It's State of the City season throughout the US, including in Webb City, where Mayor Lynn Ragsdale provided several updates on the progress of the community over the past year. KRPS's Fred Fletcher-Fierro attended the event and filed this report.
Tuesday morning, Mayor Ragsdale sought to highlight the positive economic developments in Webb City at a time of uncertainty.
As a town of about 13,000 people sharing a southern border with Joplin, which is about five times larger, Webb City, over the past handful of years, has worked to carve out a place in southwest Missouri that is both friendly to the business community while also keeping its small town charm and natural beauty.
"The numbers pretty easily tell about our growth. In 2010, our population, according to the census, was 11,800 people. We have steadily grown, at about an 11% growth rate, to where now it's 13,000 people, and that growth continues. That is manageable growth; it's a somewhat predictable growth; it's one that we really appreciate as it brings new people to our neighborhoods all the time."
In comparison, according to the 2020 census, Missouri only grew statewide by .2%. The next meeting of the Webb City city council is Monday, January 23. For 89 9 KRPS News, I'm Fred Fletcher-Fierro
