State of the Month: Missouri

Here is the next instalment of my monthly feature going through the States of the United States in alphabetical order to check out how they got named, what their flag is like and other things of interest.   

Location – Missouri is called a Midwestern State – which to me is a little weird since it is clearly on the right hand half of the country.  It is surrounded by 8 other states – Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.

Pronunciation – no advice for you here – even Missourians differ.

Nicknames – Show Me State (because Missourians are apparently sceptics)

Flag

Capital – Jefferson City – named after Thomas Jefferson.  The largest city is Kansas City which is odd given you would have thought that would have been in Kansas – and to be fair it is on the border.

Flower – White Hawthorn

  

State Tree – Flowering Dogwood

State Bird – Eastern Bluebird

Signature foods – BBQ, Waffle Cone, Fried Ravioli

Famous places to visit – The Gateway Arch (St Louis), Forest Park (St Louis), State Capitol (Jefferson City), Covered Bridge on Indian Creek

Famous businesses/brands – 7 Up, Aunt Jemima Pancakes, Budweiser

Famous people from Missouri – President Truman, Mark Twain, Walt Disney, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, TS Eliot, Tennessee Williams (?), Maya Angelou, Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie), Brad Pitt, Ginger Rogers, Steve McQueen, Dick Van Dyke, Burt Bacharach

Go to this Pinboard to see the States of the Month so far.