What makes Missouri "Misery"? (Joplin, Hannibal: lawyers, house, public schools)

[GunnerTHB]

I love the SE corner of the state and the Ozarks. It isn't that I dislike the rest of the state, it just isn't the culture I grew up in. Great people all across the state. I also lived in Tennessee. I'm not sure which one I like better but SE Missouri will always be home to me.

[Weaubleau]

Missouri, like a couple other states, has lost its way and is no longer capable of self-government. The legislature and governor have no interest in the welfare of the populace

How is this true? When the Biden regime issued its unconstitutional joke of a vaccine mandate the Governor and Attorney General stepped up very quickly to protect the welfare of Missourians.

[Floorist]

Originally Posted by SunGrins

Missouri, like a couple other states, has lost its way and is no longer capable of self-government. The legislature and governor have no interest in the welfare of the populace. It has many natural assets and an interesting and impressive history. The future does not look good.

Mostly, if I miss anything, it is some of the food.

In the OP, I would echo items numbered 1, 3, and 4 in the Pros. The Cons are polite understatements.

It's ok, we in Missouri won't miss you either. We like the fact that our state government believes in our Constitutional rights.

[SunGrins]

Originally Posted by SciFiNerd1

Which is your favorite part of MO? I have always like the Lake Country of Central MO and Branson but I wouldn't want to live there year round. My least favorite cities are Cape Girardeau, Springfield, Joplin, and St. Joseph.

I am a city person. If I have to choose to live in a more rural area, I wouldn't mind living out in the country in middle of Columbia, Jefferson City, and Fulton. Such a beautiful area close to the Capital and college towns!

I agree that that three-county section (Boone, Cole, Callaway) is probably the best part of the out-state area. The Missouri River counties are some of the best. I had an auditing job that required me to visit and stay a few days in all county seats in the state and there are some stinkers out there and some dead zones. I actually liked Cape Girardeau and lived there for a while. You have to know that in small towns, even as large as Cape Girardeau and Jefferson City, much of the native population is related in some way. Some years after I hired my office secretary we realized we were cousins to the same people but from different sides.

[EscAlaMike]

I'm not a Missourian, but I spent some time in Cape Girardeau, Perryville, and St. Louis this summer and was very impressed. The I-55 corridor from the Bootheel to St. Louis is a beautiful part of the country, especially when you start getting into the rolling hills going north from CG.

St. Louis gets a bad rap because of its big city issues like crime and blight; but it has a plethora of great neighborhoods in which I felt perfectly safe walking around. Benton Park I particularly liked a lot.

Winters up there are colder than I'd prefer, but I definitely came away from Missouri seeing it as a place I could be happy living.

[locotony]

Originally Posted by SciFiNerd1

Which is your favorite part of MO? I have always like the Lake Country of Central MO and Branson but I wouldn't want to live there year round. My least favorite cities are Cape Girardeau, Springfield, Joplin, and St. Joseph.

I am a city person. If I have to choose to live in a more rural area, I wouldn't mind living out in the country in middle of Columbia, Jefferson City, and Fulton. Such a beautiful area close to the Capital and college towns!

You really Do not want to Live in JC it is truly a stagnant town and so conservative financially not necessarily politically that nothing ever changes because the city refuses to put money into anything that would encourage real growth or draw businesses to the town. I have lived here off and on since I was a Kid and lived in Columbia as well as went to school in Fulton at Westminster and would Take either of those towns over JC. Now that may Change now that the Chamber of Commerce has new leadership that actually came from and area that encouraged growth and change but in 2-3 years when real estate prices stabilise i'm heading down to Cape Coral/Ft Myers Florida for my retirement as I want 70+ degrees year round and to never see snow again.

[SunGrins]

Originally Posted by locotony

You really Do not want to Live in JC it is truly a stagnant town and so conservative financially not necessarily politically that nothing ever changes because the city refuses to put money into anything that would encourage real growth or draw businesses to the town. I have lived here off and on since I was a Kid and lived in Columbia as well as went to school in Fulton at Westminster and would Take either of those towns over JC. Now that may Change now that the Chamber of Commerce has new leadership that actually came from and area that encouraged growth and change but in 2-3 years when real estate prices stabilise i'm heading down to Cape Coral/Ft Myers Florida for my retirement as I want 70+ degrees year round and to never see snow again.

You are seeing conservative complacency in JC that trumps most efforts to move forward, especially if you are comparing the place with Columbia. It has some problems -- there was a heroin problem that was just starting when I left some years ago -- but compared to some other Missouri cities, it is a progressive dynamo. Columbia really has no comparison in out-state Missouri. Being the state capital, JC thrives on denial and smugness. I recall about 20 some years ago the downtown (High Street) was deserted and half vacant but it enjoyed a come back and regained some vitality and people returned. Fulton is probably less progressive but only has 12,000 people and a prison and two college/universities so there is something to be said for being quaint, fat, and happy.

[locotony]

Originally Posted by SunGrins

You are seeing conservative complacency in JC that trumps most efforts to move forward, especially if you are comparing the place with Columbia. It has some problems -- there was a heroin problem that was just starting when I left some years ago -- but compared to some other Missouri cities, it is a progressive dynamo. Columbia really has no comparison in out-state Missouri. Being the state capital, JC thrives on denial and smugness. I recall about 20 some years ago the downtown (High Street) was deserted and half vacant but it enjoyed a come back and regained some vitality and people returned. Fulton is probably less progressive but only has 12,000 people and a prison and two college/universities so there is something to be said for being quaint, fat, and happy.

Totally agree on Columbia they have done a lot over the years and UMC especially draws a pretty diverse population of students many of whom stay in the area where kids in JC can't wait to leave and never come back, I wouldn't have come back after 8 years in Austin TX if my parents had not still been here and got to the point I needed to be a part time caregiver before they passed but I had the luxury of being able to work from home even 15 years ago so wasn't tied to the JC either State or low income barely sustenance jobs.

Columbia has done a great job of drawing in businesses that could have gone to other areas as well. JC could have had the deal for IBM's location which would have been a boom and 400+ good paying jobs but the chamber argued that subdividing the building would have been too expensive the refused so Columbia got the location as their chamber had no problem doing what was necessary 200K-250k was what JC chamber refused to spend but instead they built a spec building in an area of town no one would put offices at as nothing is around it and it has sat vacant for 7 year. that is the stupidity of the previous leadership of the JC Chamber.

[BerkeleyKid]

Missouri will always be Home in My Heart but it's just that stifling heat and humidity that I chose not to tolerate any longer. Love the outdoors but that made it just too uncomfortable.....but I still love you guys.

[Justabystander]

Originally Posted by sub

I would agree with the pros.

)As for the cons, yes, the economy could be better statewide.
)As someone who leans right, Missouri's politics isn't the worst.
))I currently live in Wisconsin, a historically high-tax state. On top of the comically high taxes, they charge fees for stuff that's no extra in MO. Don't even get me started on how much better Missouri roads typically are, or that MoDot gets things done in a vastly shorter amount of time.
Wisconsin has a history of bonafide socialism I could live without. Missouri's state government is much easier to deal with all in all. For the most part, I'd put MO's politics in the pro column because perfection doesn't exist anyway. Don't get me wrong, I like WI. Every place has it's downsides.
)One complaint I can add are those private DMV (or whatever) places they have in MO. You're doing state business, might as well have state offices for that. They're usually terrible and hokey.
)People could make better health choices, no doubt, but I'm too libertarianish to push it.
)Meth labs need to be obliterated.
)Missouri has always been middle of the pack. If it seems worse than it used to be, that would be an indication the country as a whole is worse than it used to be, which is my personal take on it.

So in a nutshell, be more business friendly, stop playing footsy with Kansas in the KC area, do an epic crackdown on meth and crime in general, etc. Also, shore up the corruption in rural areas. I know that's been a problem from time to time.
Another thing would be to do everything possible to get that hyperloop built between the cities. That would be an epic Next Big Thing that would help Missouri's image nationwide.

I've lived in a couple different areas of Missouri. My personal experience has been a mixed bag, but it wasn't Misery.

If you think a guy like Josh Hawley is in the pro catagory, then OK. For me, he is an opportunist whose fist in the air supporting cop killers on January 6 is unfortgettable, and unforgivable.