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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 [[Midwest]]ern and [[Southern United States|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 language|Illinois]] name, ''ouemessourita'' (''wimihsoorita''<ref>McCafferty, Michael. 2004. ''[http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_speech/v079/79.1mccafferty.html Correction: Etymology of Missouri]''. American Speech, 79.1:32</ref>), (meaning "those who have dugout [[canoe]]s".<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/61/41/M0344100.html American Heritage Dictionary: Missouri]</ref> The [[confluence]] of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] and [[Missouri River|Missouri]] rivers is located in Missouri.
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 [[Midwest]]ern and [[Southern United States|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 language|Illinois]] name, ''ouemessourita'' (''wimihsoorita''<ref>McCafferty, Michael. 2004. ''[http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_speech/v079/79.1mccafferty.html Correction: Etymology of Missouri]''. American Speech, 79.1:32</ref>), (meaning "those who have dugout [[canoe]]s".<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/61/41/M0344100.html American Heritage Dictionary: Missouri]</ref> The [[confluence]] of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] and [[Missouri River|Missouri]] rivers is located in Missouri.


missouri
== Geography ==
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 River|Mississippi]] which defines the eastern boundary of the state and the [[Missouri River|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.
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 River|Mississippi]] which defines the eastern boundary of the state and the [[Missouri River|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.


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The [[Ozark]] plateau, part of the [[Upland South]], begins south of the Missouri river and extends into Arkansas, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. [[Springfield, Missouri|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]] [[Saint Francois Mountain Range|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 [[Ozark]] plateau, part of the [[Upland South]], begins south of the Missouri river and extends into Arkansas, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma. [[Springfield, Missouri|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]] [[Saint Francois Mountain Range|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.
dwyane wade

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.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} 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&ndash;1812.
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.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} 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&ndash;1812.


Revision as of 17:37, 20 April 2007

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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
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
Language
 • Official languageEnglish
Latitude36°N to 40°35'N
Longitude89°6'W to 95°42'W

Missouri (pronounced mɪˈzʊɹi or mɪˈzʊɹə) is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is bordered by eight states Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, 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[2]), (meaning "those who have dugout canoes".[3] The confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers is located in Missouri.

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. 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. dwyane wade 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 sometimes considered part of the Midwest, Missouri is also commonly and historically considered a Southern state, the institution of slavery in the state contributing in no small part to this. Residents of 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

Originally part of the Louisiana Purchase (French colony in New France), 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 mouth of the Kansas River. In 1835 the Platte Purchase was added to the northwest corner of the state, making the Missouri River the border. 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.[4]

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. 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.

During the Civil War, Missouri, a slave state, did not secede from the Union. Missouri, a border state, was a hotbed for confrontations between Union and Confederate forces.

Demographics

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%

As of 2006, Missouri has an estimated population of 5,842,713, which is an increase of 45,010, or 0.8%, from the prior year and an increase of 246,030, or 4.4, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 137,564 people (that is 480,763 births minus 343,199 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 88,088 people 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% 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%), Irish (12.7%), American (10.5%), English (9.5%), French (3.5%). "American" includes those reported as Native American or African American.

German-Americans are a large ancestry group present in most of Missouri. In southern Missouri, most residents are of British/American ancestry. The northern edge of the state also has a high proportion of residents of British and American[disambiguation needed] ancestry. Blacks are populous in the City of St Louis and central Kansas City as well as in the southeastern bootheel and some areas of the Missouri River Valley, places 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

6.6% of its population were reported as under 5, 25.5% under 18, and 13.5% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 51.4% of the population.

3.4% of Missourians are foreign-born, and 5.1% speak a language other than English at home.

81.3% were high school graduates (higher than the national average) while 21.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

The mean commute time to work was 23.8 minutes. The homeownership rate in 2000 was 70.3% with the mean value of the owner occupied dwelling being $89,900. There were 2,194,594 households with 2.48 people per household. The median household money income for 1999 was $37,934 with the 1999 Per Capita Money Income of $19,936. There were 11.7% (637,891) Missourians living below the poverty line in 1999.

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% 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% to 6.0%. Missouri's sales tax rate for most items is 4.225%. 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

Current Missouri License Plate

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. The state of Missouri also has two major airport hubs: Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and Kansas City International Airport. Several highways also traverse the state. St. Louis is a major destination for barge traffic on the Mississippi River. Like Kansas City, St. Louis is a major destination for train freight. 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.

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% 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.

Although neither major party has traditionally been dominant in Missouri, the Republican Party has been gaining strength in recent years. Missouri has a longer stretch of supporting the winning presidential candidate than any other state, having chosen 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% 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. Democrats are generally strongest in the inner cities of Kansas City and St. Louis, and Columbia, home of the University of Missouri. Republicans are strongest in the southwestern and southeastern portions of the state, as well as rural areas throughout.

See also: Missouri bellwether

Important cities and towns

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

The five largest cities in Missouri are Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Independence, and Columbia. St. Louis has 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, 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 kindergarden 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. Notable private institutions of higher education in Missouri include 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.

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% of Missouri High School graduates who attend a university in-state.

Sports

Minor leagues

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. For example: You might be convinced by his speech, but not me -- I'm from Missouri

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". U.S Geological Survey. 29 April 2005. Retrieved November 6. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |year= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ McCafferty, Michael. 2004. Correction: Etymology of Missouri. American Speech, 79.1:32
  3. ^ American Heritage Dictionary: Missouri
  4. ^ 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

External links

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

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