For more information, visit the Convention and Visitors Bureau web site or the Chamber of Commerce web site.

Settled in 1826 as a trading post on the Missouri River, St. Joseph is the perfect union between urban and community living. With a population over 72,000 in over 44 square miles, St. Joseph’s friendly, small-town atmosphere provides a world-class quality of life. An abundance of recreational opportunities, state-of-the-art health care, low crime rate and affordable living costs are among the reasons many consider St. Joseph as one of the most livable places in America.

The City of St. Joseph is the county seat of Buchanan County and the sixth largest city in Missouri. St. Joseph is the central service provider for a seven county area of northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas with a combined population of over 155,000.

Located right in the heart of America, St. Joseph is just 200 miles from the population center of the United States. The strategic location and transportation system provides for efficient access to customers and suppliers across the country. Interstate 29, a major north-south interstate highway, runs through St. Joseph providing a corridor from Canada to Mexico. Northern Missouri’s primary east-west thoroughfare, U.S. Highway 36, intersects with I-29 in St. Joseph.

St. Joseph is 35 miles north of Kansas City International Airport and is home to Rosecrans Memorial Airport, which serves the community’s civilian and military needs.

St. Joseph’s salary base is affordable and attractive. Electricity, gas and water utility rates in St. Joseph are among the lowest in the nation. Major employers range from education to animal pharmaceutical production, aerial work platform manufacturing to riverboat gambling, light manufacturers, distributors, and high-tech operations.

The St. Joseph Public School system has a mission of quality education for more than 12,000 students enrolled in three high schools, four middle schools, and eighteen elementary schools. Saint Joseph also has the Saint Joseph Home School Support Group and The Connected Homeschool for those families wishing to home school their children.

Missouri Western State University, the new American regional university serving Northwest Missouri, occupies a scenic 744-acre campus, offering excellent higher education with real world experience for its graduates. The institution offers high quality liberal arts and sciences and career-oriented degree programs, with over 70 degree programs including five graduate degrees. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and is an AQIP Participant. For more information see: www.missouriwestern.edu

The goal of the The Christopher S. "Kit" Bond Science and Technology Incubator is to provide facilities and assistance for start-up companies. The incubator houses a laboratory, conference room, operation offices and tenant spaces. Its flexible floor plan can accommodate 12-15 firms of a few persons each, or a few large firms requiring larger spaces. The location of the Incubator is conducive to fostering animal health and nutrition industries. The Incubator is situated within the Animal Health Corridor, located just 35 minutes north of Kansas City International Airport along I-29 in St. Joseph, MO. St. Joseph has a strong history in animal health and nutrition.

Business skills and vocational techniques are offered and a complete program of continuing education is provided through courses at Hillyard Technical Center and Vatterott College. Hillyard Technical Center meets both industrial and individual needs in areas such as architecture, computers, business technology and personal development. Vatterott College is a private technical college offering degree and certification programs in cosmetology / manicuring, HVAC, computer office assistant, medical office assistant, accounting, computer electronics, computer drafting and computer programming / systems analysis. The college is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology.

Heartland Health, the city’s largest employer, is a charitable, not-for-profit organization, providing state-of-the-art medical care in an array of major specialties. The locally-owned system, staffed by well-respected physicians, surgeons, and dentists, offers the people of Northwest Missouri and the adjacent area of Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, a range of health care services through Heartland Regional Medical Center and Heartland Regional Medical Center West that rival those anywhere. Three areas in which Heartland provides leading-edge technology and care are: Heartland Centre for Rehabilitation, The Heart Center, and the Heartland Cancer Treatment Center.

Recreation and the arts are abundant in St. Joseph. With over 1,500 acres of city parks and thirteen museums, residents and visitors have much to choose from. A 26-mile parkway system with such amenities as baseball diamonds, tennis courts, swimming pools, and a hike and bike trail, along with golfing, ice skating, and outdoor basketball meet the needs of any outdoor enthusiast. You’ll find the rich cultural life of the community expressed in such hallmarks as the St. Joseph Symphony, Performing Arts Association, Robidoux Resident Theater, and the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art. A variety of displays, from the Old West to fine art, can be found at one of the many museums. For more information on the arts, please visit the Allied Arts Council web site.