Springfield, Missouri

About Springfield, Missouri

Springfield is a city in Christian and Greene Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. On July 1, 2006, its estimated population was 150,797, of whom 150,790 lived in Greene County and 7 lived in Christian County, making it the third largest city statewide. It is the county seat of Greene County. The Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the counties of Christian, Dallas, Greene, Polk, and Webster. According to Forbes Magazine's list of "America's Wildest Weather Cities," Springfield is the city with the most varied weather in the nation.

When Missouri became a state, most of its indigenous population was moved to reservations further west. The number of settlers arriving in Southwest Missouri increased rapidly and the city of Springfield was founded 17 years after Missouri gained statehood.

During the Civil War, Missouri was divided and a number of battles were fought in the Ozarks. Springfield itself saw a short but violent clash in 1863.