Preston, Missouri
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1884 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Stark Township. It lies in ZIP code area 65732. The Survey maps it on the Preston quadrangle. 157 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,043 feet above sea level.
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Population over time
2 figuresPreston fell from 223 to 157 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 223 | |
| 2020 | 157 | -66 (-30%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1884 USGS Bolivar quadrangle1:125000
- 1892 USGS Bolivar quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1954 USGS Springfield quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1958 USGS Springfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Springfield quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Preston quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Bolivar quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
20 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 20 fires within 5 miles of Preston between 1992 and 2020, burning about 474 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 14 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 April 2001 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 5 April 1995 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 5 April 1992 | Debris and open burning | 23 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 23 April 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 11 April 1992 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 23 March 1994 | Debris and open burning | 60 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 2 March 1992 | Debris and open burning | 50 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 19 March 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 6.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Preston: 8 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Lead, Zinc, Barium-Barite, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Lead, Barium-Barite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown - Lead Barite | Lead, Barium-Barite | Past Producer | ||
| Hinkle-White No. 1 | Barium-Barite | Past Producer | Barite | |
| Hinkle-White No. 2 | Barium-Barite | Past Producer | Barite | |
| Unknown - Ls | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Peterson Mine | Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Lead Barite | Lead, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Lead Zinc | Lead, Zinc | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
51 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Preston in 51 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 15 hail, 12 thunderstorm wind, 11 flood, 9 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2023 | Hail | Preston | $750,000 | Hail up to 3 inches in size was reported. Significant damage to multiple vehicles and roofs occurred across the town of Preston. Hail damaged trees and other outbuildings. |
| February 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Preston | $500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $20,000 | Several power lines were reported down along Highway D. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $8,000 | Emergency management reported that a roof was blown off of a barn. |
| September 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $8,000 | Several trees and large limbs were reported down and at least one power pole was snapped causing localized power outages. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $5,000 | Minor roof damage occurred to a barn. |
| April 2001 | Hail | Preston | $2,000 | no account filed |
| September 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $1,000 | Large tree branches were downed by high winds and sheet metal was removed from a deck. A personal weather station recorded a 49 mph wind gust. |
| July 2018 | Hail | Preston | $1,000 | Golf ball sized hail was reported near the Preston Cafe. Some superficial damage to windows and window screens occurred. This was a delayed report with the time estimated by radar. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $1,000 | A tree was blown on to an outbuilding. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Preston | - | Quarter to half dollar size hail fell in Hickory County on Highway D. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Preston | - | Report of half dollar size hail. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Preston | - | Report of ping pong ball size hail. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | State Highway D is closed due to flooding south of Preston. |
| March 2023 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | Heavy rainfall caused a low water crossing on Highway D to flood. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Preston | - | Hail up to quarters in size was reported. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Preston | - | Hail up to two inches in size was reported in a mainly rural location. |
| January 2021 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | Heavy rainfall caused State Route D to flood and become impassable. |
| July 2021 | Flood | Preston | - | Route D was closed due to flooding. |
| March 2020 | Flood | Preston | - | Route D was closed due to flooding at a low water area south of Preston. |
| February 2020 | Flood | Preston | - | Highway D south of Preston was closed at the low water crossing due to flooding. |
| February 2020 | Flood | Preston | - | Highway D south of Preston was closed due to flooding. |
| July 2020 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | Route D northbound was closed due to high water. |
| June 2020 | Flood | Preston | - | A section of Highway D was closed due to flooding from heavy rainfall. |
| July 2019 | Heavy Rain | Preston | - | A 24 hour rainfall of 3.00 inches was measured. |
| July 2019 | Flood | Preston | - | Highway D was closed due to flooding. |
| May 2019 | Heavy Rain | Preston | - | A 24 hour rainfall accumulation of 2.80 inches was reported by the public 3 miles east of Hermitage. |
| August 2019 | Flood | Preston | - | Route D was closed south of Preston for several hours due to flooding. |
| February 2018 | Flood | Preston | - | Heavy rainfall caused flooding along a section of Highway D about one mile south of Preston. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Preston | - | The public reported that 1.50 inches of rain fell in approximately 45 minutes. |
| December 2018 | Flood | Preston | - | Excessive rainfall caused a section of Highway D to flood and become impassable to motorists. This area is simply a head water depression and not a named creek. |
| May 2017 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | State Highway D was closed due to flooding. |
| August 2017 | Flood | Preston | - | MODOT reported Route D near Preston closed due to flooding. |
| May 2011 | Flood | Preston | - | Route D south of Preston was closed due to flooding. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | - | Several power poles were snapped and knocked across a section of Highway BB approximately one mile south of its intersection with Highway 54. |
| October 2009 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | The Missouri Department of Transportation reported flooding on State Highway D southwest of Preston and on State Highway O southwest of Wheatland. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding over a low water crossing along Highway D between Nemo and Preston. |
| August 1997 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | Brief flooding occurred along Crane Creek. |
| October 2016 | Hail | Preston | - | no account filed |
| October 2016 | Hail | Preston | - | no account filed |
| January 2005 | Flash Flood | Preston | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Preston | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Preston | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Preston | - | no account filed |
| April 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Preston | - | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Preston | - | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemo | 5.3 miles | 20 | |
| Carsons Corner | 5.4 miles | 20 | |
| Hermitage | 5.8 miles | 20 | |
| Cross Timbers | 5.9 miles | 17 | |
| Almon | 6.1 miles | 17 | |
| Jordan | 6.6 miles | 17 | |
| Galmey | 8.8 miles | 20 | |
| Pittsburg | 8.9 miles | 24 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Preston | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q962868 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 729805. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






