Is there any good or bad towns on the Iowa-Missouri border? (Kansas City: homes, university)

[bingo3000]

Is there any good or bad towns on the Iowa-Missouri border? Is it rural? Any places of interest?

[attrapereves]

Maryville and Kirksville are the biggest cities in Missouri closest to the MO/IA border. Do you know which side of the state you'd want to live in?

[bingo3000]

Originally Posted by attrapereves

Maryville and Kirksville are the biggest cities in Missouri closest to the MO/IA border. Do you know which side of the state you'd want to live in?

I'm not planning to live there, just on a tour of the country, I would like to visit some places in Iowa and Missouri.

[attrapereves]

Originally Posted by bingo3000

I'm not planning to live there, just on a tour of the country, I would like to visit some places in Iowa and Missouri.

In that case, I'd recommend Kansas City and St Louis for visiting.

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by bingo3000

I'm not planning to live there, just on a tour of the country, I would like to visit some places in Iowa and Missouri.

What I think is cool is the old river towns along the Mississippi River, and to a lesser extent, along the Missouri river.

Louisiana and Hannibal in Missouri, Keokuk in Iowa and further north. Lot's of history, old charming homes. To me that's much more interesting than the farming towns you find in the middle of the state - not that they don't have some charm as well.

[cyrano]

It's not on the border but not too far from it- Fairfield IA is, to me, one of the most interesting places in the midwest, simply due to what Maharishi International University has brought- great Indian food, for starters, as well as good Thai food. There's a fantastic vegetarian buffet on campus during the week, and just to walk the downtown area and see the mix of old-fashioned midwest stuff and the new-agey TM vibe is very strange, not to mention driving through the old Parsons College campus to see the 60s-vintage mini-domed buildings painted a very Indian bright gold.

I'm not a TMer, by the way. I think meditation is a good thing, just not worth what they would charge to teach it to me.

I love the old courthouse in Bloomfield, IA, but I can see enough of it without stopping on 63 on my way north. Ottumwa, IA, some miles north of Bloomfield, has pretty parts, especially where the Des Moines River flows through it.

There are several Amish communities on either side of the border (and elsewhere within both states), which can be interesting to shop for baked goods and preserves and the like. You can google "Amish Missouri" or Amish Iowa" to find some.

I also never stopped in Fort Madison, IA, which is close to teh Missouri border, but have seen it often when I have ridden the Southwest Chief from La Plata to Chicago-- the BEST way to get to Chicago, IMO, unless you live in StL or KC. It's got a pretty dramatic bridge across the Mississippi.