Joplin is in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in Missouri, USA.

Joplin is the "hub" of the southwest corner of Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. The population of Joplin proper is 45,504, but, with several "suburbs" around Joplin, the population of the Joplin metro area is near 100,000.

Officially, the "Joplin metropolitan area" (the 4th largest in Missouri) is Jasper and Newton Counties in Missouri. However, given its location at the confluence of three states, it is quite common for many people in Kansas and Oklahoma (as well as other parts of southwest Missouri) to frequent Joplin, for work and pleasure.

Joplin is approximately 40 miles north of the Arkansas state line. Thus, the Joplin area is commonly referred to as the "Four-State Area".

Get in

By air
 • American Connection, A codeshare partner of American Airlines is the only commercial carrier serving Joplin, flying to/from St. Louis.
• Joplin Regional Airport

By car
Interstate 44. The city is located at its junction with US Highway 71. It is within a half-day's drive of several major cities, including Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa, Wichita, and Oklahoma City.

By bus
Greyhound Bus Lines - The depot is on 2nd Street downtown.

Get around

By car
This is the only method of transportation, other than walking, in the city. There is no mass public transit.

The "main business drag" of Joplin is Range Line Road (aka, "Business 71"). The heaviest concentration of commerce and business is located along Range Line Road (along with the heaviest concentration of traffic). Other "business drags" include 7th Street, Main Street, and 32nd Street.

Lodging

Several national hotel chains have locations in Joplin. There are also several private "mom and pop" hotels in Joplin. Practically every hotel is located around the junction of I-44 and Range Line Road (Exit 8).

In December 2004, a contract dispute between the local cable television provider, Cable One, and NexStar Communications (which owns the local NBC and ABC stations) resulted in those two stations being pulled from Cable One's service. Thus, cable customers in Joplin and Webb City must use antennas to receive those two local stations. This continues to be a sensitive issue for Joplin. Hotels may or may not have all local channels available.

Stay safe

Most crime that occurs in the Joplin area is of the "petty" nature. The biggest crime problems in the area recently have been gas-station drive-offs (due to recent spikes in gas prices) and convenience store robberies. Violent crime is quite rare, but does occur on occasion. The "rough side of town" for Joplin is generally considered west of Main Street. Like most any place, most of the more serious crime happens in the middle of the night. Typical "common sense" will enable most anyone to avoid problems.

Red-Light running is a growing problem. Range Line Road is notorious for motorists running red lights, especially well after it has turned red for their direction. Motorists should exercise caution, and not dart into intersections immediately when their light turns green.