A land of beautiful rivers and stunning green mountains, Missouri is a breathtaking state for anyone to call home. Between small farm and mountain towns and bustling urban centers, there are more than a few best places to live in Missouri for anyone relocating there. If you're looking to move to a state with straightforward, down-to-earth people, you're probably going to love living in the Show Me State.
Missouri is located in the Midwest region of the United States and is bordered by an impressive number of other states: Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Nebraska. Long a significant part of the state's history, the Mississippi River runs the length of the state's eastern border. A very geographically diverse state, Missouri has everything from river bluffs to flat farmland to the hilly Ozarks in the southern part of the state. With typical fast-changing Midwest weather, Missouri generally has cold winters and hot, humid summers.
The largest city proper in Missouri is Kansas City in the west, although St. Louis in the east boasts the largest metropolitan area. Springfield, Independence and Columbia, where the main campus of the University of Missouri is located, are also major cities, and the state's capital is Jefferson City. As an added bonus for anyone looking to relocate to the state, the cost of living in Missouri, even in large metropolitan areas, is substantially lower than the national average. Missourians are friendly and will welcome you into their communities as their new neighbor in typical Midwestern fashion.
Perhaps the most defining landmark in Missouri that people associate with the state is the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Built as a monument to westward expansion, it attracts millions of visitors every year. Other neat attractions include the free and nationally-acclaimed St. Louis Zoo, the vacation and entertainment-focused Ozark town of Branson, famous writer Mark Twain's hometown of Hannibal, or Kansas City's famous shopping center, Country Club Plaza. The Ozarks are known for their stunning beauty and breadth of outdoor activities they offer, including water sports, hiking, fishing, camping and more. Missouri is a state steeped in history, from the French fur traders who first settled the towns along the Mississippi River to Civil War sites, and there's always something new to discover.
Culturally, Missouri mixes Midwestern and Southern culture almost seamlessly. Both beer brewing and barbecue are big in the state, and it's known for being the origin and home of Anheuser-Busch and Kansas City-style barbecue. Missouri has several major sports teams with loyal, devoted fan bases, particularly the St. Louis Cardinals. Missouri is also known for its music and was an important early venue for blues, jazz, country and bluegrass. Ozark culture is distinctive and resilient and there is nothing like it anywhere else in the country.
With many different options to help you find the best places to live in Missouri, we've helped by giving you a head start: these are the best places to live in Missouri based on our scores. You can limit your search by things like population size, home/rent budget and what metrics (amenities, crime, cost of living, education, employment, housing, weather) matter most to you.