What misconceptions did you have about Missouri before you came here? (St. Louis: to live in, dangerous)

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by marmac

Took a few trips from Minnesota to Arkansas.

The furthest south I saw good farmland was near Marshal MO

Yup, about 12 miles north of I-70.

Honey, then you dont have a clue. I own 60 acres of prime farmland south of I-70, and I aint sayin where.
Only reason I got it is the fact that my family is from the area......
As a matter of fact, the county of which I speak has some of the most fertile prime farmland in the state, all south of I-70.

[cyrano]

I think there's more variety packed into this state than perhaps any other in the country-- a variety of topography, lifestyle, demography. This is where the country collides with itself, in my opinion, and I had no idea about that before I moved here. Surprisingly, neither did my wife, who was born in StL, lived for a couple of years in KC, and in Columbia for a while and a half. She's spent her life in academia, and the rural areas were simply no-go zones. She's not unique-- many Missourians I know perceive their state as being like what they're used to. Maybe it takes an outsider to appreciate the (uh-oh, dangerous word coming) diversity here. I think it's pretty cool.

I also was pleasantly surprised by the history. There's a monument about a block from my house that's set on the old Boone's Lick trail. I think it's fascinating just how divided the state was around the Civil War, to the point of a Confederate government seated in Jefferson City for a time.

I love KC BBQ, steaks, and fried chicken from Stroud's. I love sundaes from Crown Candy Kitchen in StL. I love BBQ from Lonnie Ray's in Harrisburg and Lutz's in Jeff and Mexican food from La Terraza here in Columbia. I like how MU is a kind of old-fashioned university compared with, say, the University of Texas, smaller and more human-scaled, and oh yeah, I love ice cream from Buck's Place on the MU campus and Central Dairy in Jeff. All of that surprised me. I kind of figured I was on my own spice-wise.

I love the drive down Providence Road here to where the town of Providence used to be on the Missouri River, and how swift and powerful the river is, and hanging out with old hippies and such at Cooper's Landing, listening to folk and acoustic music.

And just like America collides in Missouri, so does the weather. I've seen more dramatic, but only because I worked in the North Sea as a young man, and crewed a tugboat across the North Atlantic. Twice. On the edge of winter.

It's a beautiful state, except for the billboards on 70 and the wretched excess that is Lake of the Ozarks. The beauty surprised me.

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

Honey, then you dont have a clue. I own 60 acres of prime farmland south of I-70, and I aint sayin where.
Only reason I got it is the fact that my family is from the area......
As a matter of fact, the county of which I speak has some of the most fertile prime farmland in the state, all south of I-70.

Yeppers that's good land down there in Br------..............

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Cali BassMan

Yeppers that's good land down there in Br------..............

You bet! I knew you would keep my secret safe!
I'm going to look at some land a little north and east of there in a few weeks that has been legendary farmland for 250 years....its south of I-70, too.

[Cali BassMan]

Ol Uncle Joe use to call it Black Gumbo.....Ruined alot of that area with rice fields....was always nice to see the crops on the rolling hills

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Cali BassMan

Ol Uncle Joe use to call it Black Gumbo.....Ruined alot of that area with rice fields....was always nice to see the crops on the rolling hills

Grandpa Collard called it that too. It still makes me sad when I see all those rice fields that used to grow the most beautiful cotton.
BTW, the land I am gonna go look at is north of Cape, south of Festus, prime corn and soybean country.

[marmac]

Originally Posted by marmac

I always laugh when someone from SW or SC Missouri buys a few acres to call himself a " homesteader" then state they own---prime farmland.

Kinda hard to find---prime farmland--below I-70.

If Missourians could read, I was referring to SW and SC Missouri.

No rice paddies there, no prime farmland either.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by marmac

If Missourians could read...

If you weren't so full of yourself...

You've driven through a few times and know better than the rest of us; especially those of us who were raised and/or live here. Amazing!

[marmac]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

If you weren't so full of yourself...

You've driven through a few times and know better than the rest of us; especially those of us who were raised and/or live here. Amazing!

About agriculture, the difference between prime farmland and land so rocky that plowing is impossible, ?

Yes !

When " homesteaders" in SW MO or SC MO talk about their couple acres of " prime farmland" I laugh at their stupidity. ( or maybe it's arrogance + stupidity )

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by marmac

About agriculture, the difference between prime farmland and land so rocky that plowing is impossible, ?

Yes !

When " homesteaders" in SW MO or SC MO talk about their couple acres of " prime farmland" I laugh at their stupidity. ( or maybe it's arrogance + stupidity )

Yes, the Ozarks are rocky but they make for great forage and grazing areas. Not everyone wants to plant veggies or vinyards or run dairies. What's "prime" depends on what use you wish to put it to.

I think you have the arrogance title sewed up tight!