Our Communities

Seneca
Located on the Missouri/Oklahoma border, Seneca, Missouri is bisected by two natural waterways which provide a great place for fishing and other recreational activities. The small town atmosphere allows for family activities, low-crime rate, safe schools, and friendly neighbors. It's a great place to raise a family, enjoy during those in-between years, or retire when the time comes. Because the local government is made up of friends and neighbors, Seneca has plenty of small-town charm. For more about Seneca, visit the Seneca Area Chamber of Commerce.

Goodman
The northernmost town in McDonald County is Goodman, a location that was the first in the area to feel the benefits of the construction of the Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Gulf Railroad. A depot was built just inside the county in the village of Donahue, the name of which was changed to Goodman in honor of one of the owners of the Ozark Orchard Company. Orchards covered more than 2,500 acres in Goodman and surrounding areas. The town is on the highest point of US 71, which will become I-49. For more information about Goodman, click here.

Lanagan
This small community is located between Noel and Anderson on Highway 59 began as the dream of an oil speculator named Fausett, an employee of the New York Petroleum Company, who began drilling in 1896. Striking a powerful sulfur spring caused cessation of work and forfeiture of the lease. A consortium of speculators, one of whom was named Lanagan, bought up 40 acres of the lease in 1887 in anticipation of the railroad being routed along Indian Creek. The railroad arrived in 1889 and the newly established community was named Sulphur Wells City. Years later when the Ozark Orchard secured most of the land, a depot was built and the name was changed to Lanagan. Today this small town is home to a beautiful, popular park along Indian Creek complete with camping hookups, shady picnic areas, and a covered pavilion for gatherings.

Noel  www.4noel.com
Noel is located in the very southwest corner of Missouri, on the Elk River ringed by timbered Ozark mountains. Noel is centrally located for canoe trips down the Elk River and its tributaries of Big Sugar Creek and Indian Creek. These fast-moving, clear-water streams bisect some of the grandest scenery in the Ozark range. It has been a perennial favorite of vacationers for more than half a century. For more about Noel, click here.

Southwest City
Southwest City's location in the southwesternmost part of the county gave the city it's moniker. Southwest City dates back to 1842 when first settlement took place. Situated as it was along the border of Indian Territory, the town soon became a crossroads for travelers and a social gathering place for drummers, bootleggers, and land speculators. The town retains that frontier atmosphere today, even though it's now a modern progressive community. Bordering both Arkansas and Oklahoma, it's the only tri-cornered part of Missouri on dry land as rivers or streams establish all Missouri's tri-cornered boundaries.

Tiff City
Near Buffalo Creek on the Oklahoma border is Tiff City. Early in the town's history, it was directly adjacent to Indian Territory, and it was a great location for retail trade with the Seneca Indian neighbors. The first post office was built in 1876, and by 1881 the city had grown substantially. Today, Tiff City is a close-knit community several retail businesses, an active community life, and volunteer fire department.