Lake Tapawingo is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 730 at the 2010 census. Lake Tapawingo was constr…Lake Tapawingo is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 730 at the 2010 census. Lake Tapawingo was constructed by the Lake Tapawingo Development Company in 1926 as an "exclusive sports retreat and rest haven". The city was named after a lake within its borders. Derived from a Native American word meaning "beautiful water" or "beautiful place", it is also said to be named after a Native American princess. The City of Lake Tapawingo was officially formed in 1962 to prevent annexation by the larger cities of either Blue Springs, Missouri or Independence, Missouri.