After living in St. Louis for 46 years, I traveled to my new home by truck and car three times and can therefore tell you that while Missouri is close to the population center of the US and is the gateway to the west; it is much closer to the Atlantic than the Pacific.
Ironically, it wasn't until I moved that I bought about fifty knives from Poorfish, which is perhaps two miles from my old house in Ellisville. The last custom I bought was made by John Lloyd who lives on Price Rd south of Olive. His house was on the paper route I had during my last two years of college at the University of Missouri - St. Louis.
I sure don't miss the climate but I do miss Missouri's 4" folder law.
Our reason is quite satisfied, in 999 cases out of every 1000 of us, if we can find a few arguments that will do to recite in case our credulity is criticized by someone else. Our faith is faith in someone else's faith, and in the greatest matters this is most the case.
- William James, from The Will to Believe, a guest lecture at Yale University in 1897