Last Updated: July 21, 2022
What Is Missouri Known For?
The great state of Missouri sits in the Midwest part of the United States and is the 21st largest state in the country. It’s bordered by 8 different states including Tennessee, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, and Kansas, making it one of the most bordered states in the US along with Tennessee.
But, what is Missouri known for around the rest of the country and the world? That’s what we are here to find out. Join me as we take a look at the top things Missouri is known for covering everything from geography to sports, history, culture, and food.
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St. Louis
One thing Missouri is known for that most of us already know about is the city of St Louis. St Louis sits right on the eastern edge of Missouri on its border with Illinois and has the Mississippi River flowing right through it.
The city of St Louis, known as the “Gateway to the West,” is home to the Gateway Arch that was built in the 1960s and stands at 630ft high, more than double the height of the Statue of Liberty. While in St Louis, you can hop on old paddle-wheeler boats and take to the Mississippi River to see the stunning Gateway Arch from the water.
St Louis is also home to some of the top blues clubs in Missouri and you can find some pretty amazing food there too. They also love sports, with the St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.
Another interesting fact about St Louis is that although it is one of two major cities in Missouri (St Louis and Kansas City), it is not the capital city. That honor goes to Jefferson City, which as made the capital back in 1826.
Mark Twain
Missouri is also known for being the birthplace of one of America’s favorite writers Mark Twain. Mark Twain, or Samuel Langhorne Clemens which was his real name, was born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, northwest Missouri, and his hometown was Hannibal just a short ride away.
He didn’t stay there for long and quickly moved to St Louis and then to a lot of other states in the US but be based his bestsellers, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876 and his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in 1884 on his life in Missouri.
Missourians love him so much that the lake he was born by in Flordia, Missouri is called Mark Twain Lake and there is even the National Forest named after him just south of St Louis.
Jesse James
Another historical figure Missouri is known for is the notorious outlaw Jesse James. Jesse Woodson James was born in Little Dixie, just outside of St Louis in Missouri.
Jesse James along with his brother Frank James robber banks, stagecoaches, and trains all over the Midwest with most of their robberies going down in Kansas and Missouri. They started out by joining the “bushwhackers” and then eventually their own gang, the James–Younger Gang, of which Jesse was the leader.
Jesse James has been portrayed as a Robin Hood figure, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. But, their actual robberies were brutal and they certainly didn’t give any of the money away.
Eventually, Jesse James’ crimes caught up with him, and he was shot in the head by his then accomplices the Ford brothers just before going to do another robbery. He died in St Joseph, Missouri and his death came as a national sensation.
Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri, which is often confused with Kansas City, Kansas, sits on Missouri’s western edge, right on the border with Kansas State.
Kansas City is also known as the “City of Fountains,” as it features over 200 fountains across the city. The city isn’t just famous for fountains, there is a lot more to Kansas City. It’s one of the most well-known cities in the US for its Jazz heritage and is home to the American Jazz Museum and it even has a district named after Jazz, the 18th & Vine Jazz District.
You’ll also find the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The art museum houses almost 40,000 different works of art from ancient to contemporary and has giant shuttlecocks out front.
Kansas City is also not sitting idle on sports with the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals calling this city home.
Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech
It might surprise you to hear that back on March 5th, 1946, Winston Churchill delivered his “Iron Curtain” speech from the tiny town of Fulton in central Missouri.
During the speech, Winston Churchill stressed the need for Britain and the United States to stand together snd the guardians of stability and peace against Soviet Communism. He described the Soviets as lowering an “iron curtain” across Europe.
This wasn’t the first time the term “iron curtain” had been used as it was a common metaphor in the 1800s but this was the first time it was used to describe the military, political, and communistic barrier being put down but the Soviets.
In Fulton, Missouri, you can find America’s National Churchill Museum where you can learn everything about Churchill and his speech too.
BBQ
Missouri is known for its amazingly delicious BBQ and you’ll find incredible BBQ all over the state but the BBQ hub and where it all started is actually Kansas City.
BBQ started out in Kansa City way back in the 1920s and it can be followed back to Henry Perry who began barbecuing in an outdoor bit on the street and served up chunks of BBQ food in newspaper to whoever wanted to buy it.
Henry Perry’s barbeque became extremely popular very quickly and his regulars soon started barbecuing their own food at home and came up with their own recipes.
After Henry Perry, it was the Thompson, Boyd, Bryant, Harris, Gates families that took barbecuing in Kansas forward and it led on to creating the BBQ culture of Kansas today. Today you can choose between over 100 different BBQ restaurants in Kansas City and lots more across the state of Missouri.
Tornadoes
Another thing Missouri is known for, which isn’t quite as fun as BBQ or Mark Twain is tornadoes. The tornadoes in Missouri are, however, usually not deadly which is lucky but you’ll often hear about tornadoes and Missouri on the national news.
On average, Missouri has around 45 tornadoes every year and tornado season is between April and May, with April having 8 tornadoes on average every year.
Strangely enough, around half of the tornadoes Missouri sees every year hit Kansas City making it the most tornado affected county in the US. If you’re planning on visiting Missouri, then maybe avoid the months of April and May.
Lots of Famous People
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
Missouri was the home of a lot of famous musicians, authors, film stars, and even a president too. One of the most famous musicians to come from Missouri is the rapper, Eminem.
It was also the home of actors John Goodman, Dick Van Dyke, and Matt Bomer plus the famous anchorman Walter Cronkite. The list of incredible authors includes both Maya Angelou and Mark Twain, who we discussed in detail earlier.
Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States was also from Missouri. Walt Disney, the incredible producer, voice actor, and animator also spent some time in Missouri and he drew a lot of his early drawings while living out his childhood in Marceline.
The Civil War
If you have ever learned about the American Civil War, then you will have read about Missouri pretty often. It was the site for over a thousand battles during the Civil War and this was due to it being a contested border state.
Missouri also had a lot of Confederate and Union sympathizers sending armies of men and supplies to both sides. It even has a star on each of the flags and had two governments, one representing each side. This meant that Missouri pretty much had its own war going on while the larger Civil War continued around the state.
By the end of the war, 40,000 Missourians served for the Confederates and 110,000 for the Unionists. The largest battle that took place in Missouri was the Battle of Westport in Kansas City in 1864.
Farms & Farming
There is a lot more to Missouri than just BBQ, St Louis, and Kansas State. In fact, more than two-thirds of Missouri state’s land acreage is used for agriculture.
There are more than 100,000 different farms in Missouri and the rich soils support the Show Me state’s best agricultural commodities which include turkeys, pigs, cattle, calves, corn, and soybeans.
The reason that Missouri can farm such a diverse range of produce is thanks to its diverse terrain. Pretty much all the soil in the state of Missouri is fertile and perfect for growing crops and when you hit the Ozark Plateau you’ll be surrounded by crystal clear lakes and rivers which serve well for irrigation.
Down in the bootheel part of Missouri, named as it’s shaped like a boot on a map, has incredibly rich agricultural land and supports an amazingly diverse range of crops from soybeans to corn, cotton, and even rice.
Something you might not have known is the land in Missouri can even support vines and there are a number of different grape varieties that are grown in Missouri. These grapes are farmed on vineyards and are used to make Missouri wine which is deliciously flavorful and rich.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
