Branson is a city in Stone and Taney Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s. Branson has long been a popular destination for vacationers from Missouri and neighboring areas. The collection of entertainment theaters along 76 Country Boulevard (and to a lesser extent along Shepherd of the Hills Expressway) has increased Branson's popularity as a tourist destination. Branson now draws visitors from all regions of the United States, mostly by car or bus. The population was 10,520 at the 2010 census. Branson was formally incorporated in 1912, shortly before construction of the Powersite Dam nearby on the White River which would form Lake Taneycomo was completed.