Missouri is the heartland of the United States and could be the next place you sign a deed of ownership. The state is relatively flat with the most known geological features being two large rivers. the Mississippi River that creates the entire eastern border or the state, and the country’s longest river, the Missouri River, which intersects the Mississippi at St. Louis. The state has a vast array of smaller rivers, creeks, and lakes providing a lot of boating and fishing opportunities, but a majority of the population can be found in cities along the Missouri River. North of the Missouri River the state joins the midwest as part of the great plains. South of the Missouri the state becomes warmer, flatter, and wetter the closer you get to the Southeast corner. The states climate changes dramatically throughout the year with average winter lows in the teens and average summer highs getting into the 90s. While the state isn’t technically a part of tornado alley, the mixing of the northern cold air and the gulf of mexico warm air brings severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to the region.
Overall Missouri is a very affordable state to live in. The average home value is only $168k which is less than the national average of $248k. Once you find and buy your new property the state remains affordable. The cost of living is less than the national average across the board as well as the property taxes. Property taxes are calculated using rates that vary by county, based on an assessed value of your property. The assessed value is roughly 19% of the market value of the property and the tax rate calculated from that can be anywhere from 2% to 7.5%. This calculates out to a state average of 0.99% of the market value, less than the national average of 1.08%.
If you want to buy a new parcel of land to manage and hunt, Missouri has exceptional hunting. From bigger game like whitetail deer and wild turkeys to small game like ducks and doves. You can buy your family a new 40 acre farm or a huge 6000 acre ranch so there are options for all buyers and bank accounts. The state has over 500 lakes so the likelihood your new tract of hunting property can reap the benefits of having a water source is high. This will give you summertime fishing and boating options as well.
88.4 billion dollars. That is the yearly economic impact of agriculture on the state of Missouri. The state is huge on farming. Luckily, this means the supply of farms available for you to purchase is plentiful. This also means demand is high. The average value of farmland in the state is $3400 per acre, which is higher than the United States average of $3160 per acre. The primary crops of the region are soybeans and corn but there are unique opportunities depending on your new farms location. Missouri has the right conditions for some rare types of grapes allowing for unique state wines. The growing season for most vegetables in the state is 198 days. If livestock is more your style the state is a major supplier of cattle hogs and turkeys as well.
Statewide, property values are less than the national average making the state a great place to buy your next piece of land. If you want to stretch your dollar even more, consider heading south. The southern part of the state is where you will find the average values of farms and land drop below $300,000. As you reach the southeast part of the state you will find that average drop to less than $250,000. This is because the southeast is the flattest, wettest, warmest part of the state attractive primarily to agriculture. This part of the state is also segregated from the rest of the states and all of the major cities by a large national forest, the Mark Twain National Forest.