Joplin [key], city (1990 pop. 40,961), Jasper and Newton counties, SW Mo., at the edge of the Ozarks; settled c.1839, inc. 1873. It is a railroad center, the shipping and processing point of a grain and livestock region with dairy and fruit farms, and the industrial center of a former lead and zinc area. Joplin has a solid manufacturing base, producing transportation equipment; plastic, metal, paper, and leather products; processed foods; machinery; and chemicals. The city has a mineral museum and is the seat of Missouri Southern State Univ. and Ozark Christian College. The George Washington Carver National Monument is nearby. A tornado destroyed or damaged more than a quarter of the city in 2011.
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