Northern Missouri
Kirksville is a two-university town
Two higher-education institutions in one small county seat shape the rental market, the seasonal population, and the local economy more than in a typical rural northern-Missouri county.
Kirksville is the county seat of Adair County. That alone is normal for a small town in northern Missouri. What is unusual is that Kirksville has two colleges, not none. The first is Truman State University. It is a public school that teaches the liberal arts and sciences. The second is A.T. Still University. It focuses on health sciences. Together, these two schools add a “college-town” layer on top of the area’s farms. That means more student rentals, a population that grows and shrinks with the school year, and jobs in teaching and health care. If you rent, own a few rental units, or are new in town, the school calendar can shape housing and traffic more than it would in a plain farm county. Before you count on any details, check enrollment, programs, and any city rules on rentals or occupancy with the universities’ own sites and the City of Kirksville.
Where to see it
- Truman State University
Use Truman State for campus and institution context.
- A.T. Still University
Use ATSU for campus and institution context.
References
More from Adair County: browse every local note for the county.
Last checked against the sources above: June 15, 2026.