The Springfield, Missouri, metropolitan area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of five counties in southwestern Missouri, anchored by the city of Springfield, the state's third largest city.[2] Other primary population centers in the metro area include Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Bolivar, Marshfield and Willard. Currently, the city limits of Springfield reach the Nixa, and Ozark city limits at the Christian County line on US 160, and US 65 respectively, the city limits of Republic at James River Freeway on the southwest side of the city, and the Strafford city limits on Route 744 on the northeast side of the city.
Springfield serves as the center of the Springfield media market, the 75th largest media market in the country ranked amongst Omaha, Nebraska and Rochester, New York.[10] There are nearly 430,000 television owning homes and a total population of 1,065,000 people.[11]
Print
The main newspaper for the area is the Springfield News-Leader. The area is also served by the Springfield Business Journal and 417 magazine as well as its specialized magazines including 417 Biz.
Surrounding areas are served by their own newspapers as well, Christian County communities are served by Headliner News,[12] Marshfield by The Marshfield Mail,[13] and Bolivar by the Herald Free-Press.[14]
Broadcast
Television stations in the Springfield metro area include:
Springfield Public Schools is the largest fully accredited school district in the State of Missouri with nearly 25,000 students and a graduation rate of roughly 88%.[15]Nixa Public Schools, located just south of Springfield, is a growing district of 6,000 students that frequently ranks above the national average in ACT scores and has for the last ten years earned the highest state recognition for academic achievement given in Missouri.[16] Other growing districts in the area are located in the cities of Ozark, Republic, Strafford, and Marshfield. Private schools in the area include the Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield, located on the Missouri State campus, and the Summit Preparatory School, located near James River Freeway in Chesterfield Village.
There are also several private religious schools in the area, including Springfield Catholic and Springfield Lutheran.[17]
Colleges and universities
Missouri State University in Springfield is the second largest university in the state with roughly 23,697 in 2019. Other universities in Springfield include Drury University, a private liberal arts college with more than 1,000 students, and OTC with approximately 11,000 students, where students can earn a one-year certificate or a two-year associate degree. Evangel University is located in town and it is a private Christian University.
The area is served by Springfield-Branson National Airport which has direct flights on Delta, United, American and Allegiant to thirteen cities across the United States, including hubs such as Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte and Houston, among others. With over one million passengers per year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,[18] it is one of the fastest growing airports of its size in the country.[19] A new terminal was opened at the airport in 2007 with 10 gates, expandable to 60, and runways can accommodate the Boeing 747 and large military aircraft.
Springfield has a secondary, smaller airport, Downtown Airport which is not served by any passenger airlines and is used mostly by smaller general aviation airplanes.
Public transportation
Public transportation in the metropolitan area is focused primarily in Springfield. City Utilities of Springfield operates Springfield Transit Services, operating many buses on several different routes throughout the city, and bus service is available 365 days per year with less frequent weekend, holiday and evening routes.
Greenways
The area has a growing number of Greenway trails, 70 miles (112 km) run through parks and green areas, while 81 miles (130 km) are located on city streets.[20] Such routes include The Link, which runs on local roads through the city of Springfield, and the Trail of Tears Link, while the Frisco Link connects Springfield with Bolivar to the north.
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