Iron County, Missouri

Iron County
County courthouse in Ironton
County courthouse in Ironton
Map of Missouri highlighting Iron County
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Map of the United States highlighting Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 37°33′N 90°46′W / 37.55°N 90.76°W / 37.55; -90.76
Country United States
State Missouri
FoundedFebruary 17, 1857
Named forIron ore
SeatIronton
Largest cityIronton
Area
 • Total552 sq mi (1,430 km2)
 • Land550 sq mi (1,400 km2)
 • Water1.8 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total9,537
 • Density17/sq mi (6.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district8th

Iron County is a county located in the Lead Belt region in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,537.[1] The largest city and county seat is Ironton.[2] Iron County was officially organized on February 17, 1857, and was named after the abundance of iron ore found within its borders.[3][4]

Iron County includes the 6-mile (9.7 km)-long, 2-mile (3.2 km)-wide Arcadia Valley, the site of Pilot Knob, Ironton, and Arcadia, communities established by immigrants in the 19th Century.[5] The valley is surrounded by the Saint Francois Mountains of the Ozarks Plateau. Iron County is also home to dozens of mountains,[6] including the 1,772-foot (540 m) Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri.

The county is home to a number of state parks and historical sites including Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, Elephant Rocks State Park and Fort Davidson State Historic Site as well as 96,047 acres (390 km2) of Mark Twain National Forest.[7]

  1. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Eaton, David Wolfe (1916). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. pp. 176.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 166.
  5. ^ “The Arcadia Country” ca. 1920 Archived December 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine from the Western Historical Manuscript Collection of Missouri S&T
  6. ^ Summits of Iron County from TopoZone
  7. ^ "Acreage by State, Congressional District and County Report". U.S. Forest Service. October 10, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2008.

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