Peculiar, Missouri
Peculiar is a city of 5,958 people in Cass County, Missouri, founded in 1868.
Why visit Peculiar
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 3 parks and trails, 7 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Watkins Family Farm Historic District, Memorial Park and Recreation Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 88°F; January lows average 21°F.
Weather in Peculiar
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Peculiar
Peculiar is a city in Cass County, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 5,621 at the 2020 census. The town motto is "Where the 'odds' are with you."
From the Wikipedia article Peculiar, Missouri (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
Watkins Family Farm Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.0 mi
Building in Missouri, United States
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes7
Thai Submongkol Naka
Restaurant · Thai · 1.1 mi
361 Legend Lane, Peculiar
Tu-Th 11:00-20:30; Fr 11:00-21:00; Sa 12:00-21:00; Su 12:00-20:30
Popi's Mexican Restaurant
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.1 mi
146 West Broadway Street, Peculiar
Sonic
Fast food · Burger · 1.1 mi
391 Legend Lane, Peculiar
Mo-Th 07:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 07:00-23:00; Su 08:00-22:00
Where to stay1
History
Early settlers of the town came to Western Missouri by riverboat from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Peculiar also had families coming from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. On July 29, 1868, the county surveyor, Robert Cass, platted Peculiar and was filed as "The Town of Peculiar".
There are at least two versions of the story on how Peculiar received its name. The first involves the community's first postmaster, Edgar Thomson. His first choice for a town name, "Excelsior," was rejected because it already existed in Atchison County, Missouri. Several other choices were also rejected. The story goes that the annoyed Thomson wrote to the postmaster general himself to complain saying, "We don't care what name you give us so long as it is sort of 'peculiar'." Thomson submitted the name "Peculiar", and the name was approved. The post office was established on June 22, 1868.
In an alternate version, according to Missouri folklorist Margot Ford McMillen, early settlers were searching for a location to farm. As they cleared a small rise and looked below, one remarked, "Well that's peculiar! It's the very place I saw in a vision back in Connecticut." The land was purchased and eventually a village sprang up on it, which was named "Peculiar".
Peculiar incorporated as a village in the 1890s and became a fourth class city of the state of Missouri in 1953.
From the History section of Peculiar, Missouri on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship1
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries16
Healthcare1
Map of Peculiar
32 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39°F | 21°F | 1.4 in | 4.3 in |
| Feb | 44°F | 25°F | 1.8 in | 4.4 in |
| Mar | 55°F | 34°F | 3.0 in | 1.8 in |
| Apr | 65°F | 44°F | 4.2 in | 0.3 in |
| May | 75°F | 55°F | 5.8 in | 0.1 in |
| Jun | 84°F | 65°F | 5.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 69°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 87°F | 67°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 80°F | 58°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 68°F | 46°F | 3.4 in | 0.4 in |
| Nov | 54°F | 35°F | 2.4 in | 1.0 in |
| Dec | 42°F | 26°F | 1.9 in | 4.5 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Pleasant Hill Wfo (12 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Cass County has had 14 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2011-03-23: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm (Severe Storm)
- 2011-02-03: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Storm)
- 2010-08-17: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
- 2009-01-30: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Johnson County Executive Airport (OJC) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 miles away.
- Raymore 5 mi north, about 8 min by car
- Belton 7 mi northwest, about 11 min by car
- Harrisonville 9 mi southeast, about 14 min by car
- Grandview 11 mi north, about 17 min by car
- Greenwood 11 mi northeast, about 17 min by car
- Lee's Summit 14 mi north, about 22 min by car
- Louisburg 14 mi southwest, about 22 min by car
- Leawood 15 mi northwest, about 24 min by car
- Overland Park 16 mi northwest, about 26 min by car
- Raytown 18 mi north, about 29 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- ISS050-E-68068 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
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