Few ideas resonate with the American psyche more than \u201cMiddle America,\u201d and few states embody that ethos quite as much as Missouri. Its central location in the middle of the country means that you\u2019re closer to so many aspects of American life than you might otherwise imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a special place, and these special facts about Missouri help to show why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that in mind, let\u2019s show you why the \u201cShow Me State\u201d ranks among the best in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As mentioned above, Missouri is located in the middle of the heartland, giving it a unique geographical as well as cultural status. Its borders with Nebraska, Illinois, and Arkansas underscores its role as a cultural crossroads between Plain States, Midwestern, and Southern culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea of \u201cMiddle America\u201d as a baseline for the broadest and \u201ctruest\u201d definitions of American culture is as timeless as it is tricky to define. As with so much of America\u2019s self-image, \u201cMiddle America is a myth.\u201d That said, if any state can be said to make \u201cMiddle America\u201d a reality, Missouri, with its geographical sweet spot and unique cultural blend, is a strong candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Few places tap into the fiction of \u201cMiddle America\u201d more than Disneyland\u2019s Mainstreet USA \u2013 itself inspired by Marceline<\/a>, a small town in Missouri where Walt Disney spent part of his childhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n St. Louis is nicknamed \u201cThe Gateway to the West.\u201d The city\u2019s most famous landmark, and one of the most visited in the entire country, the Gateway Arch pays homage to that legacy. It is the largest arch in the world, standing 630 ft. It is an inverted catenary arch. It is made of stainless steel, is at the center of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, and sits right on the bank of the Mississippi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All of this makes it a great place to visit for anyone looking to take in the architecture and natural beauty of the area at the same time. You can take a tram to the top of the archway and enjoy views of up to 30 miles around, affording you a view of the entire St. Louis area that\u2019s second to none.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another thing to love about the Midwest in general and Missouri in particular are the incredible lakes which dot the region. While that certainly contributes to the high humidity which characterize spring and summertime in Missouri, they are also without a doubt among its most bountiful and beautiful natural features. There are 568 lakes in Missouri<\/a>, none more prominent than the Lake of the Ozarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Situated in the Ozark Mountains, which are themselves located in a northern part of central Missouri, the Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir which borders the Osage River and local tributaries. It was created by impounding the Osage River, making it the largest manmade river in the United States at the time of its inception in 1931.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the decades since it has become one of the most popular vacation destinations in Missouri. It is one of the best places to take in so much of Missouri\u2019s natural beauty, from the lake and reservoir itself to the nearby forests and hills to Lake of Ozarks State Park. The latter features a first-class resort in the Lodge of Four Seasons, which itself boasts one of the most challenging and well-traveled golf courses in the Midwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Few natural features across America are lovelier than its many lakes, and few states can boast lake areas as vast and beautiful as the Lake of the Ozarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Missouri was home to one of the greatest authors in American history, Mark Twain. He was born Samuel Clemens, but his \u201cMark Twain\u201d moniker was a product of his Missourian life working on steamboats, which he recounts in Life on the Mississippi<\/em>. When throwing a line overboard to test the waters, steamboat workers would call out \u201cmark twain\u201d to measure the depth \u2013 and the rest is history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hannibal, Missouri is also the home of Huckleberry Finn, Jim the Slave, the Mistress, and the rest of the cast of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn<\/em>, one of the towering works of American Literature. The book\u2019s searing and still-controversial treatment of race and class in America has painted one of the most enduring portraits of America\u2019s complex relationship with ideas of freedom and itself. No less an American author than Ernest Hemingway famously claimed<\/a>, \u201cAll modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn<\/em>.” Fellow literary titan and Missouri native T. S. Eliot called Huck Finn<\/em> a “masterpiece.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of this makes Missouri one of the true epicenters of American Literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Gateway Arch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Lake of the Ozarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Hannibal and Huck<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Baseball Nation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n