Missouri Travel Guide

Missouri is a state in the American Midwest and it is known as the "Show Me State".

Missouri Travel Guide - Regions

* Northeast Missouri – includes Hannibal and Kirksville
* Northwest Missouri – includes St. Joseph
* St. Louis Area – St. Louis metro area including St. Louis and St. Charles
* Kansas City Area – Kansas City metro area including Kansas City and Independence
* Central Missouri – includes Jefferson City and Columbia
* Southeast Missouri – Includes Ste. Genevieve, Poplar Bluff and Cape Girardeau
* Southwest Missouri Is in the Ozarks – includes Springfield, Joplin, West Plains, and Branson.

Missouri Travel Guide - Cities

* Branson
* Cape Girardeau
* Columbia
* Hannibal
* Hermann
* Independence
* Jefferson City – State capital
* Joplin
* Kansas City
* Neosho
* St. Joseph
* St. Louis
* Sedalia
* Springfield

Missouri Travel Guide - Other Destinations

* Mastodon State Historic Site Imperial, MO (636) 464-2976
* Ste. Genevieve -- first settlement and oldest brick building still intact today west of the Mississippi River
* Lake of the Ozarks

Missouri Travel Guide - Understand

According to William Least Heat Moon, in Blue Highways, St. Louis is the last Eastern city and Kansas City is the first Western city.

Missouri is known as the "Show Me State". What that means is a person from Missouri will not believe unless they are shown. The slogan is not an official one, but it does appear on the license plates. It is an endearing statement that people from Missouri say, "I'm from Missouri, you have to Show Me!".

Missouri Travel Guide - Getting Around

Numerous interstates and highways cross the state.

* Interstate 70 connects St. Louis and Kansas City via Columbia.
* Interstate 55 runs from St. Louis along the Mississippi River south towards Memphis (Tennessee).
* Interstate 44 runs from St. Louis to Springfield, Joplin, and on into Oklahoma. Most of the route parallels Historic Route 66.
* Interstate 35 runs from Kansas City to the northeast towards Des Moines and to the southwest towards the Kansas suburbs of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and later on into Wichita, Kansas.
* Interstate 29 runs from Kansas City to the northwest towards Omaha/Council Bluffs. The route begins in Downtown Kansas City and parallels US Highway 71 to the north.
* US Highway 71 runs north-along the western part of the state from Iowa to Arkansas, and connects Kansas City and Joplin.
* US Highway 60 runs along the southern portion of the state running from Kentucky to Oklahoma. Between Cape Girardeau and Springfield, all but 60 miles is divided highway. West of Springfield, a short connector route (Missouri Highway 360) connects the road with Interstate 44.

Missouri Map features a detailed scrollable road map which be viewed and printed in sections.

Missouri Travel Guide - Transportation

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

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

United States highways

North-south 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 169
* U.S. Route 275

East-west routes

* U.S. Route 412
* U.S. Route 24
* 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

Missouri Travel Guide - Cities and Metropolitan Areas

St. Louis Metro

St. Louis is the principal city of the eleven-county St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area and includes five counties in the state of Illinois. St. Louis is Missouri's largest urbanized area. 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 Metro

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 and second largest urbanized area. 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.

Article Source: Wikipedia