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Fast Facts of St. Louis

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Located in east central Missouri on the Mississippi River, St. Louis is the second-largest city in the state. It was incorporated as a city in 1822. St. Louis is famous as a fur trading center and became a major transportation hub because of its prime location on the Mississippi. With a population of 318,069 in July 2011, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city as per the 2010 U.S. Census. Today, St. Louis has around 350,000 people and remains one of America’s top cities despite a significant population decline since the 1950s.

The city is one of the world’s beer capitals, with Anheuser-Busch Breweries headquartered there. The city is also home to several major companies, including Monsanto, Anheuser-Busch, Edward Jones Investments, Emerson Electric and Energizer. A Boeing plant is also located in the city. The city is commonly identified with the Gateway Arch, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in downtown St. Louis.

History:

  • In 1764, Pierre Laclede Li-guest and his scout Auguste Chouteau selected St. Louis as a fur trading post from the King of France.
  • Most early settlers of this place were French; many were associated with the fur trade.
  • In 1803, St. Louis flew under three flags in one day–French, Spanish, and American.
  • After 1804, more New Englanders and other East Coast emigrants settled in St. Louis. St. Louis incorporated as a city in 1823. During the 19th-Century, St. Louis grew into an important center of commerce and trade, attracting thousands of immigrants eager to find a new life on the edge of the frontier.
  • In 1965, construction of the Gateway Arch and in 1966 construction of Busch Memorial Stadium helped promote the revitalization of the central business district. A thirty-year downtown building boom followed, including such projects as the Cervantes Convention Center in 1978, the Union Station rehab in 1985, and St. Louis Center in 1986.
  • The great Mississippi flood of 1993 detracted from urban revitalization efforts but most low-lying industrial areas of the City were protected by a flood-wall. The most severe flooding in the City occurred along the River des Peres, a drainage-way serving the western and southern parts of the City and flowing into the Mississippi River.
  • Today, despite a routine decline in population, downtown and neighborhood revitalization efforts are ongoing in the City of St. Louis.
  • Medicine at Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis University Hospitals, brewing at Anheuser-Busch, and banking at Bank of America and Fir-star Bank are leading industries in the City; five Fortune 500 corporations are headquartered in the City limits, and many of the older industrial buildings in the City serve as incubators for small business.
  • Despite the challenges, the City of St. Louis is ready to grow into its fourth century.

Neighborhoods:

  • Some popular neighborhoods of St. Louis city are Sou-lard, Carr Square, Patch, Benton Park, Clayton, Columbus Square, Holly Hills, McKinley Heights, Franz Park, Old North St. Louis, Southampton, Shaw, Fairground, St. Louis Hills, Botanical Heights, West End, Linden-wood Park, Tiffany, Visitation Park, Pen-rose, Downtown, Kings-way East, River-view, Dutch-town, Downtown West, Greater Ville, Forest Park, Southeast, North Riverfront, Kosciusko, Kings Oak, St. Louis Place and many more.

Population:

  • St. Louis city has a population of 319,294 according to the 2010 United States Census.
  • About 49.2% of the population are African American, 43.9% are White (42.2% Non-Hispanic White), 2.9% are Asian, 0.3% are Native American/Alaska Native, and 2.4% are reporting from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 3.5% of the population.
  • In 2010, the city of St. Louis was awarded as one of the most generous large cities in the United States for online monetary donations and has also been recognized for having an extremely high volunteer rate in comparison to other major U.S cities.

Economy:

  • The economic base for St. Louis city comes from various industries such as health care and social service, professional or technical services, manufacturing and retail trading. And also from Major companies and institutions.
  • The rivers of St. Louis play a large role in moving goods, especially grain, coal, salt, and certain chemicals and petroleum products.
  • St. Louis area is home to nine Fortune 500 companies, including Express Scripts, Emerson Electric, Monsanto, Charter Communications, Peabody Energy, other notable corporations from the area include Edward Jones Investments, AT&T Communications, Post Holdings. Significant healthcare and biotechnology institutions with operations in St. Louis include the Donald Plant Science Center.
  • St. Louis is also home to Boeing Defense, Space & Security. In addition, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in downtown is one of two Federal Reserve banks in Missouri.

Geography and Climate:

  • The city is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri, St. Louis is near the geographic center of the United States. Its modified continental climate is characterized by four seasons without prolonged periods of extreme heat or high humidity.
  • Alternate invasions of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air masses from Canada produce a variety of weather conditions. Winters are brisk and seldom severe; annual snowfall averages about eighteen inches.
  • Hot days with temperatures of 100° F or higher occur on the average of five days per year. Severe storms are often accompanied by hail and damaging winds, and tornadoes have caused destruction and loss of life.
  • Average Temperatures: January, 29.5° F; July, 80.5° F; annual average, 55.4° F.
  • Average Annual Precipitation: 46.06 inches of rain; 23.5 inches of snow.

Attractions:
Some popular tourist attractions of St. Louis city are Wax museum, City Museum, Soldier’s Memorial, Saint Louis Zoo, Gateway Arch & Old Courthouse, Old Cathedral, Scot trade Center, Campbell House Museum, The Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries, Fabulous Fox Theater and many more.