Is It Possible Missouri is Actually Really Underrated? Absolutely

Go ahead and laugh. I fully expect that will be the majority reaction to a point I'm going to try and make, but I'm convinced that I'm correct. I am of the belief that Missouri just might be the most underrated state in America and I'm not alone in my conviction.

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I normally don't give a hoot when someone doesn't like me or the state I was born in, but sometimes it bothers me enough to speak out. This is one of those moments. In case you haven't noticed, it's very much fashionable these days to diss Missouri. If you check in on the Missouri sub-Reddit often, you know what I'm talking about. However, it is on that very site that someone just dropped a status talking about "we live in an underrated state". They're not wrong, by the way. They shared a pic of one of Missouri's glorious overlooks. Nice.

Why is Missouri underrated so often?

Many west and east coast people consider our part of America a fly-over state. I get it. But, there are many things they overlook when they think of Missouri. Here begins my argument for their kind consideration.

Missouri has 4 actual weather seasons

This was something I didn't fully appreciate until my career took me to other parts of America. I lived in Wyoming for several years and it's a beautiful place. But, it feels like winter there almost 8 months out of the year. There's barely a shift to spring or fall. It's either frigid and snowing or super hot. In Missouri, you can normally enjoy several nice (admittedly stormy) months of Spring and several (normally chilly) months of Fall. You'd be surprised how many states can't claim that.

Most of Missouri is very safe to live in

You no doubt have heard "murder capital" and "skyrocketing crime rates" mentioned in the same breath as Missouri. Did you know that's primarily in just 3 or 4 cities? Looking at you, St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield. I do not live in fear in the small Missouri town I make my home and I would guess most rural Missouri folks feel the same way.

Our sports teams don't suck

No, the 2023 baseball season was not kind to the St. Louis Cardinals, but we're almost always competitive. Blues were NHL champs 4 years ago and the Chiefs still more or less rule the NFL. You might not like Taylor Swift, but even she knows dating a Chief is a winner.

Missouri is a days drive from really cool things

I'm great with the scenic views we have in Missouri with river bluffs and the heavily-forested Ozarks. Lake of the Ozarks is swell, too, if you don't mind how dangerous it is. Forget I mentioned that. In addition, Missouri is a day trip from the Great Lakes or Gulf of Mexico. It's also easy to day-trip to the Indy 500 and other big sports events due to Missouri being pretty much in the middle of America.

I doubt my opinion about Missouri being underrated is gonna change the internet's desire to slam us, but I do believe there are way worse places in America to call home. Trust me. You will appreciate it one day if you leave it. I know.