Diamond is a city in north central Newton County,

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, United States, located southeast of Joplin. The population was 902 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri,

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. Diamond is primarily renowned as the birthplace of George Washington Carver.

History

The origins of the town started with the building of a log house owned by Dr. and Mrs. Leathers. Initially known as Center, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

's shop opened for business in 1878. The town changed its name to Diamond when, in 1883, a post office came into operation. The area was named for a diamond-shaped tract of land near the original town site.

Mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

was historically the primary industry in Diamond.

Geography

Diamond is located on Diamond Grove Prairie along Alt. Route 71 13 miles south of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...

and about nine miles north-northeast of Neosho. The George Washington Carver National Monument is two miles to the west, south of

Missouri Route V A supplemental route is a state secondary road in the U.S. state of Missouri, designated with letters. Supplemental routes were various roads within the state which the Missouri Department of Transportation was given in 1952 to maintain in additi ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 902 people, 372 households, and 250 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 409 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.4% Native American, 0.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.1% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 372 households, of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 35 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 808 people, 320 households, and 234 families living in the town. The

was 1,215.2 people per square mile (472.1/km²). There were 350 housing units at an average density of 528.0 per square mile (204.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.42%

, 0.74%

, 1.50% Native American, 0.12%

, 0.25% from

, and 1.00% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.36% of the population. There were 320 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 120.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,000, and the median income for a family was $34,167. Males had a median income of $25,719 versus $20,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $13,581. About 9.8% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

* George Washington Carver – scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor, was born near Diamond 1864. Carver's boyhood home, the George Washington Carver National Monument, is open to the public.

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20131013222920/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/ * https://www.census.gov/ {{Authority control Cities in Newton County, Missouri Joplin, Missouri, metropolitan area Cities in Missouri