Paradise Road Bridge, Spanning Little Platte River
Paradise’s story
168 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper and 4 maps from 1914 on.
- 1858Paradise is settled
ParadiseMO
72 people live in this town, settled in 1858.
Is Paradise a good place to live?
Paradise’s median age is 54.5 years, where Missouri’s towns sit at 38.5 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. No town among the 248 in Missouri we compare has a higher owner-occupancy rate than Paradise. Paradise has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
72 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Paradise: who provides what
Paradise is unincorporated, so Clay County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerUnion Electric13.3¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterClinton Co Pwsd 4 Sys 12 health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesClay CountyClay County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Missouri you can register online until 27 days before Election Day, in person until 27 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 27 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereClayClay County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code6408964089 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Paradise.
Work & commute
Paradise has 0.4 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
The top destinations are Kansas City (35%), Liberty (9%) and Smithville (7%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 23 miles.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Paradise0%
Kansas City35%
Liberty9%
Smithville7%
Kansas City4%
23 mi
median commute distance
20
jobs based in Paradise
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2024 · ACS
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Paradise
The seasons in Paradise bring chilly winters and warm summers. Summer afternoons peak near 88° in July, and January nights bottom out around 19°; snowfall runs to about 18 inches a winter.
18″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter22–41°
Spring43–65°
Summer66–86°
Fall45–66°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 18
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Paradise is inland flooding, at a low overall level
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in nearly two thirds of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Paradise, 38% come from inland flooding and 23% from cold waves.
35risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Paradise is
Across all 32 CDC measures, Paradise beats Missouri on 12 and trails on 4. 13% of adults binge drink here. Among 248 Missouri towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Paradise.
| Paradise | Typical Missouri town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Missouri
12 better16 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Paradise | MO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.8% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 13.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.6% |
Liberty Hospital
11.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
In Paradise, 0.9% of the land is conserved
Trails total 0.2 miles in 2 parks and preserves. Paradise’s trail density is recorded as 0.5 miles per square mile. Walkers locally have 3 acres of parks and preserves.
0.9%conserved
| Paradise | Typical Missouri town | Typical U.S. town | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 2.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.9%
conserved · 2 of 253 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.5 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Smithville Lake Recreation Area | — | 2 |
| 2. Camp Branch Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 43 attractions →Arrowhead Stadium and 35 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Paradise. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaArrowhead Stadium
19 mi Park & preserveSubTropolis
26 mi Stadium & arenaKauffman Stadium
17 mi Theme parkWorlds of Fun
22 mi Stadium & arenaCPKC Stadium
23 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile CenterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Arrowhead Stadium: Ichabod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · SubTropolis: ErgoSum88, Public domain · Kauffman Stadium: Mysteryman28, Public domain · Worlds of Fun: Tkexb173 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · CPKC Stadium: elisfkc2, CC BY-SA 2.0 · T-Mobile Center: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Paradise
15pages on Paradise
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Paradise
About 0 of every 100 Paradise residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Missouri.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Paradise for work
Where Paradise’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
20jobs based in Paradise
0%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2024
About Paradise
Unincorporated community in Missouri, U.S.
Paradise is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in northwest Clay County, Missouri, United States. The community lies between the two arms of the Smithville Lake on the Little Platte River. The city of Smithville lies across the lake to the southwest. The community is located along Missouri Route W about four miles southeast of Trimble in adjacent Clinton County. The population was 75 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 932 ft
Questions about Paradise
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Paradise, MO a good place to live?
Paradise has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.