COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The public divide over wind farms starts with the term itself.

Atchison County in the northwest corner of Missouri is home to what, thus far, is the largest wind-power project in the state. A landowner and a business leader see the wind turbines as bright, white, spinning beacons of hope for a sparsely populated area struggling with economic development.

In DeKalb County, less than 100 miles to the southeast, there are those who reject the term "wind farm." The turbines that stand as tall as 500 feet, to them, are really industrial towers.

The stark differences of opinion...