15 Best Places to Live in Missouri Includes Unexpected Cities

It's the age-old question of where the best places to live happen to be in Missouri and that answer changes every year. The new most up-to-date list includes several cities that you normally don't see when the best quality of life in Missouri is mentioned and that might be a good thing.

The new ranking of best places to live in Missouri from US News & World Report is so up-to-date and recent that it includes the top 15 for this year and next. Before I add my questions and commentary, here's the list they have just compiled and shared.

I must be completely honest and confess that I was really surprised to see St. Joseph, Jefferson City and Springfield on this list. In particular, St. Joseph has been infamous for having very high crime rates in recent years, but maybe this is a sign that this trend is going the right direction? Same can be said for Springfield although the sheer number of fun activities you can access in that part of southwestern Missouri is certainly a positive. I'm also not used to seeing Jeff City in lists like this, but that's great that the capital city of the state is now known for a great quality of life.