Probably the best thing about Missouri is KC barbecue. The second is that the armpit of America, East Saint Louis, is actually in Illinois. So they can't claim it as their own.
My son Chris retired from the Army at Fort Leonard Wood after 22 years of service as an airborne ranger. He now lives near the small town of Plato in the Mark Twain National Forest.
My father-in-law was born on the south side of St Louis. Because of that he considered himself a Southerner.