Ozark

Formed January 29, 1841 (76^th county)

Ozark County (8,556), Gainesville (742)

The masonry Art Deco building was erected in 1939.  It is on a square at Main Street between 3^rd and 4^th streets.  United States Highway 160 is two blocks to the southeast of the location.  Earl Hawkins provided the building designs.  There were 1842, 1860, and 1873 courthouses earlier.  Rockbridge was the first county seat until 1860 when Gainesville took the position.  Ozark County was founded on January 29, 1841 from Ripley County as the 76^th county.  It is named for the local mountains.  They are also the source name for the county seat of Christian County.  The county seat is named for Gainesville, Georgia. 

Ozark 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 Ozark, Douglas, and Wright counties and One County Court Judge and a court clerk serve Ozark County (judicial.)  The county is on the southern border with Arkansas.  Springfield, Missouri is northwest and Little Rock, Arkansas is south of the county.  The county center is 6.3 miles Northeast of Gainesville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Douglas and Howell counties and Arkansas and Taney County. 

The area of the county is 747 square miles.  It is 23 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 93 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 11.5 persons per square mile making it 101 out of 115 in the state.  Ozark County has 13.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 160 crosses the county east to west from Howell County to Taney County.  The county is a rectangle.  Gainesville is in the southern third of the county.  Gainesville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 8.7% of the county population.