Plato, Missouri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Plato, Missouri
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Village
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| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | Texas |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.38 sq mi (0.97 km2) |
| • Land | 0.38 sq mi (0.97 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 82 |
| • Density | 218.67/sq mi (84.53/km2) |
| FIPS code | 29-58088 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2393231 |
Plato is a small village in Texas County, Missouri, United States. It is located about 20 miles northwest of Houston. It is also 10 miles south of Fort Leonard Wood on Route 32. In 2020, 82 people lived in Plato.
In 2010, Plato was named the mean center of United States population. This means it was the balancing point if you imagined all Americans standing on a map!
Contents
History of Plato
The community of Plato was started in 1874. It was named after Plato, a famous ancient Greek philosopher.
A historic building called the Bates-Geers House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This list includes important places in history.
Where is Plato?
Plato is a small place. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village covers an area of 0.38 square miles. All of this area is land.
People in Plato
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2010 | 109 | — | |
| 2020 | 82 | −24.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Plato's Population in 2010
In 2010, there were 109 people living in Plato. These people lived in 41 households. A household is like a home where people live together. There were 35 families living in the village.
Most people in Plato were White (95.4%). A small number were African American (1.8%) or Native American (1.8%). Some people (4.6%) were also Hispanic or Latino.
About 36.6% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (65.9%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.66 people. The average family had 2.83 people.
The average age of people in Plato was 36.5 years. About 28.4% of residents were under 18. About 23.9% were 65 years old or older. The village had almost an equal number of males (49.5%) and females (50.5%).
The Center of the U.S. Population
In March 2011, Plato was officially named the 2010 Mean center of the United States population. This was based on information from the 2010 United States Census.
The center of the U.S. population has been moving southwest. It moves about 20 to 30 miles every ten years. In 1980, it was near DeSoto. In 2000, it was near Edgar Springs.
Getting Around Plato
Waynesville Regional Airport at Forney Field helps people travel by air. This airport is on Fort Leonard Wood. However, the nearby cities of Waynesville and St. Robert help run it. It can be used by private pilots and for regular passenger flights.
Plato is connected by two main roads:
Route 17 is a major road that goes north and south. It crosses Interstate 44 and goes through towns like Waynesville. South of Interstate 44, it runs near Fort Leonard Wood.
Route 32 goes west from Route 17 through Plato. It then continues west through Lynchburg.
News and Media
The area around Fort Leonard Wood has several newspapers and radio stations. These help keep people informed.
The Houston Herald [1] covers news in Texas County. However, it does not often cover news about Plato village or its school.
KFBD-FM and its sister station, KJPW, provide radio news. They cover the Pulaski County area, which includes Fort Leonard Wood and northern Texas County.
The Daily Guide [2] is a newspaper based in St. Robert. It covers news for all of Pulaski County. It sometimes covers school sports and big stories in Plato.
The Fort Leonard Wood Guidon [3] is a newspaper for the military base. It is produced by the Army Public Affairs at Fort Leonard Wood.
Education in Plato
The Plato R-V School District serves Plato and nearby areas. This includes parts of Pulaski, Laclede, and Wright counties.
Some nearby school districts only have schools for younger students (K-8). Students from these districts often come to Plato High School for their high school education.
Many military families from Fort Leonard Wood live in nearby communities. These include St. Robert and Waynesville. Some also choose to live in Plato or Roby. This is because housing costs can be lower in these areas.
There are seven main school districts in Pulaski County. Many students in these districts are children of military personnel. For example, over two-thirds of students in the Waynesville are from military families.
See also
In Spanish: Plato (Misuri) para niños
