Callaway County is a county in Missouri, United States, on the north bank of the Missouri River between Columbia and Jefferson City. It had a population of 44,283 at the 2020 census and covers 835 square miles (2,160 km2) of land, centred near 38°50′N 91°55′W.
Fulton is the county seat, and its postal code is 65251. The county has five incorporated cities and towns, one incorporated village, and more than a dozen unincorporated communities. Callaway County sits in the Central time zone and is part of the Jefferson City metropolitan statistical area.
Towns & Villages in Callaway County
Callaway County has 6 incorporated places and roughly 25 unincorporated communities and crossroads. Kingdom City is the county’s one incorporated village; the rest of the incorporated places are cities. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no formal municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton | City · seat | 12,790 | 65251 |
| Holts Summit | City | 3,928 | 65043 |
| Auxvasse | City | 1,061 | 65231 |
| New Bloomfield | City | 645 | 65063 |
| Mokane | City | 187 | 65059 |
| Kingdom City | Village | 136 | 65262 |
| Tebbetts | Unincorp. | — | 65080 |
| Steedman | Unincorp. | — | 65077 |
| Portland | Unincorp. | — | 65067 |
| Williamsburg | Unincorp. | — | 63388 |
| Reform | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hatton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Millersburg | Unincorp. | — | — |
| McCredie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Guthrie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Calwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Jefferson | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Stephens | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Readsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wainwright | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Toledo | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Concord | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hams Prairie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Liberty | Unincorp. | — | — |
Callaway City is a small unincorporated settlement in the county’s south, not to be confused with Callaway County itself. A handful of old-body entries — Bachelor, Boydsville, Browns Ford, Carrington, Dixie, Earl, Eastville, Folsom, Hereford, Lake Mykee Town, Lindbergh, Millers, Pitcher, Shamrock, Youngers, and Yucatan — are unverified place-name fragments with no corroborating record and are omitted here; see notes.md.
ZIP Codes
- 65251 — Fulton (also serves Callaway City)
- 65043 — Holts Summit
- 65231 — Auxvasse
- 65063 — New Bloomfield
- 65080 — Tebbetts
- 65059 — Mokane
- 65262 — Kingdom City
- 65077 — Steedman
- 65067 — Portland
- 63388 — Williamsburg
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Reform, Hatton, and Millersburg share a ZIP with a neighboring post office town and have no ZIP of their own.
Geography
Callaway County covers 835 square miles of land and 13 square miles of water. The Missouri River forms its entire southern and southwestern border, and the terrain shifts from flat prairie in the north to forested hills and river bluffs in the south, part of the Ozark border region. The county borders Montgomery County to the east, Osage County to the south across the Missouri River, Boone County to the west, Audrain County to the north, Cole County to the southwest, and Gasconade County to the southeast.
Demographics
Callaway County had 44,283 residents at the 2020 census, with a density of about 53 people per square mile. Fulton, the county seat, is the largest community with 12,790 residents, followed by Holts Summit with 3,928. Household income in the county has historically trailed the Missouri median of $68,545, reflecting its mix of rural farmland and small manufacturing towns.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, particularly cattle and row crops, remains a major part of the county’s economy alongside manufacturing and utilities. The Callaway Nuclear Generating Station, Missouri’s only commercial nuclear power plant, operates near Reform and is one of the county’s largest employers and taxpayers. Fulton is home to William Woods University and Westminster College, the latter the site of Winston Churchill’s 1946 “Iron Curtain” speech. German-founded vineyards near Auxvasse and Mokane date to the mid-1800s and continue as a small wine industry.
History
Callaway County was organized on November 25, 1820, and named for Captain James Callaway, a grandson of Daniel Boone who was killed by Sac and Fox warriors in 1815. The county earned the nickname “The Kingdom of Callaway” after an 1861 Civil War episode in which local militia negotiated a truce with advancing Union troops rather than surrender, an incident residents still commemorate. German immigrants settled the county’s eastern townships from the 1830s onward, building the churches and wineries that mark the area today.
Getting There
Interstate 70 crosses the southern part of the county through Kingdom City, and US Routes 54 and 63 and Missouri Route 94 provide the main north-south and river-crossing links.
- Columbia — 20 miles west
- Jefferson City — 15 miles south
- Mexico — 25 miles north
- St. Louis — 100 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Columbia Regional Airport (COU), about 25 miles from Fulton.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Callaway County?
It is in central Missouri, on the north bank of the Missouri River between Columbia and Jefferson City.
What is the population of Callaway County?
44,283 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Callaway County?
835 square miles of land and 13 square miles of water, 848 square miles total.
What is the county seat of Callaway County?
Fulton is the county seat.
How many towns are in Callaway County?
Six incorporated places — five cities and one village — plus about two dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Callaway County?
Ten, including 65251 (Fulton), 65043 (Holts Summit), and 65231 (Auxvasse).
Why is Callaway County called “The Kingdom of Callaway”?
After local militia negotiated a truce with Union troops in 1861 rather than fight, a nickname that has stuck ever since.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.