Waynesville, Missouri
Waynesville is a city in and the county seat of Pulaski County, Missouri, United States. Its population was 5,406 at the 2020 census. Located in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks, it was one of the communities served by historic Route 66. History. Waynesville was platted in 1839. The city was named for Anthony Wayne. The post office in Waynesville has been in operation since 1834. During the American Civil War, units of the 5th Missouri State Militia would sometimes be garrisoned at Waynesville. Geography. Waynesville is located on Roubidoux Creek, approximately two miles south of the Gasconade  River. The northern boundary of Fort Leonard Wood lies about two miles to the south. The Roubidoux Spring, 15th largest in the state, is located in the city limits. The Roubidoux Spring was also a stop on the infamous Trail of Tears. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Demographics. 2010 census. As of the census of 2010, there were 4,830 people, 1,894 households, and 1,252 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,088 housing units at an average density of . The  racial makeup of the city was 73.6% White, 12.4% African American, 1.1% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 6.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.1% of the population. There were 1,894 households, of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone  living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 32.6 years. 28% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.6% were from 25 to 44; 21.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female. 2000 census. At the 2000 census, there were 3,507 people, 1,428 households and 922 families residing in  the city. The population density was 563.3 per square mile (217.3/km). There were 1,591 housing units at an average density of 255.6 per square mile (98.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 79.70% White, 10.98% African American, 0.94% Native American, 2.88% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 3.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.11% of the population. There were 1,428 households, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no  husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.93. 27.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 86.0 males. The median household income was $41,250 and the median family income was $46,205. Males had a median income of $31,435 versus $23,640 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,117. About 9.5% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.9% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over. Climate. Waynesville experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfa"), as does much of southern Missouri. Government. Waynesville is classified a 3rd Class City with an elected mayor  and city council. Due to the postponement of the 2020 election, Mayor Dr. Jerry Brown did not take office until June of that year. Current City Council members are Rob Rice & Bill Farnham (Ward 1), Cecil V. Davis & Clarence Liberty (Ward 2), Ed Conley & Sean A. Wilson (Ward 3), and Michael France & Michael Curtis (Ward 4). John Doyle is City Administrator, and Michele Brown is City Clerk. Education. Fort Leonard Wood is in Pulaski County and a high percentage of military personnel live off-post in surrounding communities, especially St. Robert and Waynesville, but also the farther-out cities of  Richland, Crocker, Dixon, and the unincorporated communities of Laquey, Swedeborg, Doolittle, and Devil's Elbow, all of which have a lower housing cost than both St. Robert and Waynesville. Military personnel assigned to training areas on the south end of the post sometimes choose to live in the unincorporated area of Big Piney in Pulaski County, or the northern Texas County communities of Plato and Roby. Seven main school districts are fully or partly within the borders of Pulaski County, not counting two small districts which are mostly within other counties and only have only a few dozen residents within  Pulaski County. All seven school districts have a high percentage of Fort Leonard Wood military dependents, and over two-thirds of Waynesville students fall into that category. The cities of Waynesville and St. Robert and the Fort Leonard Wood army installation, along with their surrounding rural areas running east to Devil's Elbow, are served by the Waynesville R-VI School District which is by far the largest in the county. Other districts serving Pulaski County include the Laquey R-V School District, Richland R-IV School District, Swedeborg R-III School District, Crocker R-II School District, and Dixon  R-I School District. The Plato R-V School District is in Texas County but serves the southern portion of Pulaski County. Waynesville Schools include Williams Early Childhood Development Center (Pre-K - Kindergarten), Wood Elementary (K-5), Pick Elementary (K-5), East Elementary (K-5), Freedom Elementary (K-5), Waynesville Sixth Grade Center (6th), Waynesville Middle School (7 & 8), and Waynesville High School (9-12). Waynesville has a public library, a branch of the Pulaski County Library District. Transportation. Waynesville Regional Airport at Forney Field serves the community with air service. Even though it is on Fort Leonard Wood, it is jointly run by  the cities of Waynesville and St. Robert and is available for civilian use by private pilots and scheduled commercial passenger service. The major east-west route is Interstate 44; before that, the main highway was "U.S. Route 66", which still exists as a scenic route through the area and passes through Devil's Elbow, St. Robert, Waynesville, Buckhorn, and Hazelgreen. Names for U.S. Route 66 vary - at different places, it's called Teardrop Road, Highway Z, Old Route 66, Historic Route 66, and Highway 17. State-posted signs mark most of the alignment of the road. The major north-south  routes near Waynesville are: Major attractions along U.S. Route 66 include the Old Stagecoach Stop in downtown Waynesville, which is now a museum but began as a tavern and boarding house and is the oldest standing structure in the county. It was used as a Civil War hospital for Union troops who were garrisoned above the city in Fort Wayne, which was demolished after the war. The Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Waynesville is near the Old Stagecoach Stop. The City Of Waynesville does not provide any public transportation (such as buses or shuttles). Media. Pulaski County has three weekly  print newspapers, as well as an online Internet daily newspaper. The county also features two Internet discussion sites, the Pulaski County Web and Pulaski County Insider. KFBD-FM and its AM sister station, KJPW, are the dominant news radio providers in the Pulaski County area, which includes Fort Leonard Wood, Waynesville and St. Robert. These stations compete with the only other station broadcasting from Pulaski County, KFLW Radio, owned by the "Lebanon Daily Record" and working locally from the St. Robert offices of the "Pulaski County Mirror" weekly newspaper. "The Daily Guide", commonly known as the "Waynesville Daily Guide" (and  formerly called the "Gateway Daily Guide"), is based in St. Robert and serves the entire county. It is owned by GateHouse Media and is the central printing plant for three other GateHouse newspapers in nearby counties, the daily Camden "Lake Sun Leader" and "Rolla Daily News" as well as the weekly "St. James Leader-Journal". The content of the weekly "Fort Leonard Wood Guidon" is produced under the auspices of Army Public Affairs at Fort Leonard Wood, but printed under contract by the "Springfield News-Leader", a Gannett-owned newspaper which produces and sells advertisements in the "Fort Leonard Wood  Guidon". The military contract to produce the "Guidon" was held by the "Lebanon Daily Record" until the end of 2002, and previously by the "Waynesville Daily Guide" for many years. The weekly "Pulaski County Mirror" is owned by the "Lebanon Daily Record", a family-owned newspaper in an adjoining county. The paper is a merger of the "Richland Mirror" and "Pulaski County Democrat" in St. Robert, which were separate weekly papers owned by the "Lebanon Daily Record" until their owner merged them in 2009. The "Pulaski County Daily News" online newspaper is privately owned by a Waynesville resident. The "Pulaski  County Insider" is run and maintained by a businessman from St. Robert and hosted by a Potosi resident. The county's other weekly paper, "the Dixon Pilot", does not routinely cover Waynesville.