Missouri

**Missouri** is one of the 50 states in the United States. Its capital is Jefferson City. Its largest cities are Kansas City and Saint Louis.  Some other cities are Columbia (which is where the University of Missouri is), and Springfield.

Missouri officially became a state on August 10, 1821. Missouri has also been called the "Mother of the West", the "Cave State", and the "Show Me State".

Missouri's edges touch a total of eight states: Iowa lies to the north; to the east, across the Mississippi River, are Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee; Arkansas lies to the south; and on the west are Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska (Kansas and Nebraska are across the Missouri River).

## History

Native Americans first settled in Missouri before the arrival of Europeans.

In Columbia, 2018, the Columbia Board of Education voted unanimously to change the name of Robert E. Lee Elementary School to Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary School.

## Related pages

- List of counties in Missouri

## Other websites

- Missouri State Guide, from the Library of Congress

## Infobox (u.s. state)

- **official name**: State of Missouri
- **image flag**: Flag of Missouri.svg
- **name**: Missouri
- **image seal**: Seal of Missouri.svg
- **nicknames**: Show Me State, Cave State, and Mother of the West
- **motto**: Salus populi suprema lex esto (Latin) _Let the good of the people be the supreme law_
- **anthem**: "Missouri Waltz"
- **image map**: Missouri in United States.svg
- **officiallang**: English
- **languages**: * English 93.9%
* Spanish 2.6%
* German 0.4%
* Missouri French
- **population demonym**: Missourian
- **largestcity**: Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City
- **largestcounty**: St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis
- **seat**: Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City
- **largestmetro**: Greater St. Louis
- **area rank**: 21st
- **area total sq mi**: 69,715
- **width mi**: 241
- **length mi**: 300
- **area water percent**: 1.17
- **latitude**: 36° 0′ N to 40° 37′ N
- **longitude**: 89° 6′ W to 95° 46′ W
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population rank**: 19th
- **2020pop**: 6,160,281
- **medianhouseholdincome**: $53,578
- **2020densityus**: 88.2
- **2020density**: 34.1
- **population density rank**: 30th
- **incomerank**: List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income, 38th
- **elevation max point**: Taum Sauk Mountain
- **elevation max ft**: 1,772
- **elevation max m**: 540
- **elevation ft**: 800
- **elevation m**: 244
- **elevation min point**: St. Francis River at Arkansas border
- **elevation min m**: 70
- **elevation min ft**: 230
- **former**: Missouri Territory
- **admittancedate**: August 10, 1821
- **admittanceorder**: 24th
- **upperhouse**: Missouri Senate, Senate
- **lowerhouse**: Missouri House of Representatives, House of Representatives
- **judiciary**: Supreme Court of Missouri
- **senators**: Josh Hawley (R)
Eric Schmitt  (R)
- **representative**: 6 Republicans
 2 Democratic Party (United States), Democrats
- **timezone1**: Central Time Zone (North America), Central
- **utc offset1**: −06:00
- **timezone1 dst**: Central Daylight Time, CDT
- **utc offset1 dst**: −05:00
- **iso code**: US-MO
- **postal code**: MO
- **tradabbreviation**: Mo.
- **website**: mo.gov
- **area land sq mi**: 68,886
- **area land km2**: 179,015


## Infobox (u.s. state symbols)

- **flag**: Flag of Missouri.svg
- **seal**: Seal of Missouri.svg
- **name**: Missouri
- **amphibian**: American bullfrog
- **bird**: Eastern bluebird
- **fish**: Channel catfish
- **horse**: Missouri Fox Trotter
- **flower**: Crataegus punctata, White hawthorn
- **grass**: Big bluestem
- **insect**: Western honey bee
- **mammal**: Mule, Missouri Mule
- **tree**: Flowering Dogwood
- **song**: Missouri Waltz
- **dance**: Square dance
- **food**: Dessert: Ice cream
- **dinosaur**: _Hypsibema missouriensis_
- **fossil**: Crinoid
- **gemstone**: Beryl
- **mineral**: Galena
- **instrument**: Fiddle
- **rock**: Mozarkite
- **soil**: Menfro
- **other**: Asimina triloba, Paw-paw (fruit tree)
- **route marker**: MO-5.svg
- **quarter**: 2003 MO Proof.png
- **quarterreleasedate**: 2003