Boone

Formed November 16, 1820 (16^th county)

Boone County (183,607), Columbia (126,233)

The governmental masonry Classical Revival building was constructed in 1906 and enlarged in 1972.  It sits on Walnut Street between 7^th and 8^th streets.  Missouri State Highway 163 is four blocks to the west.  There were 1828 and 1847 courthouses earlier.  John H. Felt was the current courthouse architect.  The courthouse grounds feature a liberty bell and memorial columns.  A Government Center was added in 1995.  The county was established on November 16, 1820 from Howard County as the 16^th county.  Smithton was the first county seat until 1821 when Columbia became the seat.  The county’s name comes from American frontiersman Daniel Boone.  The county seat is named for Christopher Columbus.  Boone County was the birthplace for 1 Missouri Governor, Roger B. Wilson. 

Boone 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.)  Three Circuit Court Judges serve Boone and Callaway counties and Four County Court Judges and a court clerk serve Boone County (judicial.) Boone County is in central Missouri.  Kansas City, Missouri is west and Saint Louis, Missouri is east of the county.  The county center is 9.2 miles North-Northwest of Columbia.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Audrain, Callaway, Cole, Moniteau, Cooper, Howard, and Randolph counties. 

The area of the county is 685 square miles.  It is 32 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 8 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 268.0 persons per square mile making it 8 out of 115 in the state.  Boone County has 75.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 travels east to west in the county from Callaway County to Cooper County.  United States Highway 40 is joined with Interstate Highway 70 from Callaway County, splits and goes west into Howard County.  United States Highway 63 enters from the north, Randolph County, and exits to the southeast, Callaway County.  Boone County is shaped like a funnel.  Columbia is slightly south of center in the county.  Columbia is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 68.8% of the county population.  This county is in the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area.