Missouri

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State of Missouri
Flag of Missouri Seal Nickname(s): The Show Me State Motto(s): Salus populi suprema lex esto Before Statehood Known as The Missouri Territory
Official language(s)	English
Capital	Jefferson City
Largest city	Kansas City
Largest metro area	St Louis[1]
Area	Ranked 21st in the US
- Total	69,704 sq mi (180,533 km²)
- Width	240 miles (385 km)
- Length	300 miles (480 km)
- % water	1.17
- Latitude	36° N to 40° 37′ N
- Longitude	89° 6′ W to 95° 46′ W
Population	Ranked 18th in the US
- Total	5,842,713
- Density	84.82/sq mi  31/km² (27th in the US)
- Median income	$32,705 (31st)
Elevation
- Highest point	Taum Sauk Mountain[2] 1,772 ft  (540 m)
- Mean	800 ft  (240 m)
- Lowest point	Saint Francis River[2] 230 ft  (70 m)
Admission to Union	August 10, 1821 (24th)
Governor	Matt Blunt (R)
U.S. Senators	Kit Bond (R) Claire McCaskill (D)
Congressional Delegation	List
Time zone	Central : UTC-6/-5
Abbreviations	MO US-MO
Website	www.mo.gov

Missouri (pronounced /mɪˈzʊri/ or /mɪˈzʊrə/) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States^[3] bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city. Missouri's capital is Jefferson City. Missouri is one of only ten US states having at least two urban centers with a population greater than 2,000,000. Those two metro centers are Eastern St. Louis, and Western Kansas City. Other urban areas include Southern Springfield, and Mid-State Columbia.^[4] The spread of Missouri betwwen North, South, East and West combined with it's Urban to Rural mix, makes Missouri a famous bellwether state.^[5]. Missouri was originally purchased from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase and part of the Missouri Territory was admitted into the union as the 24th state in 1821.

Missouri mirrors the demographic, economic and political makeup of the nation as a mixture of urban and rural culture. It has long been considered a political hotbed. It is a state with both Midwestern and Southern cultural influences, reflecting its history as a border state. A blend of Eastern City and Western City comparison, a Northern Mid-West and Southern-South comparison. St. Louis is often called the "western-most eastern city" and Kansas City the "eastern-most western city."

Missouri's geography is highly varied. The northern part of the state lies in dissected till plains while the southern part lies in the Ozark Mountains, with the Missouri River dividing the two. The confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers is located near St. Louis.^[6]

Contents 1 Etymology and pronunciation 2 Geography 2.1 Topography 2.2 Climate 3 History 4 Demographics 4.1 Religion 5 Economy 6 Transportation 6.1 Air 6.2 Rail 6.3 River 6.4 Road 6.4.1 Interstate highways 6.4.2 United States highways 7 Law and government 7.1 Framework 7.2 Status as a political bellwether 7.3 Laissez-faire alcohol and tobacco laws 8 Counties 9 Important cities and towns 10 Education 10.1 Missouri State Board of Education 10.2 Primary and secondary schools 10.3 Colleges and universities 11 Sports 11.1 Minor leagues 11.2 Former professional sports teams 12 Miscellaneous topics 13 See also 14 References 15 External links

[edit] Etymology and pronunciation

The state is named after the Missouri River which in turn is named after the Siouan Indian tribe whose Illinois name, ouemessourita (wimihsoorita^[7]), means "those who have dugout canoes".^[8]. The etymology lies behind Bob Dyer's tribute, "River of the Big Canoes."

The pronunciation of the final syllable of "Missouri" is a matter of controversy, with significant numbers insisting on a relatively tense vowel (as in "meet") or lax ("mitt" or "mutt"). The most thorough study of the question was done by dialectologist Donald Max Lance. From a linguistic point of view, there is no correct pronunciation, but rather, there are simply patterns of variation, diachronic as well as synchronic, according to such divisions as geography, age, education, and/or rural vs. urban location.

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of Missouri

Missouri's borders physically touch a total of eight different states, as does its neighbor, Tennessee. No state in the U.S. touches more than eight states. Missouri is bounded on the north by Iowa; on the east, across the Mississippi River, by Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee; on the south by Arkansas; and on the west by Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska (the latter across the Missouri River.) The two largest Missouri rivers are the Mississippi, which defines the eastern boundary of the state, and the Missouri, that flows west to east through the state, connecting the two largest cities, Kansas City and St. Louis.

Although today the state is usually considered part of the Midwest,^[9][10] historically Missouri was sometimes considered a Southern state,^[11], chiefly because of the settlement of migrants from the South and its status as a slave state before the Civil War. The counties that made up "Little Dixie" were those along the Missouri River in the center of the state, settled by Southern migrants who held the greatest concentration of slaves.

Residents of cities farther north and the state's large metropolitan areas, including those where most of the state's population resides (Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia), typically consider themselves Midwestern. In rural areas and cities farther south, such as (Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Springfield, and Sikeston), people typically consider themselves more Southern.

[edit] Topography

North of the Missouri River lie the Northern Plains that stretch into Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. Here, gentle rolling hills remain behind from a glacier that once had extended from the north to the Missouri River. Missouri is made up of many large river bluffs along the Mississippi, Missouri, and Meramec Rivers. The Ozark foothills begin around Rolla, and the Ozark plateau begins around Springfield and extends into northwestern Arkansas, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. Springfield in southwestern Missouri lies on close to the northernmost part of the Ozark plateau. Southern Missouri is the home of the Ozark Mountains, a dissected plateau surrounding the Precambrian igneous St. Francois Mountains.

The southeastern part of the state is home to the Bootheel, part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain or Mississippi embayment. It is in this part of the state as well as the South Central part that speech patterns comparable to those of Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee still exist. This region is the lowest, flattest and wettest part of the state, and among the poorest, as the economy is mostly agricultural.^[12] It is also the most fertile. Cotton and rice production are prominent in this area. The Bootheel area was the epicenter of the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811–1812.

[edit] Climate

Main article: Climate of Missouri

Missouri generally has a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa), with cold winters and hot and humid summers. In the southern part of the state, particularly in the Bootheel, the climate borders on a humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa). Due to its location in the interior United States, Missouri often experiences extremes in temperatures. Not having either large mountains or oceans nearby to moderate its temperature, its climate is alternately influenced by air from the cold Arctic and the hot and humid Gulf of Mexico.

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Missouri Cities
City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Columbia	37/18	44/23	55/33	66/43	75/53	84/62	89/66	87/64	79/55	68/44	53/33	42/22
Kansas City	36/18	43/23	54/33	65/44	75/54	84/63	89/68	87/66	79/57	68/46	52/33	40/22
Springfield	42/22	48/26	58/35	68/44	76/53	85/62	90/67	90/66	81/57	71/46	56/35	46/26
St. Louis	38/21	44/26	55/36	67/46	76/57	85/66	90/71	88/69	80/60	68/48	54/37	42/26
[1]

See also: List of Missouri state parks

[edit] History

Main article: History of Missouri

See also: Missouri in the American Civil War

Missouri state insignia
Motto	Salus populi suprema lex esto (Latin, "The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law")
Slogan	Show Me
Bird	Bluebird
Animal	Missouri Mule (1995)
Fish	Channel Catfish (1997)
Insect	Honey bee (1985)
Flower	Hawthorne (1923)
Tree	Flowering Dogwood (1955)
Song	"Missouri Waltz" (1949)
Quarter	Released in 2003
Dance	Square dance (1995)
Fossil	Crinoid (1989)
Dinosaur	Hypsibema missouriensis (2004) [2]
Gemstone	Aquamarine
Mineral	Galena (1967)
Rock	Mozarkite (1967)

Originally part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, Missouri was admitted as a slave state in 1821 as part of the Missouri Compromise. It earned the nickname "Gateway to the West" because it served as a departure point for settlers heading to the west. It was the starting point and the return destination of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. River traffic and trade along the Mississippi was integral to the state's economy. To try to control flooding, by 1860 the state had completed construction of 140 miles of levees on the Mississippi.^[13]

Originally the state's western border was a straight line, defined as the meridian passing through the Kawsmouth,^[14] the point where the Kansas River enters the Missouri River. The river has moved since this designation. This line is known as the Osage Boundary.^[15] In 1835 the Platte Purchase was added to the northwest corner of the state after purchasing the land from the native tribes, making the Missouri River the border north of the Kansas River. This addition made what was already the largest state in the Union at the time (about 66,500 square miles to Virginia's 65,000 square miles (which included West Virginia at the time) even larger.^[16]

As many of the early settlers in western Missouri migrated from southern states, they brought along enslaved African Americans and a desire to continue the institution of slavery. In the early 1830s, Mormon migrants from northern states and Canada began settling near Independence and areas just north of there. Conflicts over slavery and religion arose between the 'old settlers' (mainly from the south) and the Mormons (mainly from the north and Canada). The 'Mormon War' erupted. By 1839 settlers expelled the Mormons from Missouri.

Conflicts over slavery exacerbated border tensions among the states and territories. In 1838-1839 a border dispute with Iowa over the so-called Honey Lands resulted in both states calling up militias along the border. After many incidents with Kansans crossing the Western border for attacks (including setting a fire in the historic Westport area of Kansas City), a border war erupted between Missouri and Kansas. From the 1830s to the 1860s, Missouri's population almost doubled with every decade. Most of the newcomers were Americans, but many Irish and German immigrants arrived in the late 1840s and 1850s. Having fled famine, oppression and revolutionary upheaval, they were not sympathetic to slavery.

Most Missouri farmers practiced subsistence farming. The majority of those who held slaves had fewer than 5 each. Planters, defined by historians as those holding 20 or more slaves, were concentrated in the counties known as "Little Dixie", in the central part of the state along the Missouri River. The tensions over slavery had to do with the future of the state and nation. In 1860 enslaved African Americans made up less than 10% of the state's population of 1,182,012.

After the secession of Southern states began, the Missouri legislature called for the election of a special convention on secession. The convention voted decisively to remain within the Union. Pro-Southern Governor Claiborne F. Jackson ordered the mobilization of several hundred members of the state militia who had gathered in a camp in St. Louis for training. Alarmed at this action, Union General Nathaniel Lyon struck first, encircling the peaceful camp and forcing the state troops to surrender. Lyon then directed his soldiers, largely non-English-speaking German immigrants, to march the prisoners through the streets, and opened fire on the largely hostile crowds of civilians who gathered around them. Soldiers killed unarmed prisoners as well as men, women and children of St. Louis in the incident that became known as the "St. Louis Massacre."

These events heightened Confederate support within the state. Governor Jackson appointed Sterling Price, president of the convention on secession, as head of the new Missouri State Guard. In the face of General Lyon's rapid advance in the state, Jackson and Price were forced to flee the capital of Jefferson City on June 14, 1861. In the town of Neosho, Missouri, Jackson called the state legislature into session. They enacted a secession ordinance, recognized by the Confederacy on October 30, 1861.

With the elected governor absent from his capital and the legislators largely dispersed, Union forces installed an unelected pro-Union provisional government with Hamilton Gamble as provisional governor. President Lincoln's Administration immediately recognized Gamble's government as the legal government. This decision provided both pro-Union militia forces for service within the state and volunteer regiments for the Union Army.

Fighting ensued between Union forces and a combined army of General Price's Missouri State Guard and Confederate troops from Arkansas and Texas under General Ben McCulloch. After winning victories at the battle of Wilson's Creek and the siege of Lexington, Missouri and suffering losses elsewhere, the Confederate forces had little choice but to retreat to Arkansas and later Marshall, Texas, in the face of a largely reinforced Union Army.

Though regular Confederate troops staged some large-scale raids into Missouri, the fighting in the state for the next three years consisted chiefly of guerrilla warfare. "Citizen soldiers" such as Colonel William Quantrill, Frank and Jesse James, the Younger brothers, and William T. Anderson made use of quick, small unit tactics. Pioneered by the Missouri Partisan Rangers, such insurgencies also arose in other portions of the Confederacy occupied during the Civil War. Recently historians have assessed the James brothers' outlaw years as continuing guerrilla warfare after the official war was over.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	19,783		—
1820	66,586		236.6%
1830	140,455		110.9%
1840	383,702		173.2%
1850	682,044		77.8%
1860	1,182,012		73.3%
1870	1,721,295		45.6%
1880	2,168,380		26.0%
1890	2,679,185		23.6%
1900	3,106,665		16.0%
1910	3,293,335		6.0%
1920	3,404,055		3.4%
1930	3,629,367		6.6%
1940	3,784,664		4.3%
1950	3,954,653		4.5%
1960	4,319,813		9.2%
1970	4,676,501		8.3%
1980	4,916,686		5.1%
1990	5,117,073		4.1%
2000	5,595,211		9.3%
Est. 2006	5,842,713		4.4%

In 2006, Missouri had an estimated population of 5,842,713; an increase of 45,010 (0.8 percent) from the prior year and an increase of 246,030 (4.4 percent) since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase of 137,564 people since the last census (480,763 births less 343,199 deaths), and an increase of 88,088 people due to net migration into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 50,450 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 37,638 people. Over half of Missourians (3,145,584 people, or 56.2%) live within the state's two largest metropolitan areas–St. Louis and Kansas City. The state's population density is also closer to the national average than any other state.

The U.S. Census of 2000 found that the population center of the United States is in Phelps County, Missouri. The center of population of Missouri itself is located in Osage County, in the city of Westphalia [3].

As of 2004, the population included 194,000 foreign-born (3.4 percent of the state population).

Demographics of Missouri (csv)
By race	White	Black	AIAN	Asian	NHPI
AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native — NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2000 (total population)	86.90%	11.76%	1.08%	1.37%	0.12%
2000 (Hispanic only)	1.96%	0.12%	0.07%	0.03%	0.01%
2005 (total population)	86.54%	12.04%	1.03%	1.61%	0.13%
2005 (Hispanic only)	2.49%	0.14%	0.07%	0.03%	0.01%
Growth 2000–2005 (total population)	3.23%	6.15%	-0.57%	21.83%	10.71%
Growth 2000–2005 (non-Hispanic only)	2.57%	5.94%	-1.34%	21.81%	10.99%
Growth 2000–2005 (Hispanic only)	32.07%	26.42%	10.52%	22.82%	8.09%

The five largest ancestry groups in Missouri are: German (23.5 percent), Irish (12.7 percent), American (10.5 percent), English (9.5 percent), French (3.5 percent). "American" includes those reported as Native American or African American.

German Americans are an ancestry group present throughout Missouri. African Americans are a substantial part of the population in St. Louis, Kansas City, and in the southeastern bootheel and some parts of the Missouri River Valley, where plantation agriculture was once important. Missouri Creoles of French ancestry are concentrated in the Mississippi River Valley south of St. Louis. A relatively small number of recent Bosniak immigrants lives mostly in the St. Louis area.

In 2004, 6.6 percent of the state's population was reported as younger than 5 years old, 25.5 percent younger than 18, and 13.5 percent was 65 or older. Females were approximately 51.4 percent of the population. 81.3 percent of Missouri residents were high school graduates (more than the national average), and 21.6 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. 3.4 percent of Missourians were foreign-born, and 5.1 percent reported speaking a language other than English at home.

In 2000, there were 2,194,594 households in Missouri, with 2.48 people per household. The homeownership rate was 70.3 percent, and the mean value of an owner-occupied dwelling was $89,900. The median household income for 1999 was $37,934, or $19,936 per capita. There were 11.7 percent (637,891) Missourians living below the poverty line in 1999.

The mean commute time to work was 23.8 minutes.

[edit] Religion

Of those Missourians who identify with a religion, three out of five are Protestants. There is also a moderate-sized Catholic community in some parts of the state; approximately one out of five Missourians are Catholic. Heavily Catholic areas include St. Louis and the Missouri Rhineland, particularly that south of the Missouri River.^[17]

The religious affiliations of the people of Missouri according to the 2001 American Religious Identification Survey:

• Christian – 77%
  • Protestant
    • Baptist – 22%
    • Methodist – 7%
    • Episcopal – 4%
    • Lutheran – 4%
    • Other Protestant – 12%
  • Roman Catholic – 19%
  • Latter-Day Saint – 1%*
  • Other or unspecified Christian – 8%
• Other religions – 2%
• Not religious – 15%
• No answer – 5%

Several religious organizations have headquarters in Missouri, including the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, which has its headquarters in Kirkwood, as well as the United Pentecostal Church International in Hazelwood, both outside St. Louis. Kansas City is the headquarters of the Church of the Nazarene. Independence, outside of Kansas City, is the headquarters for the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), and the Latter Day Saints group Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This area and other parts of Missouri are also of significant religious and historical importance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which maintains several sites/visitors centers, and whose members make up about 1 percent of Missouri's population. Springfield is the headquarters of the Assemblies of God and the Baptist Bible Fellowship International. The General Association of General Baptists has its headquarters in Poplar Bluff. The Pentecostal Church of God is headquartered in Joplin.

[edit] Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Missouri's total state product in 2006 was $225.9 billion. Per capita personal income in 2006 was $32,707, ranking 26^th in the nation. Major industries include aerospace, transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, printing/publishing, electrical equipment, light manufacturing, and beer.

The agriculture products of the state are beef, soybeans, pork, dairy products, hay, corn, poultry, sorghum, and eggs. Missouri is ranked 6th in the nation for the production of hogs and 7th for cattle. Missouri is ranked in the top five states in the nation for production of soy beans. As of 2001, there were 108,000 farms, the second largest number in any state after Texas. Missouri actively promotes its rapidly growing wine industry.

Missouri has vast quantities of limestone. Other resources mined are lead, coal, Portland cement, and crushed stone. Missouri produces the most lead of all of the states. Most of the lead mines are in the central eastern portion of the state. Missouri also ranks first or near first in the production of lime.

Tourism, services and wholesale/retail trade follow manufacturing in importance.

Personal income is taxed in 10 different earning brackets, ranging from 1.5 percent to 6.0 percent. Missouri's sales tax rate for most items is 4.225 percent. Additional local levies may apply. More than 2,500 Missouri local governments rely on property taxes levied on real property (real estate) and personal property. Most personal property is exempt, except for motorized vehicles. Exempt real estate includes property owned by governments and property used as nonprofit cemeteries, exclusively for religious worship, for schools and colleges and for purely charitable purposes. There is no inheritance tax and limited Missouri estate tax related to federal estate tax collection.

Missouri is the only state in the Union to have two Federal Reserve Banks: one in Kansas City (serving western Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, northern New Mexico, and Wyoming) and St. Louis (serving eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana, western Kentucky, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and all of Arkansas).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Air

The state of Missouri has two major airport hubs: Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and Kansas City International Airport.

[edit] Rail

Two of the nation's three busiest rail centers are located in Missouri. Kansas City is a major railroad hub for BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern Railway, Kansas City Southern Railway, and Union Pacific Railroad. Kansas City is the second largest freight rail center in the US. Like Kansas City, St. Louis is a major destination for train freight. Amtrak passenger trains serve Kansas City, Jefferson City, St. Louis, Lee's Summit, Independence, Warrensburg, Hermann, Kirkwood, and Sedalia. The only light rail/subway system in Missouri is the St. Louis Metrolink which connects the City of St. Louis with suburbs in Illinois and St. Louis County. As of 2007 preliminary planning is being performed for a light rail system in the Kansas City area.

Springfield remains an operational hub for BNSF Railway.

[edit] River

The Mississippi River and Missouri River are commercially navigable over their entire lengths in Missouri. The Missouri was channelized through dredging and jettys and the Mississippi was given a series of locks to avoid rocks and deepen the river. St. Louis is a major destination for barge traffic on the Mississippi River.

[edit] Road

Several highways, detailed below, traverse the state.

Following the passage of Amendment 3 in late 2004, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) began its Smoother, Safer, Sooner road-building program with a goal of bringing 2,200 miles of highways up to good condition by December 2007. In 2005 the number of traffic deaths in the state increased by 10 percent to 1,241.

[edit] Interstate highways

• Interstate 29, Interstate 229
• Interstate 35, Interstate 435 (Perimeter around Kansas City), Interstate 635
• Interstate 44
• Interstate 55, Interstate 155, Interstate 255 (the perimeter around the Illinois side of St. Louis)
• Interstate 57
• Interstate 64
• Interstate 70, Interstate 170, Interstate 270 (the perimeter around the Missouri side of St. Louis), Interstate 470, Interstate 670
• Interstate 72
• Interstate 49 (Proposed)
• Interstate 66 (Proposed)

[edit] United States highways

North-south routes	East-west routes
U.S. Route 59 U.S. Route 159 U.S. Route 61 U.S. Route 63 U.S. Route 65 U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 69 U.S. Route 169 U.S. Route 71 U.S. Route 275	U.S. Route 412 U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 36 U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 56 U.S. Route 60 U.S. Route 160 U.S. Route 460 U.S. Route 62 U.S. Route 66 U.S. Route 166 U.S. Route 400

See also: List of Missouri state highways and Missouri Supplemental Route

[edit] Law and government

[edit] Framework

Main articles: Law and Government of Missouri and List of Missouri Governors

Missouri Government
Governor of Missouri	Matt Blunt (R)
Lieutenant Governor of Missouri:	Peter Kinder (R)
Missouri Attorney General:	Jay Nixon (D)
Missouri Secretary of State:	Robin Carnahan (D)
Missouri State Auditor:	Susan Montee (D)
Missouri State Treasurer:	Sarah Steelman (R)
Senior United States Senator:	Kit Bond (R)
Junior United States Senator:	Claire McCaskill (D)

The current constitution of Missouri, the fourth constitution for the state, was adopted in 1945 and provides for three branches of government—the legislative, judicial and executive branches. The legislative branch consists of two bodies—the House of Representatives and the Senate. These bodies comprise the General Assembly of the State of Missouri.

The House of Representatives has 163 members that are apportioned based on the last decennial census. The Senate consists of 34 members from districts of approximately equal populations. The judicial department consists of a supreme court consisting of 7 judges. Superior and inferior courts are also provided. The executive branch is headed by the governor and includes five other state-wide elected offices.

[edit] Status as a political bellwether

Main article: Missouri bellwether

One interesting fact about Missouri is its status as a bellwether of national politics. Missouri has a longer stretch of supporting the winning presidential candidate than any other state, having voted with the nation in every election since 1904 with the exception of Adlai Stevenson in 1956. In 2004, George W. Bush won the state's 11 electoral votes by a margin of 7 percentage points with 53.3 percent of the vote. Missouri has a very notable urban-rural split, as Democrat John Kerry only won three of the state's 115 counties: St. Louis County, Ste. Genevieve, and Jackson County (which contains most of Kansas City).

Missouri was long a state that voted for the Democratic party. Its most prominent Democratic statesman was U.S. President Harry S. Truman. Since the late 1970s, the state has trended to Republican candidates, yet neither party is dominant. Democrats are generally strongest in the inner cities of Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia, home of the University of Missouri. Republicans are strongest in the southwestern areas near Springfield (home of Governor Matt Blunt) and Joplin, and southeastern areas near Poplar Bluff and Cape Girardeau (childhood home of Rush Limbaugh). Many of the rural areas have recently been favoring Republican candidates.

Missouri is a bellwether on hot-button issues such as same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research. In 2004, Missouri voters overwhelmingly (71%) passed an amendment to the Constitution of Missouri defining marriage as being the union of one man and one woman. More than 20 states have followed Missouri's lead and effected the same amendments. In 2006, a ballot initiative labeled "Amendment 2" regarding embryonic stem cell research drew widespread attention. This issue was a factor in the 2006 U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Jim Talent, who opposed embryonic stem cell research, and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill, who supported it. The measure narrowly passed by 51%-49%. Claire McCaskill also narrowly defeated Jim Talent for that Senate seat, a race which was considered crucial as to which political party would control the U.S. Senate.

[edit] Laissez-faire alcohol and tobacco laws

Main article: Alcohol laws of Missouri

Missouri has been known for its population's generally "stalwart, conservative, noncredulous" attitude toward regulatory regimes, which is one of the origins of the state's official nickname, the "Show-Me State."^[18] As a result, and combined with the fact that Missouri is one of America's leading alcohol-producing states, regulation of alcohol and tobacco in Missouri is among the most laissez-faire in America.

Missouri always has had among the most permissive alcohol laws in the United States. It never enacted statewide prohibition. Missouri voters rejected prohibition in three separate referenda in 1910, 1912, and 1918. Alcohol regulation did not begin in Missouri until 1934. Today, alcohol laws are controlled by the state government, and local jurisdictions are prohibited from going beyond those state laws. Missouri has no statewide open container law or prohibition on drinking in public, no alcohol-related blue laws, no local option, no precise locations for selling liquor by the package (thereby allowing even drug stores and gas stations to sell any kind of liquor), no differentiation of laws based on alcohol percentage, no prohibition on consumption by minors (as opposed to possession), and no prohibition on absinthe. State law protects persons from arrest or criminal penalty for public intoxication and also expressly prohibits any jurisdiction from going dry. Missouri law also expressly allows parents and guardians to serve alcohol to their children. Along with the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Power & Light District in Kansas City is one of the few places in the United States where a state law explicitly allows persons over the age of 21 to possess and consume open containers of alcohol in the street, as long as the beverage is in a plastic cup.

See also: List of smoking bans in Missouri

As for tobacco, Missouri has the second-lowest cigarette excise taxes in the United States (behind South Carolina), at 17 cents per pack, as of November 2007.^[19][20] The electorate voted in 2002 and 2006 to keep it that way.^[21] Missouri has the third highest percentage of adult smokers of any U.S. state.^[22] No statewide smoking ban ever has been seriously entertained before the Missouri General Assembly, and only 20% of Missourians support such a statewide ban in public places.^[23] In 2007, Forbes named St. Louis as America's "best city for smokers."^[19] Missouri state law allows bars and restaurants which seat less than 50 people, bowling alleys, and billiard parlors to decide their own smoking policies, without limitation, ^[24]

Additionally, in Missouri, it is "an improper employment practice" for an employer to refuse to hire, to fire, or otherwise to disadvantage any person because that person lawfully uses alcohol and/or tobacco products when he or she is not at work.^[25]

[edit] Counties

See also: List of counties in Missouri

Missouri has 114 counties and one independent city (St. Louis).

The largest county by size is Texas County (1,179 sq. miles) and Shannon County is second (1,004 sq. miles). Worth County is the smallest (266 sq. miles). The independent city of St. Louis City has only 62 square miles of area. St. Louis City is the most densly populated area in Missouri.

The largest county by population (2000 U.S. Census) is St. Louis County (1,016,315 residents), with Jackson County the second (654,880 residents). Worth County is the least populous, with 2,382 residents.

[edit] Important cities and towns

See also: List of cities in Missouri and List of towns and villages in Missouri

The seven largest cities in Missouri are Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Independence, Columbia, Lee's Summit and Saint Joseph.

St. Louis is the largest metropolitan area in Missouri and is the principal city of the seventeen-county and one independent city of the area. In Greater St. Louis, eight counties lie in the state of Illinois. As of 2006, Greater St. Louis was the 16th largest urban area in the nation. Some of the major cities making up the St. Louis Metro area in Missouri include St. Charles, St. Peters, Florissant, Chesterfield, Creve Coeur, Maryland Heights, O'Fallon, Clayton, Ballwin, and University City.

Kansas City is the principal city of the fifteen-county Kansas City Metropolitan Statistical Area and includes six counties in the state of Kansas. Kansas City is Missouri's largest city. As of 2004, it was the 27th largest metro in the nation. Some of the other major cities comprising the Kansas City Metro in Missouri include Independence, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Raytown, Liberty, and Gladstone.

Branson is a major tourist attraction in the SW Ozarks of Missouri.

[edit] Education

Main article: Education in Missouri

[edit] Missouri State Board of Education

The Missouri State Board of Education has general authority over all public education in the state of Missouri. It is made up of eight citizens appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Missouri Senate.

[edit] Primary and secondary schools

See also: List of school districts in Missouri and List of high schools in Missouri

Education is compulsory from ages seven to sixteen in Missouri, commonly but not exclusively divided into three tiers of primary and secondary education: elementary school, middle school or junior high school and high school. The public schools system includes kindergarten to 12^th grade. District territories are often complex in structure. In some cases, elementary, middle and junior high schools of a single district feed into high schools in another district. High school athletics and competitions are governed by the Missouri State High School Activities Association or MSHSAA.

[edit] Colleges and universities

See also: List of colleges and universities in Missouri

The University of Missouri System is Missouri's statewide public university system, the flagship institution and largest university in the state is the University of Missouri in Columbia. The others in the system are University of Missouri–Kansas City, University of Missouri–St. Louis, and Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Notable highly rated^[26] private institutions include Washington University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University.

Lincoln University in Jefferson City is one of a number of historically black colleges and universities. Founded in 1866, it was created by members of the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantry as "Lincoln Institute", to provide education to freedmen. It was created on a model of combining academics and labor. In 1921, the state officially recognized the growth of Lincoln's undergraduate and graduate programs by classifying it as a university. The institution changed its name to "Lincoln University of Missouri." In 1954, the university began to accept applicants of all races.

To develop new teachers for needed public schools, in 1905 the state established a series of normal schools at colleges in each region of the state. This was based on the widely admired German model of public education. Normal schools were for the training of teachers of students in primary/elementary schools. The initial network consisted of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) in Springfield, Truman State University (formerly Northeast Missouri State University) in Kirksville, Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, and University of Central Missouri (formerly Central Missouri State University) in Warrensburg. Within several years, the normal school curriculum expanded to a full four years of academic subjects.

There are numerous junior colleges, trade schools, church universities and private universities in the state.

The state also funds a $2000, renewable merit-based scholarship, Bright Flight, given to the top 3 percent of Missouri High School graduates who attend a university in-state.

The 19th c. border wars between Missouri and Kansas have continued as a sports rivalry between the University of Missouri - Columbia and University of Kansas. The rivalry is chiefly expressed through football games between the two colleges. It is the oldest college rivalry west of the Mississippi River and the second oldest in the nation. Each year when the universities meet to play, the game is coined "Border Showdown." An exchange occurs following the game where the winner gets to take a historic marching band drum, which has been passed back and forth for decades.

[edit] Sports

• Baseball: St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals
• Football: St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs
• Hockey: St. Louis Blues
• Soccer: Kansas City Wizards
• Indoor Soccer: St. Louis Steamers and Kansas City Comets
• Arena Football: Kansas City Brigade and River City Rage (UIFL)
• Tennis: Kansas City Explorers, Springfield Lasers and St. Louis Aces
• Cycling: Tour of Missouri

[edit] Minor leagues

• Baseball:
  • Springfield Cardinals (Class AA, Texas League)
  • Mid-Missouri Mavericks (Independent, Frontier League)
  • River City Rascals (Independent, Frontier League)
  • Farmington Firebirds (Independent, KITTY League)
  • St. Joseph Blacksnakes (Independent, American Association)

[edit] Former professional sports teams

• National Football League:
  • St. Louis Cardinals (moved from Chicago in 1960; moved to Tempe, Arizona in 1988 and are now the Arizona Cardinals)
  • St. Louis All Stars (active in 1923 only)
  • Kansas City (NFL) (Blues/Cowboys) (active 1924-1926, folded)
  • St. Louis Gunners (independent team, joined the NFL for the last three weeks of the 1934 season and folded thereafter)
• Major League Baseball (American League):
  • St. Louis Browns (moved from Milwaukee in 1902; moved to Baltimore, Maryland after the 1953 season and are now the Baltimore Orioles)
  • Kansas City Athletics (moved from Philadelphia in 1955; moved to Oakland, California after the 1967 season and are now the Oakland Athletics
• National Basketball Association:
  • St. Louis Bombers (charter BAA franchise in 1946, joined the NBA when it formed in 1949; ceased operations in 1950)
  • St. Louis Hawks (moved from Milwaukee in 1955; moved to Atlanta in 1968 and are now the Atlanta Hawks)
  • Kansas City Kings (moved to Sacramento in 1985 and are now the Sacramento Kings)
• National Hockey League:
  • Kansas City Scouts (1974 expansion team, moved to Denver, Colorado in 1976 and became the Colorado Rockies, and would move again to Newark, New Jersey; now called the New Jersey Devils)
  • St. Louis Eagles (1934 relocation of the original Ottawa Senators, folded after the 1934-35 season)

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

• The USS Missouri, a U.S. Navy battleship, was named in honor of the state.
• The phrase "I'm from Missouri" means I'm skeptical of the matter and not easily convinced. This is related to the state's motto of "Show Me," whose origin is popularly ascribed to an 1899 speech by Congressman Willard Vandiver, who declared that "I come from a country that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me." However, according to researchers, the phrase was in circulation earlier in the 1890's.^[27]According to another story, the phrase was originally a reference to Missouri laborers being brought to Colorado to quell a miner's strike and requiring frequent instruction. ^[28]
• Missouri is known as "The Cave State." In fact, Perry County is believed to have 650 caves, more than any other county in the state. The largest cavern is Meramec Caverns located West of St. Louis close to Rolla.

^[29]

[edit] See also

• Missouri River
• Missouri tribe
• Missouri Pacific Railroad
• Music of Missouri
• Henry Shaw Ozark Corridor
• List of people from Missouri and the Missouri Wall of Fame
• Historic houses in Missouri
• List of individuals executed in Missouri
• List of Missouri State Highways
• List of Missouri state parks
• List of television stations in Missouri
• Missouri Day
• Scouting in Missouri
• Missouri Highway Patrol
• Alcohol laws of Missouri
• Congressional district maps

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Find more about Missouri on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Dictionary definitions
	Textbooks
	Quotations
	Source texts
	Images and media
	News stories
	Learning resources

• Missouri Government
• State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia
• Missouri's African American History
• Missouri State Tourism Office
• USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Missouri
• U.S. Census Bureau.
  • Missouri QuickFacts. Geographic and demographic information.
  • Missouri - Race and Hispanic Origin: 1810 to 1990PDF (71.1 KiB)
• Missouri State Facts
• List of searchable databases produced by Missouri state agencies hosted by the American Library Association Government Documents Roundtable.

	v • d • e State of Missouri Jefferson City (capital)
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Coordinates: 38.5° N 92.5° W