, hotels, and fine homes nearby. The three-story "House of Lords" was its most famous saloon, with a bar and restaurant on the first floor, gambling on the second, and a brothel on the third. In 1902, residents passed a tax to create a public library, and gained matching funds that enabled them to build the Carnegie Library. In 1930, the grand commercial Electric Theater was built, one of the many movie palaces of the time. It later purchased and renamed the Fox by Fox Theatres corporation.

History

Joplin is the primary city name, but also Loma Linda are acceptable city names or spellings. Lead was discovered in the Joplin Creek Valley before the Civil War, but only after the war did significant development take place. By the start of the 20th century, the city was becoming a regional metropolis. The main part of the city is nearly 75% undermined, with some mine shafts well over 100 ft (30 m) deep. After World War II, most of the mines were closed and growth leveled off, and the main road running east and west was designated as part of U.S. Route 66. In 1933, notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde spent some weeks in the city, where they robbed several area businesses. The house where the couple stayed, at 34th Street and Oak Ridge Drive, was nominated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 2009. It was later purchased and renamed the Fox by Fox Theatres corporation. In 1902, residents passed a tax to create a public library, and gained matching funds that enabled them to build the Carnegie Library. In 1930, the grand commercial Electric Theater was built, one of the many movie palaces of the time. The three-story "House of Lords" was its most famous saloon, with a bar and restaurant on the first floor, gambling on the second, and a brothel on the third. In 1903, police officers, including Theodore Leslie, 36, were searching nearby rail yards for a Black man who had allegedly stolen pistols from a hardware store when shots were fired, and Leslie was mortally wounded.

Geography

Joplin is the center of what is regionally known as the Four State Area: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas. The historic now-decommissioned U.S. Route 66 passes through Joplin, as 7th Street. The city has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), with cool, dry winters and hot, humid summers. It has an average annual precipitation of 45.58 inches (1,160 mm), including an average 12.5 inches (32 cm) of snow. Notable severe weather events in the past half-century include an F3 tornado in 1971; a tornado in 1973; an EF1 tornado on May 8, 2009; a blizzard on February 1, 2011; and an EF5 tornado onMay 22, 2011. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 34.9 °F (1.6 °C) in January to 79.9°F (26.6°C) on July 14, 1954. On average, 52.7 days of 90 °f (32 °C)'s highs, 4.5 days of 100 °F (38 °C), and 1.1 nights of sub-0 °C (18 °F) occur per year. The last 10 °F or below and the last 110 °F reading occurred on February 3 and August 2, 2011, respectively. It is located in Tornado Alley, which is known for its frequent tornadoes and severe weather.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, 50,150 people, 20,860 households, and 12,212 families resided in the city. The city's population was distributed as 24.21% under the age of 19, 9.4% from 20 to 24, 25.12% from 25 to 44, 22.16% from 45 to 64, and 13.18% who were 65 years of age or older. The racial makeup of the city is 87.6% White, 3.3% African American, 1.8% Native American,1.6%. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.5% of the population. As of 2000, the median income for a household in theCity was $30,555, and for a family was $38,888. The per capita income for the city was $17,738. About 10.5 of families and 14.8 of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8 percent of those under age 18 and 9. 4% of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was2.89. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. The median age was 35.4 years. The population density was 1,448.4 people per square mile (559.2/km²). The 23,322 housing units averaged 678.9 per squaremile (262.1/km 2).

Economy

According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: The city's top employers are: KPMG, KPMT, United States Bank, and Wells Fargo. The city is also home to a number of small businesses, such as a bank, a hair salon, a beauty salon and a hair care salon. The top employers for the city in 2019 are KPMC, Wells Fargo, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Education

Joplin is home to 11 public elementary schools in the Joplin R-VIII School District. The first high school was founded in 1885 and was located at the intersection of West 4th Street and Byers Ave. A school bond issue for $57.4 million was passed in April 2007, allowing the district to build two new middle schools (East and South Middle Schools) Missouri Southern State University, founded in 1937 as a junior college and expanded in the following decades. Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled (MSSD) is a state operated program serving Missouri students with severe disabilities at College View State School. Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences announced in March 2015 its intention to establish a campus with a large osteopathic medicine program, to be located in Mercy Hospital's former long-term temporary location near the site of the destroyed St. John's Regional Medical Center. In June 2017, the new 48,000 square foot state-of-the-art library opened to the public. The city's public library was relocated to a new facility along 20th Street, in the heart of the tornado area. The new facility has meeting and event rooms and spaces, an outdoor plaza and courtyard, children's, teen and adult book collection areas, and maker-spaces and equipment for creative arts and business innovators. In 2013, the Economic Development Administration awarded the city $20 million to relocate the dated library to anew facility along20th Street. The one Bible college is Ozark Christian College.

Transportation

Joplin is served by the mainline of the Kansas City Southern (KCS) railroad, as well as by branchlines of the BNSF Railway and Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad. Passenger trains have not served the city since the 1960s. The Joplin Union Depot is still intact along the KCS mainline, and efforts are underway to restore it. The Sunshine Lamp Trolley, which commenced service in July 2007, and expanded to three routes in 2009. In addition to the trolley, the city has a regional airport that provides flights to Denver international airport and Chicago-O'Hare International Airport operated by United express as United Airlines. The city is also served by U.S. Route 71, which runs east of the city, connecting to Kansas City to the north and Fort Smith, Arkansas, to the south. Range Line Road is the primary north and south commercial district with traffic approaching 25,000 vehicles daily. In 2022 the Range Line road bridge over KCS line will be replaced and made taller and wider to accommodate growth. Previously, strong support existed for an extension of Interstate 66 along the current Interstate 44 alignment from St. Louis to Tulsa and Oklahoma City. But, despite lobbying by both Missouri and Kansas, the project has been cancelled due to resistance farther east and west along the proposed extended alignment to Wichita, Kansas. In 2012, Interstate 49 was designated, and the segment between Kansas City and Joplins was designated Interstate 49 on December 12, 2012.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri = 82. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Joplin = 4.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 51,762 individuals with a median age of 34.2 age the population grows by 11.44% in Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,359.26 residents per square mile of area (524.82/km²). There are average 2.38 people per household in the 17,593 households with an average household income of $35,134 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.20% of the available work force and has dropped -1.94% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 28.32%. The number of physicians in Joplin per 100,000 population = 289.3.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Joplin = 42.5 inches and the annual snowfall = 12.3 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 101. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 212. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 24 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 31, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri which are owned by the occupant = 56.08%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 35 years with median home cost = $86,620 and home appreciation of -2.32%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $5.86 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,390 per student. There are 15.4 students for each teacher in the school, 354 students for each Librarian and 369 students for each Counselor. 4.72% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.67% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.00% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).