Welcome to Missouri, which is nicknamed the Show-Me State, after when congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated "I'm from Missouri, and you've got to show me." It was formed in 1812 as a territory, and entered the Union on August 10, 1821 as the 24th state. Some of the largest cities in Missouri include: Kansas City, St. Louis. When you hear Missouri, you'll know about the Kansas City Chiefs, Royals, University of Missouri Tigers, the two major St. Louis teams in Cardinals and Blues, and the Billikens. Its capital, Jefferson City, is named after the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.

Here are some facts about Missouri:

• The State Capital was temporarily St. Charles. It was moved to Jefferson City in 1826, which remains the state capital to this date.
  
• The state bird is the Eastern Bluebird. It was named on March 30, 1927.
  
• The state flower is the White Hawthorn Blossom. It was named the flower on March 16, 1923.
  
• The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was completed on October 28, 1965. It opened on June 10, 1967 and was inaugurated on May 25, 1968.
  
• St. Louis hosted the World's Fair in 1904. There, the first ever iced tea was invented by Richard Blechyden.
  
• The highest elevation in Missouri is Taurn Sauk Mountain at 1,772 feet (540 meters). The lowest point is at Saint Francis River at the Arkansas Border.
  
• Saint Louis University is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It was first charted in 1832.
  
• Kansas City has more boulevards than Paris, but it has more fountains than any city in the world other than Rome.
  
• Kansas City also has more miles of freeways per capita than any metropolitan area with a population more than one million residents.
  
  

I think the image is broken. It won't load. And wow, that's a lot of freeway. (Why did I think Ice tea was invented in Texas?)

Missouri, the "Show Me state", has lots to show the traveler. I personally visited the Southwest City part of the state on a family road trip with my Mom's relatives (they live in Tulsa, OK) along with parts of Kan. (Coffeyville) and Ark. (Cherokee City). My wife Natalia is born and raised half of her childhood in St. Charles near St. Louis before she moved to CA in age 8 to San Mateo in the SF Bay area.

In sports (baseball), once the Cards and Royals met in the 1985 world series (the Royals won in 7 games) and maybe they'll meet again this year. The Cardinals lost the 2013 and the Royals lost last year's world series, so who knows if each may win. You didn't mention the St. Louis Rams football team, formerly from Los Angeles since 1995. St. Louis once had the Cardinals football team until 1988.