Cuddle? – Hannibal Named One of the “Coziest” Towns in Missouri

I found this funny, but I'll admit that funny is probably not the right response to a pronouncement made by a major website that Hannibal is one of the coziest towns in Missouri when it comes to winter. Let's explore this.

Get our free mobile app

First of all, kudos to Only In Your State for this nice...award. They decided to rank the top "coziest" towns in Missouri and Hannibal made their top list. Nice. My question is why and what makes a town cozy?

When it comes to Hannibal, they are fans of the fact that Mark Twain grew up there. (Shocking) Only in Your State also mentioned our nice lighthouse view. I agree. I guess I just have a hard time understanding how a neat lighthouse is...cozy. Last time I walked up all the stairs with my kids to see the lighthouse, "cozy" wasn't the feeling I had. Exhaustion comes to mind though.

I think the real hero in why Hannibal is thought of by some national folks as cozy is the downtown area. Hannibal has worked hard over the years to keep the architecture and feel of the downtown area with that Mark Twain era vibe. The fact that some businesses continue to thrive there helps the cause, too.

Hannibal does a good job with bringing events to town like the Steampunk and Folklife festivals along with the National Tom Sawyer Days. However, this "cozy" nod really is about winter. I think it goes back to the image of Hannibal with the lighthouse and the comfortable downtown historic area.

It's always a good thing when people that don't live here think we're swell. For that alone we'll be grateful.