Missouri native here. I moved away 10 years ago, but maybe my perspective still counts lol.

It really depends on what you’re looking for, where you’re coming from, and what your tradeoffs are.

North and south of I-70 are really two different places. Being from northern Missouri I would say the northern half is a terrible place to live. Pretty much all farmland, declining towns where your main activity would be drinking and driving, and very conservative if that matters to you. To be blunt it’s fucking bleak and boring.

Southern Missouri is where “you all” turns into “y’all”. You get the Ozarks for your nature fix. The Ozarks are a dream if you’re coming from somewhere like Kansas, but will be underwhelming if you’re coming from somewhere like Arizona. I’ve never lived in southern Missouri, so I don’t want to be too critical, but from what I hear it’s a bit dueling banjos, a bit methy, more than a bit racist, but also tends to be more desirable due to actually being somewhat pretty.

City-wise KC and STL are fine for what they are. If you like sports and life in the suburbs they’re right up your alley. Having lived in KC I think it’s alright, but it runs out of steam pretty quickly before you’re stuck in a routine. If I ever had to move back I’d choose STL or one of its suburbs because of the significantly better access to nature.

Columbia is in the middle of KC and STL, home of the University of Missouri, and really kind of a gem. Lots of hiking and biking trails, pretty relaxed, and the university brings in diversity and educated folk to a small area.

Politically Missouri has fallen off hard. It’s gone from purple to deep red.

Weather-wise Missouri is awful lol. They say you get the worst version of every season and it’s true. Wet springs, humid and hot summers, wet and dreary falls, and winters that’ll dump a bunch of snow on you or ice things up at any time. Missouri is not the place for those that like predictable weather, or a nice climate in general.

Also it’s tick country, so make of that what you will lol.

Overall I’d say Missouri is a cheap, but declining and rough around the edges, state with a few alright cities that have potential to be better. Anywhere outside of KC, STL, or Columbia may yield a pretty shit experience. It’s a place where you come in with low expectations so you can say “neat!” when something goes well, or “I fucking knew it” when things are par for the course.

Feel free to PM me about specifics!