7 Things Missourians and Illinoisans Still Argue About Across the River
Missourians and Illinoisans live a short drive apart yet find a lot to disagree on.
Here’s what Missourians and Illinoisans still argue about across the river.
Note: This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Tax rates and laws are subject to change.
1. Cardinals and Cubs
If you’ve watched the Cardinals play the Cubs, you’ve seen a rivalry that’s more than 130 years old.
The Cubs traded Lou Brock to St. Louis in June 1964.
He helped the Cardinals win that year’s World Series.
Chicago got pitcher Ernie Broglio, who won seven games for the Cubs.
He lost 19.
In 1998, Mark McGwire of the Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Cubs chased Roger Maris’ home run record.
McGwire hit No. 62 against the Cubs at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
The teams’ first postseason meeting came in the 2015 National League Division Series.
In September 2019, the Cardinals swept four games at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
It was their first four-game sweep there since May 1921.
2. Sewage Lawsuit
The sewage lawsuit between Missouri and Illinois reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided it in 1906.
Missouri wanted the Court to stop Illinois and Chicago’s Sanitary District from sending sewage down a new canal into the Desplaines River.
That river flows into the Illinois River, which empties into the Mississippi above St. Louis.
The canal opened in 1900.
If you lived in St. Louis then, your city took its water from the Mississippi.
Missouri argued that the sewage would foul that water and spread typhoid.
Experts disagreed on whether typhoid germs could survive the roughly 357-mile trip down to St. Louis.
Illinois had a comeback.
It pointed out that Missouri’s cities dumped sewage into the same rivers.
The Court agreed that it could hear a dispute between two states.
But it ruled that Missouri hadn’t clearly and fully proved its case, and found that Lake Michigan water had noticeably improved the Illinois River.
If you’re wondering how it ended, the Court dismissed the bill without prejudice, so Missouri could file again.
3. Gas Tax Gap
The gas tax gap between Illinois and Missouri shows up every time you fill up.
Illinois charges 48.3 cents a gallon on gasoline from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2026.
Diesel costs 55.8 cents a gallon over the same stretch.
Missouri’s gas tax has been 29.5 cents a gallon since July 1, 2025, after a series of increases that began in 2021.
Illinois charges 18.8 cents more.
If you fill a 15-gallon tank, that gap comes to about $2.82.
4. Deep-Dish and Provel
Deep-dish pizza traces to Pizzeria Uno in Chicago, which says the style started in its kitchen in 1943.
St. Louis-style pizza has a thin, cracker-like crust instead of a deep pan.
If you order it, you’ll get Provel cheese.
Provel blends provolone, Swiss and cheddar with liquid smoke.
It doesn’t stretch.
Imo’s Pizza is widely credited with creating St. Louis-style pizza.
Many Missourians and Illinoisans still argue about whose pizza wins.
If you order a pie in St. Louis, you’ll often get square slices.
5. Grocery Tax
The state grocery tax now splits Illinois and Missouri.
Illinois ended its 1 percent state tax on groceries on Jan. 1, 2026.
Missouri’s state rate on groceries is still 1.225 percent.
On a $200 grocery bill, you’d pay $2.45 in Missouri state tax and nothing in Illinois state tax.
There’s a catch.
Local Grocery Taxes Still Apply
Illinois towns and counties can still add a 1 percent grocery tax, and many have.
Missouri’s local grocery taxes are often much larger than the state’s 1.225 percent.
So your total at the register depends on which town you shop in, on either side of the river.
6. Sports Betting
Sports betting became legal in Missouri on Dec. 1, 2025.
If you’re 21 or older, you can bet online or in person at licensed venues across Missouri.
Before the launch, a GeoComply study found Missourians were placing bets in Illinois and Kansas.
If you used to drive to Illinois or Kansas to place a bet, you can now stay in Missouri.
More than 250,000 sports betting accounts were active on day one.
Illinois, meanwhile, added an online per-bet tax that begins at 25 cents.
Missouri taxes the sportsbooks’ revenue at 10 percent instead.
Psst! How much do you know about the Mississippi River at St. Louis? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.
Quiz
Mississippi River Quiz
Answer these questions on the Mississippi River and the St. Louis region. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
The Gateway Arch is famous for its height. How wide is it at its widest, measured from the outside of one leg to the outside of the other?
7. Fireworks Laws
Fireworks laws change at the river, too.
Missouri lets seasonal retailers sell consumer fireworks from June 20 to July 10 and again from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2.
In Illinois, you can use consumer fireworks only at a permitted display.
Knowingly possessing them otherwise is unlawful.
A permitted display needs a licensed pyrotechnic operator, a permit application at least 15 days ahead and a site inspection.
Party poppers and snappers fall outside the state's definition of consumer fireworks.
Sparklers aren't covered by the state ban, either.
In Illinois, a violation of the state's Pyrotechnic Use Act is a Class A misdemeanor.
If you're shopping on the Missouri side, the next sales window opens Dec. 20.
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