Ozarks - Settlements

The traditional settlement pattern was of isolated family farms located on what seemed to be the best farmland available. In recent years, there has been a clear pattern of movement to towns and cities along transportation routes, leading to the appearance of eight primary regional centers: Jefferson City, St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Springfield, Joplin, Northwest Arkansas City, and Batesville. Three house types predominate throughout the Ozarks. Shacks are found mainly in rural, undeveloped areas; two-story houses predominate in the northern and west-central areas; and contemporary-style houses are found in areas of recent development or growth. Trailers have become common in recent years, especially as a means of establishing a second home in the rural areas. The one-room schoolhouse is now all but extinct. Traditionalists tend to live in the rural, more heavily forested areas, in isolated valleys, and in culturally defined traditional neighborhoods in larger towns.