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History · Grand Falls Plaza

Half of Grand Falls Plaza’s homes were built after 1980

Most of Grand Falls Plaza was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 2000.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Grand Falls Plaza’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Grand Falls Plaza are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grand Falls Plaza’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grand Falls Plaza’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Grand Falls Plaza, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Grand Falls Plaza yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Grand Falls Plaza is a village in Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 114 at the 2010 census, at which time it was a town. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 114 to 103 (-10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Grand Falls Plaza on the map, 1962 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Grand Falls Plaza. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Grand Falls Plaza on the 1962 USGS mapGrand Falls Plaza on the 1978 USGS mapGrand Falls Plaza on the 1980 USGS map1962Joplin West sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Grand Falls Plaza.

People over time

Grand Falls Plaza, census by census

010020002020Peak: 114

Between 103 and 114 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Grand Falls Plaza’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Grand Falls Plaza

Nobody well known was born in Grand Falls Plaza itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Langston HughesAmerican writer and social activist · b. 1901
George Washington CarverAfrican American botanist and inventor · b. 1864
Robert CummingsAmerican actor · b. 1910
Dennis WeaverAmerican actor · b. 1924
Pauline StarkeAmerican actress · b. 1901
T
Travis WebbAmerican racing driver · b. 1910
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Joplin30 historic placesB+

Questions about Grand Falls Plaza’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.