Jefferson City

Jefferson City is the capital city of Missouri. In 2013, Jefferson City was named America's "Most Beautiful" Small Town by Rand McNally.

Understand


Jefferson City is named for the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was the president responsible for the Louisiana Purchase. Some of the land from that purchase eventually became the State of Missouri.

In 2020, the city was home to 43,000 people, with 150,000 in the metropolitan area.

Tourist information

 * Visit Jefferson City

By car
Jefferson is centrally located in the State of Missouri about half-way between St. Louis and Kansas City along the Missouri River. There are three major highways that run directly through the city: US 50, 54, and 63.

By plane
Jefferson City Memorial Airport, which is across the Missouri River, only serves general aviation.

The closest airport with commercial service is Columbia Regional Airport, from which US Highway 63 goes straight to Jefferson City. American Airlines is the only carrier at the airport, with daily non-stop flights between Columbia and Chicago (ORD) or Dallas (DFW).

The closest full-scale commercial airport is Lambert St. Louis International Airport, about two hours away. It is very easy to get from the St. Louis airport to Jefferson City. Take I-70 west out of St. Louis for about an hour and a half. At this point take US Highway 54 south for about 30 minutes until you reach Jefferson City.

A little further is the Kansas City International Airport, about three hours away.

By train
The Amtrak Station is in the heart of Downtown Jefferson City at 101 Jefferson Street. At the midpoint of the Kansas City to St. Louis route, the Missouri River Runner, there are two departures each direction every day. While a ticket is not needed to board the train, a reservation is. Call 800-USA-Rail or visit Amtrak for reservations and schedule information.



Get around
Most of the attractions are in the heart of Downtown Jefferson City within walking distance of each other.

There is also an extensive greenway with 7.4 miles of paved trails. This is a multi-use greenway and is perfect for walking, running, biking or skating. The greenway now connects via the Missouri River Bike & Pedestrian Bridge to the Katy Trial, one of the nation's longest trail projects (238 miles).