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Van Buren, Missouri
Van Buren is a town of 1,161 people in Carter County, Missouri, founded in 1833.
Why visit Van Buren
Townapedia lists 2 parks and trails, 3 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Current River Cavern, Watercress Spring Camp and Watercress Spring Picnic Grounds.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 89°F; January lows average 23°F.
Weather in Van Buren
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Van Buren
Van Buren is a city in and county seat of Carter County, Missouri, United States, that is the largest city in Carter County. Van Buren was founded in 1833 as the county seat of Ripley County and was named after then Vice President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. In 1859, Van Buren became a part of the newly created Carter County and was subsequently selected to be the county seat. The 2020 U.S. census showed Van Buren with a population of 747.
From the Wikipedia article Van Buren, Missouri (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Current River Cavern
Monument and historic site · 3.0 mi
Cave in United States of America
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Restaurants and cafes3
Las Margaritas
Restaurant · 1.4 mi
202 John Street, Van Buren
Su-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00
Where to stay1
History
In 1833, a commission appointed to choose a site for the county seat of Ripley County selected a site one-half mile (0.8 km) west and across Current River from the present location of Van Buren. They named the new county seat Van Buren after the then Vice President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. A courthouse was built and a small city grew up around it. The city had one small general merchandise store run by a man named Shaw and a water powered grist mill owned by John George.
Van Buren remained the county seat of Ripley County until 1847, when the county seat was moved south to the town of Doniphan. After removing the county seat to Doniphan, the town declined until only three or four families remained.
On March 10, 1859, Van Buren became part of the newly created Carter County, and on April 4 of that year, Van Buren was selected to be the county seat of Carter County.
In 1867 the present site of Van Buren, located about one-half mile (0.8 km) east and across the river from the original site, was purchased from Zimri A. Carter. Fifty acres (20 ha) of land were purchased from Zimri A. Carter for $475 and the deed was given to Carter County commissioner James Snider. Even before the new city site was fully laid out, the first building to be built was a log courthouse located somewhat west of the current courthouse.
From the History section of Van Buren, Missouri on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries3
Map of Van Buren
14 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°F | 23°F | 3.4 in |
| Feb | 48°F | 27°F | 3.2 in |
| Mar | 58°F | 35°F | 4.7 in |
| Apr | 69°F | 44°F | 5.3 in |
| May | 77°F | 54°F | 5.0 in |
| Jun | 85°F | 63°F | 3.9 in |
| Jul | 89°F | 68°F | 4.6 in |
| Aug | 88°F | 66°F | 3.2 in |
| Sep | 80°F | 57°F | 3.8 in |
| Oct | 70°F | 45°F | 3.4 in |
| Nov | 57°F | 35°F | 4.6 in |
| Dec | 46°F | 27°F | 3.4 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Clearwater Dam (15 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
Carter County has had 19 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2025-05-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2025-05-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires (Severe Storm)
- 2025-01-01: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2024-07-23: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-07-09: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Poplar Bluff Municipal Airport (POF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 42 miles away.
- Piedmont 20 mi northeast, about 31 min by car
- Doniphan 29 mi south, about 46 min by car
- Poplar Bluff 37 mi southeast, about 1 h by car
- Mountain View 38 mi west, about 1 h by car
- Thayer 45 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Ironton 45 mi northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Mammoth Spring 47 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Corning 48 mi southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- West Plains 51 mi west, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Pocahontas 52 mi south, about 1 h 30 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
Loading what members have shared...
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
- Van-Buren-Main-Street-mo, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 4.0
- 1.JPG, NPS, Public domain
- 11.JPG, NPS, Public domain
- Carter County, Missouri, county courthouse - 2013-10-26, Kbh3rd, CC BY 3.0
- Carter County Missouri Courthouse 20151021-013, Kbh3rd, CC BY 4.0
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