Rockaway Beach, Missouri
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1907 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Jasper Township. It lies in ZIP code area 65740. It sits by Palisades. The Survey maps it on the Branson quadrangle. 829 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 722 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresRockaway Beach fell from 841 to 829 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 | 841 | |
| 2020 | 829 | -12 (-1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 14 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.
- 1907 USGS Forsyth quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1945 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1949 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Branson quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Harrison quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Table Rock Lake quadrangle1:100000
- 1989 USGS Branson quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
46 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 46 fires within 5 miles of Rockaway Beach between 1992 and 2020, burning about 204 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was 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 | 22 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | 178259-10604-09262018-1503 |
| 18 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 16 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 9 August 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | 179441-10604-08092019-1940 |
| 31 August 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | 251307-10604-08312020-2019 |
| 5 July 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Missouri Department of Conservation | 179440-10604-07052019-0907 |
| 4 July 1997 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | not named |
| 9 June 2018 | Debris and open burning | 8.6 acres | Missouri Department of Conservation | 177566-10604-06092018-0510 |
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 Rockaway Beach: 8 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Zinc, Iron. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Moon Mine | Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Syler Land | Iron | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - S+G | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - S+G | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown - Ls | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
30 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Rockaway Beach in 30 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 18 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 5 flash flood, 1 tornado. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $200,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Rockaway Beach | $30,000 | Flash flooding occurred in areas within and near Rockaway Beach. The intersection of Honey Lane and Sundown Lane was completely washed out from this episode of flash flooding. Horseman Creek also flooded out of its banks near Rockaway Beach. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $25,000 | Several trees and large limbs were reported down. Shingle were blown off at least one home. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $20,000 | Wind damage was reported to a small area along Rinehart Road, Shary View Road, including the Savannah Place and Stephens Estates subdivisions, just east of highway 65 and just south of highway F, north of Branson. Power was reported out to around 400 homes. Limbs up to 8 inches in diameter and several power poles and lines were downed. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $15,000 | Severe thunderstorm wind gusts flipped a boat dock into some trees. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $10,000 | A tree was reported down on a mobile home causing minor damage. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $10,000 | Tree limbs of at least 1 inches in diameter and at least one power pole were downed by high winds. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $10,000 | A large tree was down on a home causing minor roof damage. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $10,000 | There was several homes with roof damage. |
| February 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $5,000 | A large tree was reported down on a powerline. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $5,000 | Power lines were blown down in Rockaway Beach. |
| December 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $5,000 | Numerous trees and power poles were knocked over from thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 mph ripped an awning and porch off a mobile home. |
| August 2023 | Flood | Rockaway Beach | - | Highway H near the headwaters of Houseman Creek was flooded and impassable due to excessive runoff for several hours. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | - | A large tree and several limbs were reported down. |
| December 2021 | Flash Flood | Rockaway Beach | - | State highway MO 176 was closed to traffic due to high water from heavy rainfall. |
| May 2019 | Flash Flood | Rockaway Beach | - | Heavy rains and runoff caused Lake Taneycomo to come out of its banks at Rockaway Beach. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Rockaway Beach | - | Tennis ball size hail was reported near Rockaway Beach and fell for about 10 minutes. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Rockaway Beach | - | There were multiple reports on Facebook of tennis ball size hail around Rockaway Beach. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | - | There was tree damage in Rockaway Beach. |
| May 2017 | Tornado (EF1) | Rockaway Beach | - | An EF-1 tornado tracked from Rockaway Beach to just northwest of Taneyville. Numerous trees were damaged and uprooted. Estimated maximum winds were up to 100 mph. |
| May 2017 | Flash Flood | Rockaway Beach | - | Highway 176 near Rockaway Beach was closed due to flooding. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | - | MODOT reported a tree was down across Highway 160. |
| April 2011 | Flash Flood | Rockaway Beach | - | Highway 176 was closed due to flooding. |
| December 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts knocked a tree over on a house. Only very minor damage occurred from the fallen tree. |
| March 2017 | Hail | Rockaway Beach | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Rockaway Beach | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | - | no account filed |
| November 2005 | Hail | Rockaway Beach | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockaway Beach | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merriam Woods | 1.0 miles | 14 | |
| Long Beach | 1.7 miles | 14 | |
| Shepherd of the Hills Estates | 2.2 miles | 14 | |
| Forsyth | 2.3 miles | 14 | |
| Bull Creek | 2.6 miles | 14 | |
| Edgewater Beach | 2.8 miles | 14 | |
| Walnut Shade | 2.9 miles | 14 | |
| Ozark Beach | 3.0 miles | 14 |
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 Rockaway Beach | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q960431 | 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 755568. 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.









