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St. Louis, located in east central Missouri on the Mississippi River, is the second-largest city in the state. Incorporated as a city in 1822, St. Louis prospered as a fur trading center and, due to its prime location on the Mississippi, quickly became a major transportation hub. 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, Solutia and Energizer. A Boeing plant is also located in the city.
The city's most famous landmark is the 630-foot Gateway Arch, designed by Eero Saarinen and erected in 1965 to symbolize St. Louis as the gateway to the American West. The Municipal Theatre, the largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre in the US, is located in Forest Park. Many of the city's cultural attractions are also located in Forest Park, including the St. Louis Zoological Park, the Municipal Theatre ("The Muny"), the St. Louis Science Center and Observatory, the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Missouri History Museum. Other cultural attractions include the St. Louis Symphony Orhcestra, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the St. Louis Shakespeare Company.
St. Louis is one of America's top sports cities, with a passionate fan base for its four major league teams. Major league baseball's St. Louis Cardinals play at 49,779-seat Busch stadium. The NFL's St. Louis Rams play at the 66,975-seat Edward Jones Dome, which also hosts major college sports events like the Big 12 Championship game in football and the NCAA Final Four in basketball. The brand new, 21,000-seat Savvis Center holds the home ice of the NHL's St. Louis Blues as well as the home court of the St. Louis Billikens for college basketball. Just across the Mississippi River in Illinois, Gateway International Raceway hosts NASCAR events throughout the year.
With its agreeable climate and prime location at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, St. Louis offers great recreational opportunities. The Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is a 4,300-acre conservation area with access to both rivers, allowing hunting, fishing, hiking and biking. More wildlife can be seen at 546-acre Lone Elk Park within the city and at 8,000-acre Pere Marquette Lodge & Conference Center 45 minutes away in Grafton, Illinois. You can hike, hunt, fish, ride horses in the summer and see bald eagles fly during the winter.
St. Louis has a thriving nightlife, helping it rank #22 on the Forbes list of the Best Cities for Singles. With Anheuser-Busch based in the city, would you expect anything less? The historic Soulard neighborhood just south of Busch Stadium is the city's best place to see live music, with many clubs within walking distance. Laclede's Landing on the Mississippi River is a large area packed with restaurants, bars and nightclubs, and with easy access to riverboat gambling casinos.
St. Louis strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Missouri):
| Category | Trophy | |
|---|---|---|
| Public Transportation Use (vs. State) | Top 1% |  |
| Affordability of Rents (vs. Peers) | Top 1% | |
| Racial Diversity (vs. State) | Top 3% | |
| Affordability of Property Taxes (vs. Peers) | Top 8% | |
| Walking and Biking to Work (vs. State) | Top 10% | |
Comparing St. Louis to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Missouri (State):
Ratings range from 
(lowest) to 
(highest).
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Female Share of the Population | |  |
| Senior Citizens |  |  |
| Age of the Population |  |  |
| Well-Paid Single Women | |  |
| Children Under 5 Years Old | | |
| Well-Paid Single Men | | |
| Racial Diversity | | |
| Male Share of the Population | |  |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size |  | |
| Portion of People Married | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| College Educated Adults | | |
| People in Middle Class or Better | | |
| People Above Poverty | | |
| Median Family Income | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Public Transportation Use | | |
| Walking and Biking to Work | | |
| Short Commute Times | | |
| Working at Home | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability of Rents | | |
| People Living Alone | | |
| Affordability of Property Taxes | | |
| Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals | | |
| Seasonal and Vacation Housing | | |
| Housing Recently Built | | |
| Characteristic | Compared to Peers | Compared to State |
|---|---|---|
| Low Property Crime | | |
| Low Violent Crime | | |
Detailed pages on related topics: St. Louis colleges • St. Louis travel • St. Louis mortgages and property.
 | St. Louis Careers St. Louis career and employment information. |
 | St. Louis Colleges St. Louis colleges and trade schools. |
 | St. Louis Hotels & Travel St. Louis hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation. |
 | St. Louis Mortgage St. Louis property, mortgage, and real estate. |
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