Missouri General Information Nickname: Show Me State State bird: Bluebird State flower: Hawthorn Flower Capital: Jefferson City Date of admission to the Union: 10th Aug 1821 Population: 5,595,211 (2000) Population density: 31.0/sq km 2000 total overseas arrivals/US ranking: 156,000/27 Time: Central (GMT - 6). Daylight Saving Time is observed. The State: Missouri, in the heart of the USA, is a blend of frontier West, gracious South, the sophisticated East and industrial North. The Missouri Valley was a major pioneer route, with St Louis known as ‘The Gateway to the West’. It is bounded by the Mississippi River in the east. Prairies lie north of the Missouri River (the longest in the USA), with great plains to the west, rolling hills in the south and the Southern-style cotton lands to the southeast. The State’s riverboat culture was immortalised by Mark Twain in Life on the Mississippi and in his tales of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Travel - International AIR: International airports: Lambert-St Louis International Airport (STL) (website: www.lambert-stlouis.com) is 21km (13 miles) northwest of central St Louis (travel time – 30 minutes). The MetroLink light-rail system connects the airport with downtown St Louis. Buses, taxis, airport limousines and hire cars are also available. Kansas City International Airport (KCI) (website: www.kcairports.com) is 15km (9 miles) from the city centre (travel time – 30 minutes). Airport buses, limousines, taxis, hotel shuttle buses and hire cars are available. Approximate flight times: From London to St Louis is 9 hours 10 minutes (including stopover) and to Kansas City is 13 hours 20 minutes (including stopover). RAIL: St Louis is a stopping point on Amtrak’s daily Chicago–San Antonio service (tel: (800) 872 7245 (toll free); website: www.amtrak.com), which continues thrice weekly to Los Angeles. Trains on the daily Chicago–Los Angeles service stop in Kansas City. For approximate travel times on the former line, see the Illinois section; for the latter see the California section. There are also twice daily services from Kansas City to St Louis (one of which continues to Chicago) and an additional daily St Louis–Chicago service. ROAD: Long-distance bus companies operating in the State include Greyhound (tel: (800) 229 9424 (toll free); website: www.greyhound.com) and Jefferson Lines (tel: (800) 451 5333 (toll free); website: www.jeffersonlines.com), with services from Kansas City. Approximate driving times: From St Louis to Kansas City is 4 hours, to Indianapolis is 5 hours, to Louisville is 5 hours, to Chicago is 5 hours, to Nashville is 6 hours, to Memphis is 6 hours, to Cincinnati is 6 hours, to Little Rock is 7 hours, to Des Moines is 7 hours, to Oklahoma City is 10 hours, to Minneapolis/St Paul is 11 hours, to Dallas is 13 hours, to New York is 19 hours, to Miami is 25 hours, to Los Angeles is 39 hours, and to Seattle is 45 hours. From Kansas City to Topeka is 2 hours, to Omaha is 4 hours, to Oklahoma City is 7 hours, to Little Rock is 7 hours, to Chicago is 10 hours, to New York is 25 hours, and to Los Angeles is 34 hours. All times are based on nonstop driving at or below the applicable speed limits. Approximate bus travel times: From St Louis to Indianapolis is 5 hours, to Kansas City is 5 hours, to Louisville is 6 hours, to Chicago is 7 hours, to Memphis is 7 hours, to Tulsa is 9 hours, and to Nashville is 9 hours. From Kansas City to Omaha is 5 hours, to Oklahoma City is 9 hours, and to Denver is 13 hours. URBAN: The MetroLink light-rail system in St Louis is complemented by a network of public bus routes (website: www.bi-state.org). There are public bus services around Kansas City and surrounding suburbs (website: www.kcata.org). Hire cars and taxis are readily available in both cities. Introduction ST LOUIS: The largest city in Missouri and one of America’s largest inland ports, St Louis was once a booming centre for fur traders and explorers opening up ‘The West’. It is now a modern communications, commercial, industrial and cultural centre. It still retains its love affair with the Mississippi River, on whose banks can be heard ragtime, blues and Dixieland jazz. The influence of the many ethnic groups that created the city can still be seen in the German burgher houses, elegant French mansions (on its southside), and in the Italian ‘Hill’ neighbourhood and other diverse enclaves. At 192m (630ft), the Gateway Arch on the riverfront is the nation’s tallest memorial. It honours St Louis as the starting point for settlers who began their trek to the western frontier from the city and contains an observation deck and exhibits on the American West. Among the area’s 100-plus attractions are: the Six Flags St Louis theme park, the Missouri Botanical Garden, sights along Old Route 66 and the St Louis Zoo and other cultural attractions in Forest Park. EXCURSIONS: Hannibal in northeast Missouri was Mark Twain’s hometown. Many museums and shows celebrate the author’s life and works. KANSAS CITY: Once the eastern terminus for some of the West’s most famous trails, such as the Oregon, California and Santa Fe, Kansas City is now a major commercial and agricultural centre for the Midwest. Kansas City is situated on the State line between Missouri to the east and Kansas to the west. The Worlds of Fun entertainment complex has more than 120 rides, roller coasters and live entertainment. The Country Club Plaza, the nation’s oldest shopping centre, was established in 1922. Other attractions include Oceans of Fun, a water theme park, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The Arabia Steamboat Museum displays artefacts recovered from a steamboat which sank in the Mississippi with 200 tons of cargo in 1856. EXCURSIONS: Independence, 16km (10 miles) east of Kansas City, celebrates its association with former resident Harry S Truman at the Truman Library & Museum. St Joseph, north of Kansas City, boasts the Pony Express National Memorial and the Patee House Museum. The Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri has more than 1600km (1000 miles) of forested shoreline and offers watersports, canoeing, golfing, tennis, caves, shows and museums. It is home to three outstanding State parks – Bennett Springs, the Lake of the Ozarks and Ha Ha Tonka. In Liberty, the Jesse James Bank Museum is the site of the nation’s first daylight bank robbery. BRANSON: Branson first became popular at the turn of the 20th century, when Harold Bell Wright’s The Shepherd of the Hills, with its colourful depiction of life in the Ozarks, was published. Today, the area is known as a live entertainment capital and for its three picturesque lakes, Lake Taneycomo, Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake, which provide excellent opportunities for fishing and water activities. Branson’s best-known attraction is Silver Dollar City, a turn-of-the-century crafts village with daily music shows and rides like the Thunderation Rollercoaster, the Lost River Water Ride and the new Buzz Saw Falls. Branson offers pop, swing, rock and roll, country and gospel music performances at around 40 theatres, with more than 90 daily shows, and attracts legends of the entertainment world such as Andy Williams and Mel Tillis. Social Profile Food & Drink: Everything from elegant downtown restaurants to more casual eateries serve traditional ethnic fare in St Louis. The Kansas City area is famous for its steaks and barbecues. Theatres & Concerts: In St Louis, there are performances at the Opera Theatre of St Louis, the Fox Theater and the outdoor Muny Theater. The Kansas City Philharmonic plays at the Music Hall. Also in Kansas City, the Missouri Repertory Theater performs on the University of Missouri’s campus; other venues include the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Starlight Theater. Nightlife: There are many clubs and restaurants on the riverfront in St Louis, where jazz and ragtime music is performed nightly and discotheques can be found in most modern hotels. There are four full-gaming casinos located within 15 minutes of downtown Kansas City, whose historic Westport district is home to great blues, jazz and R&B. Shopping: Two of the St Louis area’s most elegant regional shopping malls are Plaza Frontenac and the St Louis Galleria. The city’s neighbourhoods are also filled with fashionable boutiques, speciality shops, gourmet delicatessens and antique stores. Soulard Market in south St Louis is a colourful and amusing place to shop on Saturdays. The market was established in 1779 and today offers fresh goods, such as meat and home-baked items, as soon as they arrive in the city. Union Station, the city’s historic Victorian railroad station, has been redeveloped as a festival marketplace, with more than 100 shops and restaurants and nightclubs. Branson is also becoming a popular shopping destination, with three outlet malls and unique craft and gift stores throughout the city. Kansas City has nationally-known stores plus hundreds of shops and boutiques to be found off the beaten path. Special Events: Selected annual events in Missouri in 2003 include: Feb 9-10 Missouri Wine Fest, St Louis. Feb 22-23 Taste of Soulard, St Louis. Feb 28-Mar 2 Sport Shows Boat Show, Springfield. Mar 13-16 Spring Fishing Classic, St Charles. Mar 15-16 Missouri Whitewater Races, Fredericktown. Apr 5-6 Big Muddy Folk Festival, Booneville; St Louis Spring Festival of Art, St Louis. Apr 8-12 Branson Fest, Branson. May 1-3 St Louis Storytelling Festival, St Louis. May 3-4 Pomme de Terre Rendezvous, Lake Pomme de Terre. May 15-17 Great Gatsby Festival, Excelsior Springs. May 17-18 Lewis and Clark Heritage Days, St Charles. Jun 2-3, 9-10 Missouri Renaissance Faire, Mansfield. Jun 7-8 Art in the Park 2003, Columbia. Jun 20-22 Sacred Hills Encampment, St Joseph. Jul 2-5 National Tom Sawyer Days, Hannibal. Jul 4 Brunswick Lewis and Clark Commemoration Pre-Celebration, Brunswick. Aug 7-17 Missouri State Fair, Sedalia. Aug 24-26 Missouri River Festival of the Arts, Boonville. Sep 27-28 Columbia Festival of the Arts, Columbia. Oct 4-5, 11-12, 18-19, 25-26 Octoberfest, Hermann. Nov 28 Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, Kansas City. Dec 31 First Night, Columbia. Climate The region has the most continental climate of any area in the USA. Winters are cold and summers warm, with frequent heatwaves. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.