Stone County, Missouri Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Stone County
U.S. county
The Stone County Courthouse in Galena
Location within the U.S. state of Missouri
Missouri's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Founded	February 10, 1851
Named for	William Stone, English pioneer and an early settler in Maryland
Seat	Galena
Largest city	Kimberling City
Area
• Total	511 sq mi (1,320 km²)
• Land	464 sq mi (1,200 km²)
• Water	47 sq mi (120 km²) 9.2%
Population (2020)
• Total	31,076
• Density	60.81/sq mi (23.480/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Stone County is a county in the southwestern part of Missouri, a state in the United States. In 2020, about 31,076 people lived there. The main town, or county seat, is Galena. The biggest city in the county is Kimberling City.

Stone County used to be part of the Branson area.

History

Stone County was officially started on February 10, 1851. It was named after William Stone. He was an early settler from England who lived in Maryland. He also served as a judge in nearby Taney County.

Around 1904, a railway called the White River Railway was built. It went through the rough land of Stone and Taney counties. For many years, these counties had rules that did not allow African Americans to live there.

Geography

Stone County covers a total area of about 511 square miles. Most of this area, about 464 square miles, is land. The rest, about 47 square miles, is water. This means about 9.2% of the county is water.

Neighboring Counties

Stone County shares borders with several other counties:

Christian County (to the north)
Taney County (to the east)
Carroll County (to the south)
Barry County (to the west)
Lawrence County (to the northwest)

Protected Natural Areas

Part of the Mark Twain National Forest is located in Stone County. This is a large area of protected land.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	2,400	—
1870	3,253	35.5%
1880	4,404	35.4%
1890	7,090	61.0%
1900	9,892	39.5%
1910	11,559	16.9%
1920	11,941	3.3%
1930	11,614	−2.7%
1940	11,298	−2.7%
1950	9,748	−13.7%
1960	8,176	−16.1%
1970	9,921	21.3%
1980	15,587	57.1%
1990	19,078	22.4%
2000	28,658	50.2%
2010	32,202	12.4%
2020	31,076	−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

In 2000, there were 28,658 people living in Stone County. There were 11,822 households, which are groups of people living together. The average age of people in the county was 44 years old.

Education

Many adults in Stone County have a good education. About 80.4% of adults aged 25 and older have a high school diploma or higher. Also, 14.2% have a bachelor's degree or more.

Public Schools

Stone County has several public school districts:

Blue Eye R-V School District in Blue Eye
- Blue Eye Elementary School (grades PK-4)
- Blue Eye Middle School (grades 5-8)
- Blue Eye High School (grades 9-12)
Crane R-III School District in Crane
- Crane Elementary School (grades K-6)
- Crane High School (grades 7-12)
Galena R-II School District in Galena
- Galena-Abesville Elementary School (grades PK-6)
- Galena High School (grades 7-12)
Hurley R-I School District in Hurley
- Hurley Elementary School (grades K-5)
- Hurley High School (grades 6-12)
Reeds Spring R-IV School District in Reeds Spring
- Reeds Spring Primary School (grades PK-1)
- Reeds Spring Elementary School (grades 2-4)
- Reeds Spring Intermediate School (grades 5-6)
- Reeds Spring Middle School (grades 7-8)
- Reeds Spring High School (grades 9-12)

Private Schools

Apostolic Christian School in Reeds Spring (grades 5-12) - This is a Christian school.

Special and Vocational Schools

Tri-Lakes Special Education Cooperative in Blue Eye (grades K-12) - This school helps students with special education needs.
Gibson Technical Center in Reeds Spring (grades 9-12) - This center offers training for jobs and technical skills.
New Horizons Alternative School in Reeds Spring (grades 6-12) - This is an alternative school option for students.