Do You Have to Be Born in Missouri to Be a Missourian?

Riddle me this, Batman. Do you have to be born in the state of Missouri to be considered a Missourian? The answer will be different depending on who you ask and what part of the state you're in when you ask it.

I came across this centuries old question on the Missouri sub-Reddit. Someone is wondering out loud if you have to be born in Missouri to be considered a Missourian.

"Do you have to be born in Missouri to be considered a Missourian?"
by
u/larafaiham in
missouri

Here are some of my favorite answers from the Missouri sub-Reddit:

• "No, But you need to tell folks within the first 30 sec of meeting them what HS you attended to be a true St. Louisan."
• "You can be a Missourian. But the Ozarks have different rules. There are standards of assimilation that must be met."
• "I was told "No matter how much we like you, if your grandma didn't go to school with my grandma you will never be one of us"
• "No, we’ll usually claim anyone who wants to be a Missourian. I would say there is a bit of assimilation required, and I’d question if we should claim anyone who says Provel is better on a pizza than mozzarella."

What does the state of Missouri say about what it takes to be a Missourian?

The Missouri Secretary of State emphasizes that Missourians are defined by their respect for the state's constitution, democratic values, and history. TaxSlayer is a lot more specific saying "the state considers you a resident if you are domiciled in Missouri, or if you maintain a permanent living space and spend more than 183 days of the tax year within its borders." There you go. Mystery solved.