Taos, MO

Taos is a Cole County city of 1,150 people in the 2020 census, set along Missouri Route M between Wardsville and Schubert and within the Jefferson City metropolitan area. It was laid out in 1849 and named for Taos, New Mexico, giving this Missouri place a name that sounds farther west than its rolling central-Missouri setting. The city’s position east of Jefferson City makes it part of the capital region while still feeling tied to the farms, roads, and parish life of Cole County.

History shows up in the buildings as much as in the name. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and its rectory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the church remains the sort of landmark that helps a small town hold its shape. Much of Taos is served by Blair Oaks R-II, with another portion in Jefferson City Public Schools, so school boundaries tell part of the local story too. Taos is not a dramatic destination, and that is part of its appeal: it is a compact place where a nineteenth-century town plan, a historic church, and the daily orbit of Jefferson City still sit together.