Lanton is an unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Howell County

Howell County, Missouri

Howell County is a county located in South Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 40,400. The largest city and county seat is West Plains...

, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is located on Route 17 between Route 142 and the Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 line. It formerly had a post office, but mail is now served from West Plains

West Plains, Missouri

West Plains is a city in Howell County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,866 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howell County. The West Plains Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Howell County.-Geography:...

. The community was founded before 160, and is named for its founders, Lancaster and Sutton.

The former Lanton school is located next to the Fire Station, and is in extreme disrepair.

The Lanton Fire Department boasts the lowest ISO rating in the region of any rural fire
department, and operates out of two stations, one in Lanton proper, the other halfway to West Plains.

Lanton presently has a church, three convenience/package stores, White Ranch State Forest, Vanderhoef State Forest, Love Hole, and not much more. Renowned region wide for its deer hunting, during October and November there are many hunters in the area from other parts of the state.