Some Famous Writer Once Lived Here: Hannibal, Missouri

Some Famous Writer Once Lived Here is where we check out cities or towns that--you guessed it--a famous writer once lived. Picture the illegitimate lovechild between the US Census report and a tourist pamphlet from a local chamber of commerce. What's it like there today? Here's where we find out.

Today:  Mark Twain once lived in Hannibal, Missouri.

If you've ever wanted to plan a trip to the middle of nowhere, but find Nebraska is just too out of the way--good news! Hannibal, Missouri, exists.

For being such a small town, Hannibal, Missouri, has a disproportionate number of famous former residents. This includes Margaret Brown ("The Unsinkable Milly Brown" of Titanic fame), Ron Powers (Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist), Cliff Edwards (the voice of Disney's Jiminy Cricket), Carroll Beckwith (Impressionist artist), and William Lear (founder of Lear Jets, and creator of the car radio and old 8-Track cassettes).

But Hannibal's heart and tourist tax dollars are built off the back of one Mark Twain, whose family moved to Hannibal when he was four years old. Twain only spent the better part of fourteen years in Hannibal before heading toward more lucrative pastures, but that doesn't dissuade Hannibal from latching onto Twain's name. After all, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are both mirrors on Hannibal. Because if you can't make a buck off being interpreted in a racist 19th-century climate, when can you?


The basics of Hannibal, Missouri:

Location:
With the Mississippi River to the east, Hannibal is roughly 100 miles northwest of St. Louis, 200 miles east of Kansas City, and 300 miles south of Chicago--with all the heart-pounding excitement of wheat crops in between.

Hannibal claims to be 'America's Hometown.' Which is news to America.

2010 Census:
Population: 17,916 people live in Hannibal, an increase of 159 stragglers since the 2000 Census.

Racial Makeup: 88.8% white, 7.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% "other races", and 2.7% respondents declaring themselves as multiple races.

Listen up, single gentlemen: For every 100 female citizens, there are 86.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 or older, there are 81.8 males. It's like the Missouri version of Swingers, except with less Vince Vaughn.

Financially, money is a little tight in Hannibal. The average median income for a household is $29,892, and $37,264 for a family. The median income for a male is $30,677, and for a female $20,828, showing that the glass ceiling is alive in well in rural Missouri. About 14% of the total population and around 18% of people 18 and younger are under the poverty line--which finally explains why Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn always lacked shoes.


What to see, what to do in Hannibal:

You better love yourself some Mark Twain.

There's the...
Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse
Mark Twain Cave
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
Mark Twain Riverboat
Sawyer's Creek Fun Park
Huckleberry Park
Huckleberry Disc Golf Course
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn Statue
Mark Twain Statue
Mark Twain Memorial Bridge
...and Tom and Becky appearances, where local children are chosen to portray the characters from Twain's book at local events and in downtown Hannibal on weekends from March to October.

There's a total lack of Bill Lear museums or 8-track cassette player sculpture parks.


Where to eat in Hannibal:
The obligatory Mark Twain-named restaurant exists. Check out the Mark Twain Family Restaurant for the Mark Twain Fried Chicken, homemade root beer, and a Starbucks coffee bar. (I know, I know. I didn't see the Starbucks coming either.)

Drakes Steak & Ale offers casual family dining at fairly affordable prices. Also, it's possibly the only place in America where a Sam Adams and Corona are listed as "specialty beers."

LaBinnah Bistro is somewhat more upscale, and wins bonus points for having the option of translating their website into German, Spanish, or French.


Is there any homage to Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal, Missouri?

No.


Mark Twain's thoughts on his hometown:

"Hannibal has had a hard time of it ever since I can recollect, and I was 'raised' there. First, it had me for a citizen, but I was too young then to really hurt the place."