Pontiac, Missouri Explained

Pontiac, Missouri
Native Name Lang:EN
Settlement Type:Census-designated place
Pushpin Map:Missouri#USA
Pushpin Map Alt:Location of Pontiac, Missouri
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Pontiac, Missouri
Coordinates:36.5156°N -92.6039°W
Coordinates Footnotes:[1]
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:U. S. A.
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Missouri
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Ozark County
Elevation M:251
Population Total:123
Population As Of:2020
Population Density Km2:18.96
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6
Timezone1 Dst:CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-5
Postal Code Type:Zip Code
Postal Code:65729
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:29-59060
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[2]
Area Total Km2:8.51
Area Total Sq Mi:3.29
Area Land Km2:6.49
Area Water Km2:2.02
Area Land Sq Mi:2.50
Area Water Sq Mi:0.78
Population Density Sq Mi:49.10

Pontiac is a census-designated place in southern Ozark County, Missouri, United States. It lies six miles south of Isabella and 18.5 miles southwest of Gainesville,[3] on the northeast shore of Bull Shoals Lake.

A post office called Pontiac has been in operation since 1887.[4] The community was named in honor of the Ottawa Indian chief Pontiac, perhaps via Pontiac, Michigan.[5]

The town is on a ridge above the lake at an elevation of about 820 feet. The lake has a normal surface elevation of 654 feet.[1] The town consists of a post office, a marina and campgrounds on the lake, a restaurant, and a church. Pontiac is accessed via Missouri Route W from Missouri Route 5 south of Gainesville.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Isabella, MO, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 2004
  2. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. August 28, 2022.
  3. http://thelibrary.org/lochist/moser/ozarkpl.html Moser, Paul, A Directory of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets Past and Present of Ozark County, Missouri
  4. Web site: Post Offices. Jim Forte Postal History . 27 November 2016.
  5. http://shs.umsystem.edu/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_ozark.html Ozark County Place Names, 1928-1945, The State Historical Society of Missouri
  6. Missouri Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 1998, First edition, p. 64,