Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

is a

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

located in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. In Missouri, cities are classified into three types: 3rd Class, 4th Class, and those under constitutional charters. A few older cities are incorporated under legislative charters (Carrollton, Chillicothe, LaGrange, Liberty, Miami, Missouri City, and Pleasant Hill) which are no longer allowed. (Carthage is also a Charter City and Charter Cities are by constitution not legislation and are still allowed to this day). The level at which they incorporate is determined by their population when they incorporate. They do not change if they gain or lose in population, unless a vote is held by the people. A municipality incorporates as a 4th Class city if the population is between 500 and 2,999 (under 500, it may incorporate as a village – see

list of villages in Missouri The following is a list of all incorporated communities in the state of Missouri. There are 954 municipalities. See Also * List of census-designated places in Missouri *List of counties in Missouri References {{reflist Missouri, List o ...

). It may incorporate as a 3rd Class city if the population is between 3,000 and 29,999. There is more flexibility in government for 3rd Class cities than 4th Class. Cities under constitutional charters may operate under any form of municipal government if it is enacted in the city's charter.

Largest cities

Kcsky.jpg, alt=Kansas City,

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

, largest city in Missouri St Louis night expblend.jpg, alt=St. Louis,

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, second-largest city ParkCentralSquarefountainbyCVBCS.jpg, alt=Springfield, Springfield, third-largest city Mizzou Jesse Thumb.jpg, alt=Columbia, Columbia, fourth-largest city Independence, Missouri (14497075922).jpg, alt=Independence,

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

, a

satellite city A satellite city or satellite town is a smaller municipality or settlement that is part of (or on the edge of) a larger metropolitan area and serves as a regional population and employment center. It differs from mere suburbs, Subdivision (la ...

of Kansas City and the fifth-largest city St Joseph Missouri skyline.jpg,

St. Joseph According to the canonical Gospels, Joseph (; ) was a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus. Joseph is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orth ...

DowntownJoplinMo.JPG, Joplin Jefferson City.jpg,

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

, state capital and sixteenth-largest city

List of municipalities

Population data based on 2023 estimates.

References

* ''Official Manual State of Missouri 2005-2006''. Issued by the Secretary of State. Jefferson City, Missouri. * * * * * *

External links

Cities and Municipalities in Missouri

Missouri Municipal League
{{Missouri Missouri, List of cities in

Cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Largest cities

List of municipalities

See also

References

External links