Poplar Bluff is a city in Butler County in southeastern Missouri, United States.

[7] The Poplar Bluff Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of all of Butler County.

The French were the first Europeans to assert any territorial rights over the Poplar Bluff area.

The earliest permanent settlements in what is now Butler County occurred in the early 19th century along the Natchitoches Trail, an old Native American trail west of what is now Poplar Bluff on Ten Mile Creek and Cane Creek.

A tornado leveled most of the city, especially the original business district along Main and Broadway streets, on May 9, 1927.

[9] Several buildings in Poplar Bluff are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Butler County Courthouse, Cynthia-Kinzer Historic District, Alfred W. Greer House, Hargrove Pivot Bridge, Mark Twain School, J. Herbert Moore House, Thomas Moore House, Moore-Dalton House, North Main Street Historic District, John Archibald Phillips House, Poplar Bluff Commercial Historic District, Poplar Bluff Public Library, Rodgers Theatre Building, South Sixth Street Historic District, St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad Depot, St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad Depot, Wheatley Public School, Williams-Gierth House, Williamson-Kennedy School, Wright-Dalton-Bell-Anchor Department Store Building, and Zehe Building.

The Butler County Courthouse and the offices of the city's Daily American Republic newspaper sit on this site.

Poplar Bluff lies along an escarpment separating the foothills of the Ozarks from the Mississippi embayment of southeastern Missouri.

The foothills lie to the north and west and the embayment is to the south and east.

The surrounding area is commonly known as the "Three Rivers" with many local organizations and businesses using the name.

Winters are cool with occasional snowfalls while summers are hot and humid.

[17] The 2020 United States census[19] counted 16,227 people, 6,566 households, and 3,665 families in Poplar Bluff.

Of all households, 38.3% consisted of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

[citation needed] The largest US nail manufacturer, Mid-Continent Steel and Wire, is located in Poplar Bluff.

[23] At its peak, the Mexican-owned firm employed about five hundred workers in the area, but as of 2018 uncertainty over steel tariffs threatens the plant's future.

Athletics offered in the school district include boys' and girls' basketball, soccer, track, cross country, tennis, golf, band, wrestling and swimming; boys' baseball and football; and girls' softball, volleyball, cheerleading, and pom squad.

Three Rivers offers the same freshman and sophomore level classes as many four-year public universities.

The school colors are gold and black and its mascot is Rocky Raider.

[30] Amtrak provides passenger train service from the Poplar Bluff station.