Stoddard County lies in southeastern Missouri where a belt of rolling hills through the central and northern interior gives way to broad, low plains in the east and southeast. Dexter is the largest highlighted city, while Bloomfield, Bernie, Advance, Puxico, and Bell City provide useful references in different parts of the county. Route 25 creates the main north-south line through Advance, Bloomfield, and Dexter, while U.S. 60 crosses the southern-central county. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
This page separates those features into a general county map, a ranked city map, a terrain-and-water map, and an elevation map showing roughly 84 to 186 meters of relief. High-resolution JPG originals of all four can be downloaded together in one ZIP for enlargement, A3 printing, classroom materials, reports, or personal reference.
Table of Contents
Route 25 links Dexter, Bloomfield, and Advance through the county center
Dexter is the easiest place to begin reading the general map. It has the largest urban footprint and sits close to both Route 25 and U.S. 60, making it a useful reference for the southern-central road network. Southeast Health Medical Center is also labeled near the city, adding another recognizable landmark.
Route 25 runs north from Dexter through Bloomfield and continues toward Advance. Bloomfield is the county seat; the Stoddard County Clerk and other county offices are located there. Because the three communities line up along the same major route, this corridor provides the simplest framework for the central county.
U.S. 60 crosses the Dexter area from west to east, connecting Dudley with Essex and the Grayridge side. Route 114 extends through the eastern portion, Route 91 provides a reference near Bell City, and Route 153 runs north-south across the flat southeastern landscape. The straighter road pattern in the east contrasts with the more irregular roads across the hillier interior.
Puxico sits in the west near Route 51, where the county boundary bends along the St. Francis River side. The eastern and southern boundaries are much straighter. Locating Dexter and Bloomfield first, then adding Puxico, Advance, and Bell City, makes the general map easy to organize.
Dexter leads six communities spread across hills and low plains
The city map highlights Dexter, Bloomfield, Bernie, Advance, Puxico, and Bell City. The map index labels Dexter with 7,891, Bloomfield with 2,069, Bernie with 1,725, Advance with 1,450, Puxico with 846, and Bell City with 496. Dexter is clearly the largest highlighted place, while the other communities are spread widely across the county.
Dexter sits in the south-central county and Bloomfield near the center. Bernie lies farther south, Advance in the north, Puxico in the west, and Bell City in the northeast. This distribution gives the six places strong value as orientation points because each marks a different part of the county.
Bloomfield is smaller than Dexter on the city index but serves as the county seat. The Stoddard County Clerk and other county offices are based there, while Dexter provides the clearest commercial and transportation reference. Bernie is useful for the southern lowland, and Advance and Bell City help locate the transition between central hills and eastern plains.
The general map also labels Essex, Grayridge, Dudley, Penermon, Baker, and other smaller places. The six-city map should therefore be used for quick orientation rather than as a complete settlement list. Returning to the general map after learning the six main positions makes the smaller road network easier to follow.
Castor River valleys meet the Little River drainage plain
Upper Castor River is one of the strongest interior water references on the terrain map. It winds through the central-northern hills and continues into the Castor River farther east. The river corridor closely follows the transition from broken uplands into the lower southeastern plain.
Whitewater River occupies the northeastern part of the county, while Little River follows the far eastern side. King Lake and Spoon Brake provide additional water landmarks in this lowland zone. The eastern half also contains many long, straight drainage channels that look very different from the naturally winding streams in the hills.
St. Francis River follows the western boundary area in a much more sinuous course. Lick Creek Ditch appears in the central interior, while Main Ditch and Ditch No. 4 run through the southern plain. East Treatment Lagoon and West Treatment Lagoon are mapped near Dexter, illustrating how the water layer also includes managed urban water features.
The terrain-and-water map is intended for geographic reference, not flood determination, depth analysis, navigation, parcel boundaries, or legal water boundaries. Castor River, Little River, and drainage-channel conditions can change, so current flood or drainage decisions should rely on up-to-date official information.
Elevation ranges from about 84 to 186 meters
The elevation map reports an actual range of roughly 84 to 186 meters and a mean near 104 meters. The highest brown ridges are concentrated through the central and north-central county, with additional smaller uplands in the west. The local relief is much stronger than the flat eastern side of the county might suggest.
Upper Castor River and Castor River occupy lower corridors between the ridges. In the east-central county, the warm elevation colors drop quickly into green lowland terrain as the Castor system approaches the plain. This sharp upland-to-lowland transition is one of the most distinctive features on the map.
The east and southeast are dominated by dark-green, low, relatively flat terrain. Little River and long drainage ditches cross this plain, while Bernie and the Grayridge–Baker side have much less local relief than the central hills. The straight drainage network fits the broad, low landscape visible on the elevation map.
This county-scale elevation surface is useful for broad relief comparison, not for engineering, construction, drainage design, parcel-level elevation decisions, or survey-grade measurement. Site-specific work requires more detailed official elevation data or field surveying.
Compare Dexter roads with the Castor River hills and eastern lowlands
Start with Dexter and Route 25 when roads and settlement locations matter most. Bloomfield and Advance lie to the north, Bernie to the south, Puxico to the west, and Bell City to the northeast. U.S. 60 and Routes 51, 91, 114, and 153 then provide additional travel references across the county.
For terrain, begin with Upper Castor River and Castor River, then compare Whitewater River and Little River in the east with St. Francis River in the west. Switching to the elevation map shows exactly where the broken central uplands give way to the broad low plain.
Stoddard County is not simply a flat southeastern Missouri county. Its central and northern interior contains clearly defined ridges, while the eastern and southern side opens into a much lower plain crossed by long drainage channels. The road, water, and elevation maps together make that contrast easy to understand.
The downloadable JPG originals contain more pixels than the WebP previews embedded on the page, making them better for enlargement, A3 printing, classroom handouts, reports, and personal reference. They remain general-purpose maps, however. Legal boundaries, live road restrictions, flood or drainage conditions, and precise site elevations should always be checked against current official sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which roads are the easiest references in Stoddard County?
Route 25 and U.S. 60 are the clearest starting points. Route 25 links Advance, Bloomfield, and Dexter north to south, while U.S. 60 crosses the Dexter area and organizes the main east-west corridor.
How much elevation change is shown across Stoddard County?
The elevation map shows an actual range of about 84 to 186 meters with a mean near 104 meters. Central and northern ridges are highest, while the Little River side and the eastern and southeastern plain are much lower.
Which waterways are the best starting points on the terrain map?
Start with Upper Castor River and Castor River through the central county. Whitewater River and Little River organize the eastern lowland, while St. Francis River provides a strong western reference.
Map File Information
The download ZIP contains high-resolution JPG versions of the Stoddard County general map, city map, terrain-and-water map, and elevation map.
- File Type: JPG
Related Maps
Sources and References
Boundary and road reference data are supported by U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line, water features by USGS National Hydrography, and elevation data by the USGS 3D Elevation Program. County government information in Bloomfield is available from the official Stoddard County Clerk website.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data. These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
