Iberia, MO

Iberia is a city in southeastern Miller County, Missouri, in the Ozarks of central Missouri. A post office using the name Iberia dates to 1838, while the town itself took shape around later trading and settlement activity. The name refers to the Iberian Peninsula, possibly through New Iberia, Louisiana. Missouri Routes 17 and 42 meet in the city, sending roads toward Tuscumbia, Crocker, Vienna, and Lake of the Ozarks State Park.

Education is a major piece of Iberia's older map. Iberia Academy opened in 1890, grew into a junior college, and left four historic buildings near the Route 17 and Route 42 junction. The campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980; the remaining buildings include a dormitory, administration building, gymnasium, and president's home. The Iberia R-V School District continues the local school connection. Rabbithead Creek drains north toward Tavern Creek and the Osage River, giving the city a water line beyond its streets. Iberia brings together an old post-office name, a school campus, Ozark roads, and a small-town grid.