St. Mary, MO

St. Mary is a quiet, tight-knit river town of around 300 residents tucked into the Mississippi River bottoms of Ste. Genevieve County. Originally established as a steamboat landing by French settlers, the community has kept its historic character, with the tall steeple of St. Mary's Catholic Church still anchoring the center of town. Surrounded by creeks, farmland, and wide river views, it is the kind of place where daily life moves at an easy, unhurried pace.

ATTRMarkkaempfer / CC BY-SA 3.0

The area also has a unique geographic claim to fame as the gateway to Kaskaskia Island, a small enclave of Illinois that can only be reached across a bridge from the Missouri side. While St. Mary itself offers a peaceful, rural setting, modern conveniences are close at hand. Most residents take a quick ten-minute drive up Highway 61 into historic Ste. Genevieve or head south toward Perryville for groceries, healthcare, schools, and weekend dining.