5 Misconceptions People Have About Missouri Plus One Extra

Really? Sure there are parts of Missouri that are flat. Yet, we all know better. The Ozarks, Interstate-70 around Columbia, and more. In fact, Missouri is home to 1,060 named peaks. The two tallest are Taum Sauk Mountain at 1,765 feet and Mudlick Mountain at 1,309 feet. This is according to Peak Visor.

Many know the Gateway Arch and St. Louis is called the Gateway To The West. Yet, many believe it symbolizes St. Louis or Missouri as a destination of westward expansion. Not the starting point of westward expansion. Which it actually was. According to the National Parks Service, the monument actually commemorates "Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase, and pioneers settling the United States."

Missouri's history, especially the issues our State faced during The Civil War, and being what many describe as a border state between the north and south make some believe Missouri is Southern. That said, look at a map, most of Missouri, geographically, is solidly midwest.

That said, Missouri borders eight different states, including Tennessee. If you're in the bootheel area of the state there's definitely a Southern influence. Then there's BBQ, definitely associated with both the South and Missouri. That said, KC BBQ is different than the BBQ you'll find in the South. So while there's a southern influence in a part of the state, we're midwest.

Missouri may be in flyover country. Yet our State has a lot offer. Sports wise we have the Cardinals, Royals, Chiefs, and Blues. Kansas City and St. Louis are a stop on most major concert tours.

There is Worlds of Fun and Six Flags St. Louis for those who like theme parks. There's the Truman Library. The Gateway Arch. Ballpark Village. The Power and Light District. There is Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake. Not to mention no end to trails and parks and great small towns to explore. Those are just the things I can list off the top of my head, and I've barely scratched the surface of what our state has to offer.

This may be splitting hairs, but Mark Twain wasn't born in Hannibal. He was born in a town called Florida, Missouri. No one, according to the 2010 census lives in Florida anymore, but the cabin he was born in is a State Historic Site located adjacent to Mark Twain State Park and Mark Twain Lake in Monroe County.

Twain's family moved to Hannibal when he was four, and the town inspired the fictional town of St. Petersburg in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Nine properties, including Twain's boyhood home, make up the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum Complex. The legendary whitewashed fence from "Tom Sawyer" borders the property.

Every once in a while someone associated with a major sports league makes the mistake that the Chiefs or Royals play in Kansas. Yes, there is a Kansas City, Kansas. There's also a good chance if you live in the Kansas City area you go back and forth between Missouri and Kansas.

That said, The Truman Sports Complex, where Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium are located is in Missouri, not Kansas. Kansas City, Missouri is also the City the teams associate with.