Springfield Missouri

Name
   The origin of the name Springfield remains unclear. In 1883, the historian R. I. Holcombe wrote, "The town took its name from the circumstance of there being a spring under the hill, on the creek, while on top of the hill, where the principal portion of the town lay, there was a field." He went on to note, "This version of the origin of the name is disputed by the editor of the Springfield Express, Mr. J. G. Newbill, who, in the issue of his paper, November 11, 1881, says: 'It has been stated that this city got its name from the fact of a spring and field being near by just west of town. But such is not a correct version. When the authorized persons met and adopted the title of the "Future Great" of the then Southwest, several of the earliest settlers had handed in their favorite names, among whom was Kindred Rose, who presented the winning name, "Springfield," in honor of his former home town, Springfield, Robertson county, Tennessee.'"[5] The most common view is that the city was named for Springfield, Massachusetts. One account holds that a James Wilson, who lived in the then-unnamed city, offered free whiskey to everyone who would vote for naming it after his home town of Springfield, Massachusetts.[6]

Geography
   Springfield is located at 37°11'42?N 93°17'10?W? / ?37.195°N 93.28611°W? / 37.195; -93.28611 (37.195098, -93.286213),[7] on the Springfield Plateau of the Ozarks. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 73.8 square miles (191 km2), of which, 73.2 square miles (190 km2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) of it (0.87%) is water. The city of Springfield is mainly flat with rolling hills and cliffs surrounding the south, east, and north parts of the city. Springfield is located on the Springfield Plateau, which reaches from Northwest Arkansas to Central Missouri. The majority of the plateau is characterized by forest, pastures and shrub-scrub habitats.[8] Many streams and tributaries such as the James River, Galloway Creek and Jordan Creek flow within or near the city. Nearby lakes include Table Rock Lake, Stockton Lake, Fellows Lake, and Pomme de Terre Lake. Springfield is near the population center of the United States, about 80 miles (130 km) to the east.

Climate
   Springfield is characterized by four distinct seasons. It experiences an average surface wind velocity comparable to Chicago, Illinois according to information compiled at the National Climatic Data Center at NOAA.[9] It is placed within "Power Class 3" in the Wind Energy Resource Atlas published by a branch of the US Department of Energy; having an average wind speed range of 6.4 to 7.0 miles per hour.[10] The city lies at the boundary of clearly being in the humid subtropical region and in the transition area as defined by the Köppen climate classification system. As such it experiences times of exceptional humidity; especially in late summer.[11] The Midwestern Regional Climate Center reports annual precipitation in Springfield is 44.97 inches (1,142 mm), including an average 19.9 inches (510 mm) of snow.

   According to a 2007 story in Forbes magazine's list of "America's Wildest Weather Cities" and the Weather Variety Index, Springfield is the city with the most varied weather in the United States.[12][13]

Demographics
   According to the US Census 2000,[1] 151,580 people, 64,691 households, and 35,709 families resided in the city. The population density was 2,072.0 people per square mile (800.0/km2). There were 69,650 housing units at an average density of 952.1/mi2 (367.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.69% White, 3.27% African American, 0.75% Native American, 1.36% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.    There were 64,691 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.8% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city 19.9% were under the age of 18, 17.4% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.    The median income for a household in the city was $29,563, and the median income for a family was $38,114. Males had a median income of $27,778 versus $20,980 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,711. About 9.9% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
   Springfield’s economy is based on health care, manufacturing, retail, education and tourism.[15]    With a Gross Metropolitan Product of $13.66 billion in 2004, Springfield's economy makes up 6.7% of the Gross State Product of Missouri.[16]

   The city’s Gross Metro Product was $14.7 billion in 2005, 127th of 361 U.S. metro areas ranked by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.[citation needed] The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed employment by sector in 2008 as:[citation needed] Jordan Valley Park
1. Education and Health Services 35,000 (17.4%)
2. Retail Trade 25,700 (12.8%) 3. Government 26,500 (13.2%) 4. Leisure and Hospitality (Tourism) 19,400 (9.7%) 5. Professional and Business Services 19,200 (9.6%) 6. Manufacturing 18,200 (9.1%)

   Springfield’s top 10 employers in 2008 were St. John’s Health System (7,717), CoxHealth (6,834), Wal-Mart Stores (3,927), Springfield Public Schools (2,822), Missouri State University (2,772), United States Government (2,540), Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Marine (2,525), State of Missouri (2,283), City of Springfield (1,842) and Citizens Memorial Healthcare (1,600).

   Nearly 900 doctors, 170 dentists and 5,300 nurses, 400 pharmacists, 600 therapists, and 500 emergency medical technicians and paramedics work in Springfield.

   More than 18,000 people are employed in manufacturing. The city’s largest manufacturers in terms of employment include the Paul Mueller Company, Kraft Foods, Hutchens Industries, SRC Holdings, Loren Cook Company, Positronic Industries, Regal-Beloit, Carlisle Power Transmission, Solo Cup, Northrup Grumman Interconnect Technologies, Reckitt Benckiser and 3M. Bass Pro Shops

   Bass Pro Shops, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, BKD, LLP, Noble & Associates, Assemblies of God and O'Reilly Auto Parts have their national headquarters in Springfield.

   Springfield is a regional shopping center serving a large geographic area, including Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas. It is the third-largest market in the state and one of the top 150 U.S. markets. Total retail sales exceed $4.1 billion annually in Springfield and $5.8 billion in the Springfield MSA. Its largest shopping mall is Battlefield Mall. The downtown area is currently going through a resurgence, with major investments in new and refurbished buildings accompanied by an influx of independent retailers.

   According to the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, an estimated three million overnight visitors and millions of day-trippers visit the city annually. The city has more than 60 lodging facilities and 6,000 hotel rooms. The Convention & Visitors Bureau spends more than $1 million annually marketing the city as a travel destination.

   In 2009, plans became public for a new upscale shopping area to be built near the intersection of highways 65 and 60. The area when completed would have more than 500 acres of shopping, restaurants, lodging, and office complexes. If the plans follow through construction would not begin until 2012.

   The Springfield Economic Area is a 29-county region with a population of more than 977,728. The Economic Area includes the following counties in Missouri: Barry, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Greene, Hickory, Howell, Laclede, Lawrence, Oregon, Ozark, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Shannon, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster and Wright. Also included are five counties in Arkansas: Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Marion and Newton.

Culture
   Like many cities across the nation, Springfield has seen a major resurgence in its downtown area. Many of the older buildings have been, and are continuing to be, renovated into mixed-use buildings such as lofts, office space, restaurants, bars, boutiques, and music venues. There are currently more than 400 lofts in downtown Springfield, but the city expects there to be more than 1,200 by 2012.[citation needed] Located within the Downtown Springfield CID (Community Improvement District) are historic theaters that have been restored to their original state, including the Gillioz Theatre and the Landers Theatre.

   In 2001 the first phase of the Jordan Valley Park opened along with the Mediacom Ice Park. 2001 also saw the opening of The Creamery Arts Center, a city-owned building inside Jordan Valley Park. It is home to the Springfield Regional Arts Council, Springfield Regional Opera, Springfield Ballet, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and provides office and meeting space for other arts organizations which serve the community. The center has been recently renovated to include two art galleries with monthly exhibitions, an Arts Library, rehearsal studios, and classrooms offering art workshops and hands-on activities. The facilities also include a one-of-a-kind outdoor classroom.

   The Springfield Exposition Center opened in 2003 and development continues in the area.

   A March 2009 New York Times article[18] described the history and ascendancy of cashew chicken in Springfield, where local variations of the popular Chinese dish are ubiquitous.

Source: Wikipedia