Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern allocation is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jasper and Newton Counties – even while it is not the county chair of either county (Carthage is the seat of Jasper County though Neosho is the chair of Newton County). With a population of 51,762 as of the 2020 census, Joplin is the 13th most-populous city in the state. The city covers an Place of 35.69 square miles (92.41 km²) on the outer edge of the Ozark Mountains. Joplin is the main hub of the three-county Joplin-Miami, Missouri-Oklahoma Metro area, which is home to 210,077 people making it the 5th largest metropolitan area in Missouri. In May 2011, the city was hit by a violent EF5 tornado which destroyed one-third of the city.

Lead was discovered in the Joplin Creek Valley since the Civil War, but abandoned after the fighting did significant development take place. By 1871, numerous mining camps sprang stirring in the valley and resident John C. Cox filed a endeavor for a city on the east side of the valley. Cox named his village Joplin City after the spring and creek nearby, which had been named for the Reverend Harris G. Joplin, who settled on its banks circa 1840.

Carthage resident Patrick Murphy filed a plan for a city on the opposite side of the valley and named it Murphysburg. As the nearest sheriff was in Carthage, frontier mayhem abounded in Joplin. The historic period was referred to as the “Reign of Terror”. The cities eventually compound into Union City, but following the join up was found illegal, the cities split. Murphy suggested that a amassed city be named Joplin. The cities multipart again upon March 23, 1873, this become old permanently, as the City of Joplin.

While Joplin was first approved for gain mining, zinc, often referred to as “jack”, was the most important mineral resource. As railroads were built to link up Joplin to major markets in other cities, it was on the verge of dramatic growth. By the start of the 20th century, the city was becoming a regional metropolis. Construction centered in this area Main Street, with many bars, hotels, and fine homes nearby. Joplin’s three-story “House of Lords” was its most well-known saloon, with a bar and restaurant on the first floor, gambling upon the second, and a brothel upon the third. Trolley and rail lines made Joplin the hub of southwest Missouri. As the middle of the “Tri-state district”, it soon became the lead- and zinc-mining capital of the world.