Downtown Jefferson is one of the best places to see and be seen in Jefferson City, Missouri. There are some good things to do in and around the city, as well as some great restaurants, bars and shops.

The city is dominated by the Capitol, perched on a rock overlooking the Missouri River to the north. Lewis and Clark crossed the bluff in 1804 on their way to New Mexico, just a few years before the Europeans established a settlement there. The expedition was initiated by its namesake Thomas Jefferson and the settlement was incorporated as a city in 1825. A year later, the Missouri Legislature met for the first time in Jefferson City, and researchers were among the first citizens to quote and map the land that became Jefferson City, as well as the name of the city.

The legislature initially proposed a new city, called Missouriopolis, but settled on Jefferson City and elected it as the new capital in 1821, when Thomas Jefferson was still alive. After the Civil War, which left the state's capital divided in sympathy, it grew steadily and recovered only slowly. In the 1880s, new industries emerged, the railways began to flourish and the city's population boomed.

The waterworks were completed, electric lights installed, and a bridge built to secure Jefferson City as the permanent seat of state government. The land covers three hectares and is home to about 1,000 people, with a population of about 2,500.

The south entrance is dominated by two heroic bronze figures representing the Missouri and the Mississippi. Five figures commemorating the Missouri Corps of Discoveries, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, are also on the Missouri State Capitol grounds, overlooking Jefferson Landing on the Missouri River.

This stunning landmark dominates the Jefferson City skyline and sits on a limestone cliff on the banks of the Missouri River. The city is dominated by the Capitol, which rises from a rock overlooking the Mississippi River to the north. Lewis and Clark overcame the bluff during their trip to America in 1804, long before the Europeans established a settlement there. This stunning landmark dominates a skyline in Jefferson City and stands as a station overlooking Jefferson Landing, the largest settlement in the United States at the time of its founding.

In 1821, the settlement was elected the capital of Missouri, called the city and incorporated as a city in 1825, and a year later the Missouri Legislature met for the first time in Jefferson City. The Missouri State Capitol is the capital of the city and is located in the former Jefferson Landing Hotel, Now the Jefferson County Courthouse, on the west side of Jefferson Street.

It is also home to the Jefferson County Courthouse, the Missouri State House of Representatives and the Missouri State Senate. It is also the site of the state's first public school, Jefferson City High School, and the city's first library.

For more information about populated locations in Jefferson County, MO, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit the HomeTown Locator. Similar information about locations outside Jefferson County is provided by the Missouri Department of Public Health and Human Services and the city and county of St. Louis County.

Free access to this database is provided by libraries such as the Jefferson County Public Library and the St. Louis County Library System.

The Jefferson County History Center, housed in the Jefferson College Library, contains estate records from the 1820s. Many of the oldest county records have been moved to the Jefferson County Courthouse, and the old newspaper that once housed Roop Printing in De Soto has also moved to the Jefferson County History Center. The Jefferson, St. Louis, Jefferson and Jefferson City Public Library Archives are located at the University of Missouri - Columbia College of Law Library in Columbia, Missouri.

The State Historical Society of Missouri has a collection of records covering Jefferson County history from the 1820s to the early 20th century. The Missouri State Archives provides records for all Missouri counties, beginning in 1910 and continuing through about 1930, as well as records of the county government and the history of the state from 1850 to 1930. The University of Columbia Digital Library has access to all records in its digital archive of all Missouri County records, including those of Jefferson County.

The Jefferson City Public School District currently operates Jefferson County Public Schools, Clark Middle School and Clark High School. Missouri's Department of Education, the state's largest public school district, is based in Jefferson City.

In 2018, the city had 42,500 residents, and more than 150,000 people live in the Jefferson City metro area. Jefferson City's unemployment rate is 4.70 percent, below the federal average of 5.5 percent and higher than the city's largest employer in Missouri. But violent crime is markedly lower at 3.7 percent, less than half the national average.