Christian County is a county located in Southwest Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 54,285. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 75,479, making it one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. Its county seat is Ozark. The county was organized in 1859 and is named after William Christian, a Kentucky soldier of the American Revolutionary War. Christian County is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.