Right in the middle of things — that defines the CORE. The region is in the heart of Missouri, which is home to the nation’s population center, as well as many companies who profit from the convenience of a central location. Mid-Missouri is well connected with multiple modes of transportation — highway, air, rail and river — for direct access to major markets throughout the nation.
Highways:
Interstate 70, the nation’s major east-west corridor, cuts through the CORE region and intersects here with 4-lane, divided U.S. Highways 54 and 63. U.S. Highway 50 provides another mostly 4-lane east-west route through the region.
Air:
The Columbia Regional Airport provides scheduled daily commercial flights to, for example, Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth on American Airlines and caters to corporate flights.
The following airports maintain and operate a wide variety of military, corporate/business, and general aviation aircraft:
- Jefferson City Memorial Airport
- Mexico Memorial Airport
- Jesse P. Viertel (Boonville) Memorial Airport
- Elton Hensley (Fulton) Memorial Aiport
Rail:
Mid-Missouri is ideally suited for exporting products across the United States via rail. The nation’s second and third largest rail terminals are located in Kansas City and St. Louis, linking over 4,000 miles of track throughout the state. Class 1 freight companies serving the CORE region are Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. Service is also provided by Kansas City Southern, Ozark Valley and Columbia (COLT). Numerous industrial sites are accessed by rail.
River:
The nation’s second largest river, the Missouri River, flows directly through the CORE region, offering another mode of transporting goods across Missouri and connecting to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. River barges run daily between St. Louis and Kansas City. The northernmost shipping port operating year-round is in the CORE region.
