682px-Map of Missouri highlighting Mid-Missouri

Mid-Missouri is a loosely-defined region comprising the central area of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. The region's largest city is Columbia (population 121,717); the Missouri state capital,

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 ...

, and the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

are also located here. The region also includes portions of the

Lake of the Ozarks Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Parts of three smaller tributaries to the Osage are included in the impoundment: the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek ...

, the

Ozark Mountains The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...

, and the

Missouri Rhineland The Missouri Rhineland () is a German American cultural region of Missouri that extends from west of St. Louis to slightly east of Jefferson City, located mostly in the Missouri River Valley on both sides of the river. The region overlaps wit ...

. Mid-Missouri is centered on two contiguous metropolitan areas: the Columbia Metropolitan Area and the Jefferson City Metropolitan Area, which together have a population of over 400,000.

Definition

Counties that are usually considered to be in Mid-Missouri are Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Camden,

Chariton Chariton of Aphrodisias () was the author of an ancient Greek novel probably titled ''Callirhoe (novel), Callirhoe'' (based on the subscription in the sole surviving manuscript). However, it is regularly referred to as ''Chaereas and Callirhoe'' ( ...

, Cole, Cooper, Gasconade,

Howard Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...

, Macon,

Miller A miller is a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a grain (for example corn or wheat) to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents ...

, Moniteau, Montgomery, Morgan, Osage, Pettis, Randolph, and Saline. Counties that are sometimes considered to be in the region are Adair, Benton, Laclede, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski, and Warren.

Municipalities

Cities over 100,000

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

(largest city)

Cities over 40,000

Jefferson City, Missouri 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 ...

(Missouri's capital city)

Cities over 20,000

Sedalia, Missouri Sedalia is a city located approximately south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 ...

Rolla, Missouri Rolla () is a city in and the county seat of Phelps County, Missouri, United States. Its population in the 2020 United States Census was 19,943. It is approximately midway between St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. Its micropolitan sta ...

Cities over 10,000

Kirksville, Missouri Kirksville is the county seat of and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri, United States. Located in Benton Township, Adair County, Missouri, Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Kirk ...

Lebanon, Missouri Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Laclede County, Missouri, Laclede County in Missouri. The population was estimated at 15,013 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Laclede County. The Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical ...

* Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri *

Moberly, Missouri Moberly is a city in Randolph County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,783 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Columbia metropolitan area and the 9-county Columbia–Jefferson City–Moberly combined statistical area that h ...

Marshall, Missouri Marshall is a city in Saline County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,806 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Saline County. The Marshall Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Saline County. It is home to Missouri V ...

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, Missouri, ...

Mexico, Missouri Mexico, formerly known as New Mexico, is a city in and the county seat of Audrain County, Missouri, United States. It is home to the Missouri Military Academy and annually hosts the Miss Missouri Pageant. The city's population was 11,469 at the ...

Cities over 1,000

Warrenton, Missouri Warrenton is a city and county seat of Warren County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,880 according to the 2010 Census. Warrenton is an exurb of St. Louis, and is located in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. Warrenton's ...

Boonville, Missouri Boonville is a city and the county seat of Cooper County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,964 at the 2020 census. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil War, Civil War, on July 17, 1861. Union forces defeat ...

* Wright City, Missouri * Macon, Missouri * St. Robert, Missouri * Waynesville, Missouri *

Ashland, Missouri Ashland is a city in Boone County, Missouri, United States. Ashland is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,747 at the 2020 census. History Ashland was founded in 1853. It was named for the Ashla ...

* Holts Summit, Missouri *

Osage Beach, Missouri Osage Beach is a city in Camden and Miller counties in the U.S. state of Missouri, near the Lake of the Ozarks. Most of the city is in Camden County, while a small eastern sliver is in Miller County. The population was 4,637 at the 2020 census. ...

* Centralia, Missouri * California, Missouri * Eldon, Missouri * Camdenton, Missouri *

St. James, Missouri St. James is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, Phelps County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,920 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The settlement was originally known as Big Prairie because of its location o ...

* Vandalia, Missouri *

Montgomery City, Missouri Montgomery City is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,811 at the 2020 census. History Montgomery was platted in 1853, taking its name from Montgomery County. A post office called Mo ...

Tipton, Missouri Tipton is a city in Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,920 as of the 2020 census, down from 3,262 in 2010. It is part of the Jefferson City metropolitan area. History Tipton was a predominantly German-American com ...

* Owensville, Missouri * Fayette, Missouri * Versailles, Missouri *

Warsaw, Missouri Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2020 census. Adjacent to the Osage River it is heavily tied to two major lakes on the river. The uppermost reaches of Lake of the ...

Hermann, Missouri Hermann is a city in and the county seat of Gasconade County, Missouri, Gasconade County, Missouri, United States. It has been the county seat since 1842. It is near the center of the Missouri Rhineland and south of the Missouri River. The popula ...

* Lake Ozark, Missouri * Slater, Missouri * Hallsville, Missouri *

Wardsville, Missouri Wardsville is a village in Cole County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,599 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office called Wardsville was established in ...

* Salisbury, Missouri * Linn, Missouri * Sweet Springs, Missouri *

Belle, Missouri Belle is a city in northeast Maries County and extending north into southeast Osage County in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 1,381 at the 2020 census, down from 1,545 in 2010. The Osage County portion of Belle is part of the J ...

* Huntsville, Missouri * Dixon, Missouri * La Plata, Missouri *

Wellsville, Missouri Wellsville is a city in Montgomery County, Missouri, United States. The population was 998 at the 2020 census, down from 1,217 in 2010. History Wellsville was platted in 1856, and named after Charles Wells who was the original owner of the la ...

Lincoln, Missouri Lincoln is a city in Benton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,144 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Lincoln was established in 1866. The city was named for Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United S ...

La Monte, Missouri La Monte is a city in Pettis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,140 at the 2010 census. History La Monte was originally called Boomer, and under the latter name was platted in 1866. The present name of La Monte, after an acqu ...

* St. Martins, Missouri * Marthasville, Missouri * Cole Camp, Missouri * Taos, Missouri * Glasgow, Missouri * Stover, Missouri

Media

Television

* KMOS (6.1

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, 6.2 Create, 6.3

World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

, 6.4

PBS Kids PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS ...

) * KOMU (8.1

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, 8.3

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

) * KRCG (13.1

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, 13.2 Comet TV, 13.3 Charge!, 13.4 TBD) *

KMIZ KMIZ (channel 17) is a television station licensed to Columbia, Missouri, United States, serving the Columbia–Jefferson City market as an affiliate of ABC and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by the News-Press & Gazette Company alongside Fox affili ...

(17.1 ABC, 17.2 Me-TV, 17.3

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...

, 17.4

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

) * KQFX-LD (22.1

, 22.2 Laff, 22.3 Grit, 22.4

Ion Mystery Ion Mystery (formerly Escape and Court TV Mystery, stylized as ESCAPE and MYSTERY; formerly branded on-air as Mystery) is an American free-to-air television network owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. It focu ...

, 22.5

Dabl Dabl () is an American digital multicast television network owned by the CBS Media Ventures subsidiary of Paramount Global and operated by Weigel Broadcasting. Dabl launched in September 2019 with a female-targeted lifestyle format. It aired r ...

) * KFDR (25.1 CTN, 25.2 CTNi, 25.3 CTN, 25.4 CTN Life)

Radio

FM

* KCOU (88.1) * KHJR (88.1) * KJLU (88.9) * KOPN (89.5) * KMCV (89.9) * KMUC (90.5) *

KBIA KBIA (91.3 FM), is a National Public Radio-member station in Columbia, Missouri. It carries regional news coverage, locally produced news shows, original talk shows, as well as NPR news programs including ''All Things Considered'' and ''Morning ...

(91.3) * KMFC (92.1) * KLOZ (92.7) * KWJK (93.1) * KSSZ (93.9) *

KATI KATI (94.3 FM), branded as 94.3 KAT Country, is a radio station which broadcasts country music and St. Louis Cardinals baseball. Licensed to California, Missouri, the station serves the Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, ...

(94.3) * American Family Radio (94.7) * KWWR (95.7) * KCMQ (96.7) * K246CA (97.1) * KJMO (97.5) * KPOW-FM (97.7) * KOTC-LP (98.7) * KCLR-FM (99.3) * KBBM (100.1) * KTGR-FM (100.5) * K266CA (101.1) * KPLA (101.5) * KZWV (101.9) * KBXR (102.3) * KZJF (104.1) * KRES (104.7) * The Good News Voice (104.9) * KZZT (105.5) * KOQL (106.1) * K293AX (106.5) * KTXY (106.9)

AM

* KFAL (900) * KWOS (950) * KLIK (1240) * KXEO (1340) * KWRT (1370) *

KFRU KFRU (1400 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station located in Columbia, Missouri. Its programming format consists primarily of news, talk and sports. The station is licensed to Cumulus Media. The station is also audible on broadcast relay, trans ...

(1400) *

KTGR KTGR (1580 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio, sports format, with programming from the ESPN Radio network. Licensed to Columbia, Missouri, United States, the station serves the Columbia, Missouri, area. The stat ...

(1580)

Transportation

Interstate Highways 70 (concurrent with U.S. 40) and 44 both pass through the region and intersect with each other in

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 ...

. Columbia Regional Airport (COU) is the only commercial airport in Mid-Missouri and is served by American Eagle with non-stop service to either Dallas/Fort Worth

Chicago-O'Hare Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop business district. The airport is operated by the ...

or Denver International as well as providing

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

services.

Transit

Local Transit

* Go COMO * JeffTran * Kirk-Tran *

Tiger Line Woottens Luxury Travel was a coach operating company based in Buckinghamshire, England. It was formed in 1999 by Michael Wootten, and between 2008 and 2011 operated local bus services under the name Tiger Line. The company became part of the Bow ...

Amtrak

* Hermann station *

Jefferson City station Jefferson City is an Amtrak train station in Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City, Missouri, United States. The station is located on the ground floor of the former Union Hotel, which was built in 1855 and is part of the Jefferson Landing Sta ...

* La Plata station * Sedalia station

Highways

Interstate Highways

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

Interstate 44 Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, T ...

U.S. Highways

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States Numbered Highways of 1926 which runs east and west for most of its routing. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Misso ...

* U.S. Route 36 * U.S. Route 40 (mostly concurrent with I-70) *

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

U.S. Route 54 U.S. Route 54 (US 54) is an east–west United States Highway that runs northeast–southwest for from El Paso, Texas, to Griggsville, Illinois. The Union Pacific Railroad's Tucumcari Line (former Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific an ...

* U.S. Route 63 * U.S. Route 65

References

{{Coord, 38.75, -92.25, format=dms, display=title, region:US-MO_scale:2000000 Regions of Missouri