Malden serves as a retail and agricultural hub in Missouri's Bootheel
Known for its once-bustling airfield, the city of Malden is a center of convenience in the northern Missouri Bootheel. “Malden is a hub for our local area, as we're right next to the Arkansas state line,” says Don Lancaster, owner of Heartland Town & Country Real Estate. Though Malden’s population fell from 6,100 in 1980 to 3,700 by 2020, this city remains one of Dunklin County’s main venues for shopping and employment. “We do still have an airbase that houses a public airport, and they’ve got a lot of industries out there, like two cotton gins,” says Carol Hatchel, a broker with Heartland Town & Country. “It’s not an overly busy place, but it still provides you with what you need without the busy, hectic lifestyle.”
Downtown and Douglass Street are centers of shopping and dining
Douglass Street is where a lot of Malden’s retail is concentrated, and also a venue for community engagement. “For a small area, Malden has got a lot to offer, like three different auto dealerships,” Hatchel says. “In fact, a local ex-attorney has got a wonderful business going as far as helping disabled people learn trades, and he’s also got an adult daycare system going.”
Malden’s restaurant scene includes both fast food chains and small businesses like Ernie’s Country Kitchen. This brunch outlet serves Missouri culinary staples like barbecue and fried fish in an intimate café setting. La Estancia Mexican Restaurant, which replicates the appearance of a Spanish mission, serves family recipes like fajitas or the occasional Italian-inspired special dish. Grocery options include Dollar General, Harps Food Stores and Walmart.
Malden's ranch-style homes are competitively priced
Malden’s houses are almost entirely 20th-century construction, apart from the occasional, 2010s-built manufactured home. Streets tend to be grid-patterned and are flanked by sidewalks and rows of trees. Ranch-style homes range from around $70,000 to $240,000, depending on size. A median sale price of $91,500 makes Malden slightly less expensive than the other Dunklin County hub, Kennett, where the median sale price is $115,000.
Northern Malden includes a country club and two parks
The city's northern edge is home to several public green spaces. “They're in the process of creating a water pad park, and there’s another city park available to the kids,” Hatchel says. MLK Park offers a basketball court, baseball field, playground and picnic shelters close to downtown. Next to Malden Regional Airport, Hank Watson Park preserves an overgrown section of the neighboring Malden Country Club golf course and includes hiking trails and tennis courts. The 1951-built country club, together with its nine-hole course and sports bar, is open to the public.
Malden High offers strong athletics and extracurriculars
Students can start at Malden Lower Elementary School before attending Malden High School for Grades 6 to 12. Both schools receive C-plus ratings from Niche. Malden High has historically offered strong football and baseball programs as well as extracurriculars like FFA and FCCLA.
Two highways link Malden to larger urban centers
Missouri Route 25 and U.S. Route 62 intersect at Malden and connect it to larger cities. “It’s a good, central location, because we have major hospitals in Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff and Dexter within a short driving distance, plus doctors’ and dentists’ facilities,” Lancaster says. Cape Girardeau is a 75-mile drive away, while Poplar Bluff is accessible in just over 30 miles and Dexter within 20. Malden Medical Center puts health care close to home. Malden Regional Airport, once a major training hub for airmen during World War II and the Korean War, has since become a low-volume public airport.
Written By
Jacob Adelhoch
