The most dynamic areas for Warrensburg and Johnson County come in two flavors: In town and out of town.

The strategic arteries of highways 13 and 50 offer opportunity throughout much of the region. Extensive retail and the area's modest office development have tended to flourish near these corridors. This has primarily brought strip centers and service retail such as fast food restaurants, especially in Warrensburg and at Knob Noster.

Other growth has generally been elsewhere. In recent years, none may be more significant than downtown Warrensburg.

The potential of the city's historic core was increasingly realized in the 1990s, but visible success required a significant level of cooperation and a $300,000 state grant to begin the project, the Downtown Warrensburg Streetscape. Today Warrensburg Main Street has successfully completed the first of a three-phase effort to beautify and revitalize the area. With business, government and non-profit collaboration, this effort has already achieved considerable success.

The first phase brought improvements to the area's aesthetics. Dozens of utility lines that created an overhead web and detracted from the area's historic buildings were buried underground. Utility companies, city government and the non-profit Warrensburg Main Street were among those leading the work. Downtown Warrensburg already had much going for it. Everything from the city's farmer's market to walks and runs have been held in recent years. Residents increasingly value the area's historic and architectural features.

Warrensburg's downtown projects have also succeeded in improving the immediate area and drawing interest to both surrounding neighborhoods and business corridors. Already, local businesses have responded with improvements of their own and the vitality of the area has visibly increased.

In terms of industrial development, the most active site is the Warrensburg Industrial Park, a 200-acre area started in the late 1970s. The development is essentially complete and discussion has started among area leaders to develop a replacement. A leading candidate is the Max B. Swisher Skyhaven Airport, a facility operated by Central Missouri State University and used by the public. The university is currently examining plans for lengthening the 4,200-foot runway to allow private jet traffic.

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graphic content without permission is prohibited. | DestinationWarrensburg is a supplement to Ingram's Magazine