Cedar

Formed February 14, 1845 (81^st county)

Cedar County (14,187), Stockton (1,686), El Dorado Springs (3,497)

The masonry Art Deco courthouse sits on South Street at Jackson Street.  Missouri State Highway 39 is South Street in this part of the town.  This is a 1938 structure to replace the 1867 facility.  There were also 1847 and 1852 courthouses previously.  The architectural firm of Marshall & Brown designed the courthouse.  Crows Mill was the first county seat replaced by Stockton in 1846.  The county was created on February 14, 1845 from parts of Dade and Saint Clair counties as the 81^st county.  It is named for Cedar Creek and the local trees.  The county seat is named for Mexican American War hero Robert F. Stockton. 

Cedar County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  One Circuit Court Judge serves Cedar, Barton, Dade, and Vernon counties and One County Court Judge and a court clerk serve Cedar County (judicial.) The county is in the southwest part of the state.  Springfield, Missouri is south and Kansas City, Missouri is northwest of the county.  The county center is 3.9 miles West of Stockton.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Saint Clair, Polk, Dade, Benton, and Vernon counties. 

The area of the county is 476 square miles.  It is 89 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 72 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 29.8 persons per square mile making it 61 out of 115 in the state.  Cedar County has 38.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 54 crosses the county east to west from Hickory County to Vernon County.  The county is shaped like the State of Utah.  Stockton is in the southeast quarter of the county.  El Dorado Springs is in the northwest corner of the county.  Stockton is the county seat and El Dorado Springs is the largest city.  Stockton is 11.9% of the county population while El Dorado Springs is 24.7% of the county population.

Umber View Heights