City of Mill Spring

Mill Spring Village Hall

     Mill Spring, a village of 219 according to the 2000 census, is situated in the southwestern portion of Wayne County. Average temperatures range from 17 degrees Fahrenheit in January to 91 degrees Fahrenheit in July. Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission works with the city to foster economic development for Mill Spring.

     Mayor Jimmy Ward is the Charirman of the Board of Trustees of the village with a population of 147 residents 18-years and older and 72 citizens younger than age 17. Citizens are protected by a three-member volunteer Fire Department. The per capita income of Wayne County, as reported in 1999, was $15,137.

     Out of a 3,610-person workforce in Wayne County, 3,200 are employed. The unemployment rate is 11.4 percent, with 410 out of work. The average hourly wage for the county is $8.02 per hour in the manufacturing sector, and $7.46 in non-manufacturing. The county's major employers include Specialty Brands, a frozen foods processor, with 205 employees, Clearwater Schools, which employs 171; Wal-Mart in Piedmont, 73 associates; Greenville Healthcare, 58 employees; Ralph's Supermarket, with 54 workers; McAllister Software, with 50 employees; and NuDell Plastics, with 37 employees.

     Black River Electric Cooperative in Fredericktown provides electric power for Mill Spring. Propane is provided by Empiregas in Piedmont. Telephone service is provided by Alltel. Residents and businesses obtain internet service from a local internet service provider in Poplar Bluff.

     Residents of Mill Spring travel 45 miles for health care. The nearest healthcare facilities are in Poplar Bluff at Kneibert Clinic, Pershing Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Three Rivers Health Care.

     Mill Spring residents utilize Missouri Highways 49, 34, and 143. It is 18 miles to the nearest four-lane highway and Interstate 55 is 75 miles east. The nearest airport is in Piedmont.

     The nearest public community college, Three Rivers Community College, is located in Poplar Bluff and boasts an enrollment of 2,824 (fall, 2001). Poplar Bluff Area Technical Career Center is available for students seeking training in vocational skills. Southeast Missouri State University, a public four-year college located in Cape Girardeau, MO, is the nearest higher learning facility. Fall, 2001, enrollment for the university was 9,352 students.

     Mill Spring residents keep up with local news through a weekly newspaper. There is a country club and two public tennis courts within a 20-mile radius for the enjoyment of young and old alike.

     Clearwater Lake and Wappapello Lake are popular attractions for locals as well as visitors from all over the state. Everyone can enjoy camping, fishing, hiking/fitness/nature trails, motor boating, swimming and water skiing. Annual rainfall for the area averages 46 inches a year.

    The community is represented by 153rd District State Representative Mike Dethrow (R) and 25th District State Senator Robert (Rob) Mayer (R).   U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R) represents Mill Spring in the Eighth Congressional District.