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Missouri cities seem to
share a peculiar tendency toward straddling state lines.
Take Kansas City, through which runs the muddy Missouri
River, dividing the town as sharply as a well-cut suit,
and its residents equally so: The controversy over which
side is best may never end.
Then there's East St. Louis, which isn't in Missouri
at all but is nestled against the Illinois banks of the
Mississippi River (there seems to be a river theme going
here). Yes, it must be the rivers, which have been as
much a part of Missouri history as its romance with the
Old West. If it wasn't Mark Twain to the east painting a
dubious portrait of life along the post-Civil War
Mississippi, it was the notorious James Gang to the
west, diving in and out of the Missouri while dodging
Pinkertons and disgruntled Yankees.
Meanwhile, time marches on. Today, Kansas City and
St. Louis play host to some of the country's top
professional sports teams, and the city of Branson is
fast becoming the little Nashville of the Ozarks. Over
two-thirds of the state's population is now concentrated
in its cities, a long way from the rural pioneers and
hillbilly folklore of the past century. With
manufacturing and service industries on the rise
statewide, there's been a boom both in urban expansion
and economic development. Take a look and see for
yourself.
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