Adrian, MO

Adrian is a northern Bates County city established in 1880 beside the Missouri Pacific Railway. The Town Company purchased 80 acres for the settlement, and the railroad gave the new place its first reason to exist; today Missouri Route 18 runs alongside U.S. 71 at the city's western edge. The name has two local explanations, one tied to settlers from Adrian, Michigan and another to Adrian Talmadge, the son of a railroad official. Frontier Village keeps the agricultural machinery story in view, with a collection of gas engines, steam tractors, and farm equipment and an annual Western Missouri Antique Tractor and Machinery Association show. Adrian R-III School District serves the town, with high school grades 6 through 12. Adrian is a small Kansas City-area city where railroad beginnings, farm machinery, and a two-way name story still fit together.