City of Qulin

Qulin City Hall

     The City of Qulin is located on State Highways 53, 51, and N in the southeast portion of Butler County. The city hall building is located at 481 Second Street, just a few blocks off Highway 53, where the mayor and the four-member city council meets. The city and the Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission work together to promote economic development for the community.

     Mayor Gary Long reports that, according to the 2000 census, Qulin had 467 residents. Per capita income for Butler County, in 1999, was $21,590.

     Ozark Border Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Poplar Bluff, MO, provides electric power for Qulin, and United Cities, from Caruthersville, is the city's natural gas provider. Water is provided to the residents by the City of Qulin Waterworks' ground water well. The plant's capacity is 43,200 gallons per day. It can store 50,000 gallons of water. The Qulin Wastewater Treatment Facility operates its own oxidation ditch, located on Highway 51. The plant's capacity is 100,000. Southwestern Bell is the local telephone service provider, and internet service may be obtained through several ISPs in Poplar Bluff.

     Qulin residents travel the short distance to Poplar Bluff for medical care. The nearest facility is Three Rivers Healthcare South.

     Qulin students stay in town for their education, from elementary to middle school. They travel to nearby Broseley for high school. 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 Technical Career Center is a popular choice for area youngsters. 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.

     The unemployment rate of Butler County in February, 2001, was 5.3 percent, with an available workforce of 19,182. Only 1,019 people in Butler County are unemployed, with 18,163 having gainful employment. The average hourly wage for the county, as of March, 2000, was $11.34 per hour in the manufacturing sector, and $10.23 in non-manufacturing.

     The county's major employers are Three Rivers Healthcare, with 1,500 employees; Briggs & Stratton Corporation, which employs 1,100 to manufacture internal combustion engines; Rowe Furniture Company, with 918 employees; Gates Rubber Company, whose 518 employees manufacture radiator hoses; and Wal-Mart, with 500 associates.

     Residents do their banking in town at Southern Missouri Bank & Trust, a financial institution with combined assets of over $220 million. The community stays informed through a daily newspaper and cable TV is available to all city residents. Qulin citizens worship at one of the seven Protestant churches in town. Young and old alike enjoy the activities at the public golf course, two country clubs, fourteen public parks, the three public swimming pools, and tennis courts that are within a 20-mile radius of the town.

     Lake Wappapello is the nearest public access lake. Visitors can camp, fish, hike, motor boat, swim and water ski. Average temperatures for the area range from 24 degrees Fahrenheit in January to 92 degrees Fahrenheit in July. The average annual precipitation is 46 inches.

     Qulin residents are represented in the State House of Representatives by 163rd District Rep. Otto Bean, Jr. (R) and in the state senate by Sen. Rob Mayer (R) of the 25th District.  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R) represents Qulin in the Eighth Congressional District.