24/7 Trauma & Biohazard Cleanup Near West Willard Willard, MO

Willard is a city in Greene County, Missouri, that was founded in 1884 as a railroad stop on the St. Louis–San Francisco Railroad and was not incorporated until 1949.

Willard is named for William Willard, a surveyor for the railroad — local settlers wanted to name the town Robberson for Dr. E. T. Robberson, who platted it, but Missouri already had a Robberson.

Willard had a population of 6,344 at the 2020 census and is part of the Springfield metropolitan area.

Willard has grown explosively for a small town, rising from just 357 residents in 1960 to 6,344 in 2020.

Willard had 1,901 households at the 2010 census, and the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population had climbed to about 6,900 by 2025.

Willard's main east–west road, U.S. Route 160, is known as Olympian Boulevard because two graduates of Willard High School have participated in the Olympic Games.

Willard sits on the Frisco Highline Trail, a 35-mile rail-trail running from Springfield through Willard to Bolivar along the old Frisco rail corridor that Harry S. Truman once rode.

Willard covers 5.92 square miles of land in northwestern Greene County, about five miles north of Interstate 44 and Springfield.

Willard's school district runs five elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school, and Willard High School, home of the Tigers.

Willard's Sports Complex includes a nature trail, baseball and softball fields, and an 18,000-square-foot recreation center.