“Why not Missouri?”

That’s the question Greg Wood and Danita Allen Wood kept asking themselves when they returned to their beloved home state in 1995.

Beloved might be an overstatement, but look at this fact to understand their passion: After living in Iowa for more than 15 years, when Greg and Danita traveled and met people who asked where they were from, they answered “Missouri,” which caused confusion. Later in the conversation, it would usually come out that they lived in Iowa. The people would ask, “I thought you said you were from Missouri?” to which they would reply, “Oh, we live in Iowa, but we’re from Missouri.”

So, upon their return to their beloved state, they wondered why Missouri didn’t have a state magazine. They had both been in the magazine business their entire careers, and they knew about 25 other states, many with smaller populations, that had beautiful magazines.

Through research, they learned that there once was a state magazine called Missouri Life. It started in 1973 but ceased publishing under that name in the late 1980s after a series of ownership changes.

They loved the name. It seemed to encompass all the things that should be in the magazine: Missouri’s stunning scenery, its fascinating people, its rich past, and energetic present. In 1999, Greg and Danita acquired the rights to the name, and began publishing.

Today, we’re pleased that about 130,000 Missourians read each issue.

Aside from a sizable number of readers, Missouri Life has received many awards from state and international organization, including the IRMA Magazine of the Year Award in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.