Alton, Missouri

Alton is a city in and the county seat of Oregon County, Missouri. It had a population of 871 at the 2010 census.

History

Although permanent settlement in the Alton area is thought to have begun as early as the 1810s, the community did not take shape until 1859, when, being located near the geographic center of Oregon County, it was deemed by commissioners the most suitable site for the county seat (Thomasville, the original county seat, was farther northwest and considered unable to properly serve the entire county). William Hodges, a local landowner, deeded about 50 acres that year for a town to be laid out; it was promptly surveyed, and by 1862 had a post office. It is thought that the first postmaster, William C. Boyd, gave the new community its name in honor of his native town of Alton, Illinois.

Despite its status as the county seat, Alton grew very slowly, and was not actually incorporated as a city until 1929. Its growth accelerated after that point, though, helped by the completion of a new courthouse in 1942. Especially in recent years, the community, like the rest of Oregon County, has been buoyed by tourism and recreation along the nearby Eleven Point River.

A small Amish community has existed in the Alton area since 2017.

Geography

Alton is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 160 and Missouri State Highway 19 in central Oregon County, about 25 miles east of West Plains and 14 miles northeast of Thayer. Its exact coordinates are 36°41’38”N 91°23’57”W.

The city sits in a gently rolling plateau of sorts, with more rugged terrain along the Eleven Point River a few miles to the northeast. It has a total area of 1.58 square miles, and an average elevation of 781 feet.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Alton had a total of 871 inhabitants, grouped into 352 households, with a population density of 554.8 people per square mile. This figure represented a dramatic increase from the 2000 census, when Alton had a population of 668. 95.64% of the inhabitants were White, 0.46% were African-American, 0.69% were Native American, and 3.21% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 1.38% of the population.

The median age in Alton was 39.2 years, with 28.7% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 6.3% between 18 and 24 years old, 22.2% between 25 and 44, 16.9% between 45 and 64, and 25.6% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 45.7% male, 54.3% female.

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Alton had a median household income of $19,634, and a median family income of $37,083. The unemployment rate was 5.2%. The per capita income was $15,529. About 24.9% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 13.1% of people under the age of 18 and 35.3% of people 65 years old or older.

Education

Alton and most of central Oregon County are served by the Alton R-IV School District, a PK-12 public institution with a total enrollment of about 700 students. Its mascot is the Comets, and the school colors are blue, yellow, and white.

Community Life

Alton has a scenic residential area, which includes a number of stone masonry structures dating back to the 1920s, several of which are available for use as guest houses.

The town hosts the annual Ozark Black Gold Walnut Festival, typically held the first Saturday in October and featuring a number of craft shows, along with various forms of entertainment.

Greer Spring, the second-largest natural spring in Missouri, is located about 10 miles north of Alton, as is the adjacent Greer Mill, a historic grist mill built in 1899. The mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.