The University of Missouri shapes the county

The University of Missouri sits in Columbia. It was founded in 1839 and was established there as the first public university west of the Mississippi River. (“Public” means the state runs it, not a private group.) The school is a big reason Boone County looks the way it does. It helps shape the local economy, the housing and rental market, and the county’s sense of who it is. With so many students needing places to live, the rental market is large, and the number of people in town tends to rise and fall with the school year. One famous spot on campus is the Columns: six tall limestone pillars that stand on the Francis Quadrangle, a historic open lawn. They once held up the university’s first building and are now a well-known symbol of the school. For a new resident, the university is one of the biggest forces shaping Columbia. You can double-check the 1839 founding date and the “first public university west of the Mississippi” claim on the university’s own official pages, and confirm anything about local jobs or housing with the county or city office.