Courtois 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 southwestern Washington County

Washington County, Missouri

Washington County is a county located in East Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 25,195. The largest city and county seat is Potosi...

, 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 about 12 miles southwest of Belgrade

Belgrade, Missouri

Belgrade is an unincorporated community in south central Washington County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Missouri Supplemental Route C about six miles west of Caledonia and ten miles south of Potosi. The community was founded in 1876 and was named after Belgrade in Serbia. Belgrade...

. Its post office is closed and mail now comes from Steelville

Steelville, Missouri

Steelville is a city in Crawford County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,429 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Crawford County.-Geography:Steelville is located at...

 or Belgrade

Belgrade, Missouri

Belgrade is an unincorporated community in south central Washington County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Missouri Supplemental Route C about six miles west of Caledonia and ten miles south of Potosi. The community was founded in 1876 and was named after Belgrade in Serbia. Belgrade...

. The community is named after an unidentified settler, as is a nearby stream, Courtois Creek

Courtois Creek

Courtois Creek is a stream in southern Missouri, U.S.A. It shares its name with the nearby town of Courtois. According to the information in the Ramsay Place Names File at the University of Missouri, the creek was "doubtless named for some French settler, but his identity has not been...

. According to Ramsay, "The name is locally pronounced and sometimes written as Coataway or Cotoway."