St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri was founded by French settlers as a fur trapping outpost. The city became a major commercial center during the 19th century after becoming part of the United States after the Louisiana Purchase by President Thomas Jefferson. After WWII, the city suffered significant population loss. It is currently gaining population and has successfully challenged the U.S. Census bureau for several years running. The city is one of the few in the nation to be an independent city, not being a member of any county. The city seceded from St. Louis county in 1876; thereafter many functions performed by a county were taken up by the city itself, or by the state of Missouri.

City vs. County

Those who dwell within the city limits typically do not regard those from St. Louis county or the Metro East as from St. Louis. The rivalry between city residents and their suburban neighbors is deeply ingrained and is typically a stumbling block when regional cooperation is required. An example of this would be debate held over the new Busch stadium. Though it has been suggested that the city and county once again merge (the city and county separated in the late 19th century) it is unlikely that this will occur.

The entire Metro-East area is much larger in population than the city proper of Saint Louis. The Illinois side of the Mississippi, Known as the Metro-East consists of towns such as East Saint Louis, Belleville, Edwardsville, and Collinsville. You'll like it if you like bricks, they have a lot. Some say it is the most dangerous city in the United States.

Gateway City

St. Louis calls itself "The Gateway to the West", which makes those who live in the city kind of angry. That is like saying, "We are proud to be that place that everyone walks through. Look at that huge arch! It's as tall as it is wide. How incredible! Now let's get out of here."

Music

St. Louis music rules. Let's just talk about Chuck Berry for a second. Thanks.

Tom Fucoloro '08 owns a record label with a couple of friends called Big Muddy Records that is based out of the city.

Baseball

If you are not from St. Louis, and you like baseball, then there is nothing more to say here. The city is pretty good at it.

Downtown revival

Downtown St. Louis has been bouncing back for about 30 years now. But it really will happen.

Downtown music venues

There are no more all-ages venues in the downtown area. The Creepy Crawl moved out by SLU, Mississippi Nights closed up shop and the Galaxy has been gone for a long time. The music scene has moved to some formerly lesser-known dives, which are more fun, but harder to find.

Baseball Village

With the new stadium, planners are trying to create some high class places to live in the area directly surrounding the stadium, which is smack dab in the center of downtown. The rest of the city just hopes they are not useless yuppies.

Literary figures associated with the Lou

T.S. Eliot, Tennessee Williams, William Gass, Maya Angelou, William Burroughs, Chuck Berry, Kate Chopin, Eugene Field, Redd Foxx, Ulysses S. Grant, Dick Gregory, A.E. Hotchner, William Inge, Marianne Moore, Howard Nemerov, Joseph Pulitzer, Theodore Dreiser, and Nelly.

So, basically, if you're not from the St. Louis area you're probably not a very good writer.

Students from the Lou

• Pat Topping '12
• Jack Dryden '12
• Maggie Lynck'12
• Kelly Kriegshauser '12
• Avi Klein '12
• Tom Fucoloro '08
• Amelia Flood '07
• Megan Gamble '06
• Alex Enyart (Illinois side) '08