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Missouri
State
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodMissouri Territory
Admitted to the UnionAugust 10, 1821 (24th)
CapitalJefferson City
Largest cityKansas City
Largest metro and urban areasSt Louis Metro[1]
Government
 • GovernorMatt Blunt (R)
 • Upper house{{{Upperhouse}}}
 • Lower house{{{Lowerhouse}}}
U.S. senatorsKit Bond (R)
Claire McCaskill (D)
Population
 • Total5,595,211
 • Density80.27/sq mi (31/km2)
 • Median household income
$37,934
 • Income rank
31st
Language
 • Official languageEnglish
Latitude36°N to 40°35'N
Longitude89°6'W to 95°42'W

Template:Two other uses

Missouri (IPA: /[[IPA chart for English|mɪˈzʊ.ɹi]]/) is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by seven states Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri was originally purchased from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The Missouri Territory was admitted into the union as the 24th state in 1821. The state has 114 counties and one independent city.

St. Louis, a large city in Missouri is known as the "Gateway to the West" because it served as a departure point for settlers heading to the west as well as the starting point and the return destination of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It is a state with both Midwestern and Southern cultural influences, reflecting its history as a border state between the two regions. The state is named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe whose Illinois name, ouemessourita (wimihsoorita[3]), (meaning "those who have dugout canoes".[4] The confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers is located in Missouri.

Geography

Missouri's borders physically touch a total of seven different states, as does its neighbor, Tennessee. No state in the U.S. touches more than seven 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. 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.

Little Dixie is an area of Missouri that lies along the northern side of the Missouri River. The area is so named because of its settlement by people from the American South, also called "Dixie." It was settled before and following the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

The Ozark plateau, part of the Upland South, begins south of the Missouri river and extends into Arkansas, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. Springfield in southwestern Missouri lies on the Ozark plateau. Southern Missouri is the home of the Ozark Mountains, a dissected plateau surrounding the Precambrian igneous St. Francois Mountains. It is in the Ozarks that a distinct dialect, often compared to that of residents in certain areas of Kentucky and Tennessee, still exists.

The southeastern part of the state is home to the Bootheel, part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain or Mississippi embayment. This region is the lowest, flattest and wettest part of the state, and among the poorest.[citation needed] It is also the most fertile. Cotton and rice production are prominent in this area. The Bootheel area was the location of the epicenter of the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811–1812.

Although today the state is usually considered part of the Midwest,[5][6] Missouri is also occasionally and historically considered a Southern state,[7] the institution of slavery in the state contributing in no small part to this. Residents of cities father 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, while in rural areas and cities farther south (Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Springfield, and Sikeston), people typically consider themselves more Southern.

See also: Climate of Missouri, Missouri National and State Parks

History

Main article: History of Missouri
Symbols
The Gateway Arch behind the Old Courthouse in St. Louis

Originally part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, Missouri was admitted as a 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.

Originally the state's western border was a straight line, defined as the meridian passing through the Kawsmouth,[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]

Many of the early settlers in western Missouri came from the southern states, and along with them came the institution of slavery. In the area of Independence and areas just north of there, Mormon settlers began arriving in the early 1830s. It wasn't long before conflict arose between the 'old settlers' (mainly from the south originally) and the Mormons (mainly from the north and Canada). The 'Mormon War' erupted and by 1839 the Mormons had been expelled from Missouri. 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 incidences with Kansans crossing the Western border (including a fire in the historic Westport area of Kansas City), a border war began between Missouri and Kansas. The tradition continues between the University of Missouri - Columbia and University of Kansas. The rivalry is mainly focused on football 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.

After the secession of Southern states began, the MO legislature called for the election of its own special convention on secession. The convention voted decisively to remain within the Union, but 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. 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, marched the prisoners through the streets then opened fire on the largely hostile crowds of civilians who gathered around them, killing unarmed prisoners as well as men, women and children of St. Louis in an incident that became known as the "St. Louis Massacre."

These events caused greater Confederate support within the state. Governor Jackson appointed Sterling Price, president of the convention on secession, as head of the new Missouri State Guard. Jackson and Price were forced to flee the state capital of Jefferson City on June 14, 1861, in the face of Lyon's rapid advance against the state government. In the town of Neosho, Missouri, Jackson called the state legislature into session where they enacted a secession ordinance that was 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, which 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 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 large-scale raids into Missouri, the fighting in the state for the next three years consisted mainly of guerrilla warfare conducted by citizen soldiers such as Colonel William Quantrill, Frank and Jesse James, the Younger brothers, and William T. Anderson. Such small unit tactics pioneered by the Missouri Partisan Rangers were also seen elsewhere in occupied portions of the Confederacy during and after the Civil War.

Demography

Missouri Population Density Map
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
181019,783—
182066,586236.6%
1830140,455110.9%
1840383,702173.2%
1850682,04477.8%
18601,182,01273.3%
18701,721,29545.6%
18802,168,38026.0%
18902,679,18523.6%
19003,106,66516.0%
19103,293,3356.0%
19203,404,0553.4%
19303,629,3676.6%
19403,784,6644.3%
19503,954,6534.5%
19604,319,8139.2%
19704,676,5018.3%
19804,916,6865.1%
19905,117,0734.1%
20005,595,2119.3%

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.

The center of population of Missouri is located in Osage County, in the city of Westphalia [1].

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*
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 2000–05 (total population) 3.23% 6.15% -0.57% 21.83% 10.71%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) 2.57% 5.94% -1.34% 21.81% 10.99%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) 32.07% 26.42% 10.52% 22.82% 8.09%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

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. In southern Missouri, most residents are of British ancestry.[citation needed] The northern edge of the state also has a high proportion of residents of British Americans.[citation needed] 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. The State has a Small Bosniak community mostly living 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.

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 Kansas City and St. Louis.

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

Several religious organizations have their 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 is 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 comprise 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.

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Missouri's total state product in 2003 was $195 billion. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $29,464, ranking 27th 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, and eggs. Missouri is ranked 6th in the nation for the production of hogs and 7th for cattle. Missouri is ranked in the top 5 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 also 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 in the Union with most of these mines in the central eastern portion of the state. Missouri also ranks first or near first among 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. Some personal property is exempt, including household goods, inventories, wearing apparel and items of personal use and adornment. 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.

Transportation

Air

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

Rail

Kansas City is still a major railroad hub for BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern, and Union Pacific. 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.

Springfield remains an operational for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.

Daniel Boone Bridge looking out on the Missouri River early in the morning.

River

The Mississippi River and Missouri River are commercially navigable over their entire lengths in Missouri. St. Louis is a major destination for barge traffic on the Mississippi River.

Road

Current Missouri License Plate

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.

Interstate highways

United States highways

North-south routesEast-west routes
See also: List of Missouri state highways and Missouri Supplemental Route

Law and government

Main articles: Law and Government of Missouri and List of Missouri Governors
Missouri Government
Governor of Missouri Mike Parson (R)
Lieutenant Governor of Missouri: Mike Kehoe (R)
Missouri Secretary of State: Jay Ashcroft (R)
Cabinet of Missouri
Missouri State Auditor: Scott Fitzpatrick (R)
Missouri State Treasurer: Vivek Malek (R)
Missouri Attorney General: Andrew Bailey (R)
United States Senator: Josh Hawley (R)
United States Senator: Eric Schmitt (R)

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 divided such that the population of each district is approximately equal. 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 made up of five other state wide elected offices.

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 four of the state's 115 counties: St Louis City, St Louis County, Ste. Genevieve, and Jackson County (which contains most of Kansas City). Missouri has previously been considered a Democratic state, with its most prominent Democrat being Harry S. Truman. However, since the late 1970s the state has trended to Republicans, yet neither party is dominant. Democrats are generally strongest in the inner cities of Kansas City and St. Louis and Columbia, home of the University of Missouri–Columbia. 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 (home of Rush Limbaugh) of the state. Many of the rural areas throughout have recently trended to vote Republican. Missouri is also viewed as a bellwether on hot-button issues such as same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research. In 2004, voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional amendment with 71 percent of the vote to define marriage as being the union of a man and a woman. Over twenty states have followed Missouri's lead as voters elsewhere across the nation have banned same-sex marriage through constitutional referendums. In 2006, Missouri had a ballot initiative regarding embryonic stem cell research. The measure drew widespread attention as to the national sentiment on the issue. It was also a determining factor in the 2006 U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Jim Talent, who opposes stem cell research, and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill who supports it. A controversial television ad featuring Michael J. Fox expressing his support for stem cell research drew harsh comments and criticism from conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The measure, labeled Amendment 2, narrowly passed with a 51-49 margin. Claire McCaskill also defeated Jim Talent for the U.S. Senate seat, a race that was considered crucial to seeing which party would control Congress.

See also: Missouri bellwether

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 eleven-county St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area and includes five counties in the state of Illinois. As of 2004, it was the 18th largest metro in the nation. Some of the major cities comprising the St. Louis Metro 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.

Education

Main article: Education in Missouri

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.

Jesse Hall and the Francis Quad on the University of Missouri campus.

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 12th 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 MSHAA.

Colleges and universities

See also: List of colleges and universities in Missouri

There are a large number 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 campus in Columbia. The others in the system are University of Missouri–St. Louis, University of Missouri–Kansas City and University of Missouri–Rolla. Notable private institutions include Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis, both in St. Louis, and Rockhurst University in Kansas City.

In 1905 the state established a series of normal schools to teach "teaching norms" at colleges in each region of the state. 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. There are numerous junior colleges, trade schools, church universities and private universities.

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.

Sports

Minor leagues

Former Professional Sports Teams

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," which originated with Congressman William Vandiver, who declared in a speech 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."

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t29/tab03b.xls U.S. Census 2000 Metropolitan Area Rankings; ranked by population
  2. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". U.S Geological Survey. 29 April 2005. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ McCafferty, Michael. 2004. Correction: Etymology of Missouri (restricted access). American Speech, 79.1:32
  4. ^ American Heritage Dictionary: Missouri
  5. ^ http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/midwestus_nl.pdf
  6. ^ http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.midwest.htm
  7. ^ http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun99/reed16.htm
  8. ^ Hoffhaus. (1984). Chez Les Canses: Three Centuries at Kawsmouth. Kansas City: Lowell Press. ISBN 0-913504-91-2.
  9. ^ http://supreme.justia.com/us/48/660/case.html
  10. ^ Meinig, D.W. (1993). The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 2: Continental America, 1800-1867. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-05658-3; pg. 437


 United States

38°30′N 92°30′W / 38.5°N 92.5°W / 38.5; -92.5

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