Missouri is a part of the Midwest, right? Why do some say otherwise? We're smack-dab in the heart of America. We border some Southern states and Northern states. Back in the Civil War, Missouri sided with the Union and was important beforehand with the Missouri Compromise (which obviously failed, hence the war). We have the Saint Louis Arch, which we know as the gateway to the West. Now, the Bootheel has some Southern flavor to it, but the overall State isn't the South. Politically, Missouri has, at times, been a bit of a mish-mash of politics. The rise of Trump and MAGA resulted in the overall state skewing more to the right-wing, but it still has shifted left at times, like voting for abortion rights and workers' rights as recently as the 2024 election (with our GOP-led Congress and Governor working hard to undo the people's will).
We have some unique food items that aren't, "North," or, "South," so much as, "Interesting." Gooey butter cake, Provel cheese on pizza, and toasted ravioli are all beloved around Missouri (and in the case of Provel cheese, hated most other places). We aren't the South, although when I took my now-wife and then-girlfriend, Samii, to upstate New York to meet family and friends years ago, everyone did ask her where her Southern accent was. Then again, New York is so far North I've heard people there claim Ohio is Southern...so yeah. In closing, Missouri is in the Midwest, obviously. Also, it is pronounced, "Missour-E and not Missour-Uh," although in the aforementioned Bootheel, you will hear the latter more than the former.