WEST PLAINS

city, seat (1858) of Howell county, south-central Missouri, U.S. It is situated in the Ozark Mountains, near the Arkansas state line. Laid out in 1858, it developed as a trade centre for a farming and livestock-raising area. Manufactures include charcoal, pallets, staves, furniture, electronic equipment, shoes, and truck bodies. Tourism increased in importance in the 1970s because of the town's proximity to Lake Norfolk and to sections of the Mark Twain National Forest, which covers extensive areas around West Plains. The city is the site of the Southwest Missouri State University Residence Center and of the South-Central Area Vocational Technical School. Inc. 1912. Pop. (1990) 8,913.