Cole County, Missouri

Cole County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,990. Its county seat is Jefferson City, the state capital. The county was organized November 16, 1820 and named after pioneer Captain Stephen Cole, an Indian fighter and pioneer settler, who built Cole's Fort in Boonville.Cole County is in the Jefferson City, MO Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is south of the Missouri River.In 2010, the center of the population of Missouri was in Cole County, near the village of Wardsville.GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (2.0%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Missouri by area.Adjacent countiesBoone County (north)Callaway County (northeast)Osage County (southeast)Miller County (southwest)Moniteau County (northwest)