Missouri, state in the north central United States. Missouri is bordered on the north by Iowa, on the west by Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, on the south by Arkansas, and on the east by the Mississippi River, which separates it from Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois. The name of the state is taken from the Missouri River and is an Algonquian name for a group that lived near the mouth of the river. The state's most famous city, St. Louis, lies near the convergence of two great inland water routes, the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers. Jefferson City is Missouri's capital. Kansas City is the largest city.
Located in the geographic heart of the nation, Missouri is one of the foremost agricultural states in the country and is one of the most important manufacturing states in the Midwest. Midwestern in its grain and cornfields, Southern in its cotton fields, Western in its cattle raising, and Eastern in its manufacturing, Missouri is today more than ever the Center State, as it is sometimes known, and a major transportation crossroads.
Missouri has much to offer the tourist. It has scenic diversity as well as a colorful history. Some towns retain their early architecture. Sainte Genevieve has the largest collection of French Creole architecture in the United States. Altenburg, Westphalia, Hermann, and other small towns along the Missouri River still retain much of their original German character. Principal attractions include the two largest cities-Kansas City and St. Louis-and the Ozark region, with its many scenic gorges, caverns, and large reservoirs, which provide ample opportunities for recreational activities. Cities in the Ozarks of particular interest to tourists include Branson, which offers country-music concerts by a variety of performers, and Silver Dollar City, which is a replica of a late-19th century Ozark mining town.
When it was admitted to the Union as the 24th state on August 10, 1821, Missouri was the nation's western frontier. Soon, however, it became known as the Gateway to the West, because of the great overland routes that led from Missouri to California and Oregon. Still another nickname was added to the list in 1899, when Congressman Willard D. Vandiver said: ''I come from a country that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri. You've got to show me.'' After that, Missouri became known as the Show Me State.
