Welcome!

I would like to welcome you to our community! We are located in the Ozark Mountains and Ava is truly a treasure. We are blessed with forests, streams, friendly residents, fascinating historical and cultural heritage, and diverse educational opportunities. For that reason we have formally adopted the motto “Ava-Treasure of the Ozarks”.

The City of Ava, Missouri is a Fourth Class Municipal Government. We have a Mayor and 4 Aldermen (2- East Ward and 2- West Ward); East Ward Alderman Keith Jones, East Ward Alderman Billy Stewart, West Ward Alderman Stan Lovan, and West Ward Alderman Noel Dye. City Council meetings are the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month beginning at 5 PM at City Hall is located at 404 S Jefferson St. Ava, Mo 65608 and our meetings are open to the public.

Services offered by the city are: Electric, water, sewer, street/sanitation services, police protection, fire protection, code enforcement and building regulations for the safety and welfare of our community. The city owns a Municipal Airport and has several recreational opportunities. Our main park area has a large swimming pool which is open all summer. The parks department organizes soccer and softball tournaments along with other activities including disc golf, volleyball, basketball, tennis, a skate park, walking path, new playground equipment and the park has pavilions for family activities. The Ava Country Club offers a 9 hole golf course. We also have many civil organizations, such as our Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, Kiwanis Club, and fraternal organizations. The Ava Community Center is available for use by residents of all ages. It is also the headquarters for  Douglas County Ava Senior Services where meals are served daily at noon Monday through Friday. Ava housing authority offers low income apartments and HUD housing.

Our Business community is diverse with many locally owned and operated businesses as well as large corporation franchised businesses and a manufacturing facility who employs approximately 600-700 workers. We are the county seat for Douglas and the only city. The population is 2,894 in the city and nearly 11,578 county residents therefore, most services found in much more populated areas are found here as well.

Ava offers a small town atmosphere, down home celebrations and festivals, and a Triple A school system. Ava is the national headquarters of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association, which holds two annual festivals, spring and fall, drawing thousands into our community. We are also part of the Mark Twain National Forest, where we have a Glade Top Trail festival each year, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, celebrating the beauty of the Ozark Mountains.

Our biggest treasure is our quality of life. It offers a place to live, work, play, and raise a family in a small town atmosphere, all with people who care. Again, welcome to Ava! If you have questions, please contact us. City Hall administrative offices and utilities are open Monday-Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM. The phone number for City Hall is (417)683-5516, City Utilities (417)683-4122, Police Dept. (417)683-2900, Fire Dept. (417)683-1010 (non-emergency) and Parks/Rec. (417)683-7275.

David Norman
Mayor, City of Ava

P.O. BOX 967
AVA, MO  65608