The “Show Me State,” hosts a wide variety of opportunities and lifestyles for its residents: From St. Louis, a cosmopolitan city filled with fashionable restaurants and smoky jazz clubs to historic communities such as Laclede's Landing and The Hill, where fine restaurants, art galleries, and craft shops abound. Greater Kansas City, Missouri has an exceptionally high standard of living, but is very affordable, with one of the lowest costs of living of all major U.S. cities. This area also consistently ranks below the national average in real estate & housing costs, transportation, food and utilities. Families find it easy to take root in the St. Louis region because of its close-knit, friendly communities and variety of educational opportunities. There are 115 public outstanding urban and suburban school districts and over 300 of the finest private schools in the nation. Today, Missouri remains as one of the major manufacturing and commercial states of the Midwest and also employs more than one-third in the diverse service sector, which includes working in hospitals or restaurants.