Ask me anything about St. Louis

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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After seeing the “Ask me anything about Quebec” thread on Facepunch, I’ve wanted to make a thread about my hometown, Saint Louis. Feel free to ask me anything about the city of St. Louis, the surrounding area, or Missouri in general. I was born and raised in St. Louis and I lived here my life, not in the city itself, but in the Greater St. Louis (metropolitan) area. I will also provide information about St. Louis in this thread for anyone interested in this beautiful city. Saint Louis is located in the state of Missouri, in the United States of America.

St. Louis skyline

Flag of St. Louis

Seal of St. Louis
HISTORY
The history of St. Louis dates back to 1703 when it was settled by French explorers. In 1803 France sold the region to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. It then became one of the most important cities in the entire country. Being located on the Mississippi River, it provided river traders with a major port. It was also the only major city west of the Mississippi River at the time, so it was the last stop for fur traders and explorers who headed west. In 1876 the city voted to secede from Saint Louis County and became an independent city. In 1904, St. Louis held the 1904 World’s Fair. In 1963 construction of the Gateway Arch began, and construction was finished in 1965. On January 10, 2009 part of Saint Louis County seceded from the United States and that region is now the currently unrecognized country of Jonathanland.
SPORTS
St. Louis Cardinals (Baseball)

The Cardinals was formed in 1882 as the St. Louis Brown Stockings. They eventually changed the name to the St. Louis Perfectos in 1899, and in 1900 to their permanent name, the St. Louis Cardinals. They have been rivals with the Chicago Cubs (originally the Chicago White Stockings) since their formation. The Cardinals have won 10 World Series, with their latest being in 2006. The current cardinals stadium is new Busch Stadium (2006-present), however previous stadiums had been Busch Memorial Stadium (1964-2005), Sportsman’s Park (1902-1966), and Robinson Field (1893-1920). It’s the team of world renowned players Mark McGwire (also known as “Big Mac”) and Rogers Hornsby (also known as “The Rajah”).

St. Louis Blues (Hockey)

The St. Louis Blues were founded in 1967 as the second professional hockey team in St. Louis. The first NHL team in St. Louis was the St. Louis Eagles, which only existed for one season. The current Blues stadium is the Scottrade Center (1994-present), which was formerly known as the Savvis Center (2000-2006) and the Kiel Center (1994-2000). The Blue’s former stadium was the St. Louis Arena (1929-1994), which was also known as the Checkerdome. Famous Blues players include Wayne Gretzky (also known as “The Great One”) and Brett Hull (also known as “The Golden Brett”).

St. Louis Rams (Football)

The St. Louis Rams were purchased by St. Louis in 1995, they had previously been owned by Cleveland and later Los Angeles. The Rams won only one Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXXIV, in 2000. The Rams stadium is the Edward Jones Dome (1995-present), which was previously known as the Russell Athletic Field (2006), Dome at America’s Center (2001-2002), and the Trans World Dome (1995-2001). Perhaps the most famous Rams player is Marshall Faulk, who was the quarterback during Super Bowl XXXIV.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What’s your favorite part about living in St. Louis?
A: That’s hard to answer, I don’t have one particular thing that I like the most. But the people are generally friendly and we have some pretty attractive girls in these parts. I also loved our school system, which was surprisingly good since it was a predominately white middle class high school (and 7th & 8th grade only junior high school) without any major disciplinary problems and without a strict dress code or school uniform. But aside from the great education school district, it would have to be the scenery. Here in the St. Louis area you can drive for 45 minutes in one direction and you’re in a very urban city, but if you drive 45 minutes in the other direction you’re in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees. And it’s so peaceful here, there’s very little violent crime in suburban areas (excluding parts of North County) and there’s just this perfect blend of nature and technology. We have broadband internet access here, along with many other first-world utilities, but we also have that untamed wilderness right there with it, and that would have to be my favorite thing about St. Louis.

Q: Is it true that the Illinois part of St. Louis has a lot of crime?
A: Yes and no. The city of East Saint Louis in Illinois has the highest crime rate in the entire country, however if you go past that, you’ll find a lot nice towns in the area and the city of Belleville which are still in the Greater St. Louis area. So basically avoid East Saint Louis at all costs.

Q: Why doesn’t St. Louis have basketball or soccer sports teams?
A: We used to have a NBA team, the St. Louis Bombers, but they unfortunately died in 1950. We also used to have a soccer team, the St. Louis Steamers, but they shutdown when the entire national soccer league died, and we currently don’t have a franchise in the newly formed Major League Soccer league.

Q: If I were to move to St. Louis, what area would you recommend living in?
A: I’d recommend Jefferson County, South County, or possibly even West County.

Q: What is the number one thing you would recommend for tourists to see/do in St. Louis?
A: I could say the Gateway Arch, but that would be a cop-out since everyone says “the Arch” so I’m going to have to say Six Flags St. Louis, which is great for teenagers and adults, while also providing a fun area for kids. That being said, you should definitely see and go up the Arch too.

Q: What is the weather like there?
A: The weather here changes all the time. One day it will be nice outside and swimming weather, the next it could be snowing, and the day after that we’ll have massive storms and lately we’ve gotten a couple of tornadoes. We have hot summers and cold winters.

Q: There aren’t any gangs are there?
A: In the city there might be a few, but not out in the area where I live and went to high school (and 7th & 8th grade) at. There might also be a few in St. Louis County.

Q: What is the population of St. Louis?
A: According to 2010 census data, the city has a population of 319,294 people (5,158.2 per square mile) and the metro area has a population of 2,779,939 (334.93 per square mile) people.

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  1. Does everyone really leave the city at 5 pm? I was there for a week about two years ago, staying near the Arch, and downtown was a ghost town after 5. Except the nights there was a baseball game, then it was a ghost town 30 minutes after the game ended.

  2. You guys don’t really think your pizza is any good, do you?
    Actually, I kind of liked the place.

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Do you say “Saint Lew-iss”, or “Saint Lew-ee”?

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And why?

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Generally, “ask the …” threads belong somewhere other than General Questions. Let’s try MPSIMS.

samclem. Moderator, General Questions

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Have you been to any City Players events lately? Do they still exist, and where?

Tell me more.

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How can you mention the Cardinals without in the same breath saying Stan Musial? I’ve only been here three years and even I know that.

Six Flags? That an hour’s drive away. There’s a free zoo, a free science museum, a free art museum, a free history museum, all right in St. Louis.

Fear Itself, it’s pronounced “Saint Lewis”.

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Do some people call it St. Louie though? One of St. Louis’ most famous sons, Nelly, has a song called “St. Louie”.

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Artistic license. I haven’t run in to anyone who pronounces it that way except in a joking style.

Now if you want to get an argument started, ask about “Missouree” or “Missouruh”. :slight_smile:

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Ummm, Kurt Warner was the quarterback (and MVP). Faulk is a running back.

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  1. I imagine the older people would but teenagers and 20 year olds are all out partying all night here.

  2. Our pizza is the best. In fact, I think I’ll order one tonight form one of our local pizza joints.

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Saint Louis (pronounced “Lewis”)

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No one says “Saint Leew-ee” here.

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Oh yeah, I got the two confused, sorry.

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Don’t know what City Players is.

There’s not much to tell. They’re recognized by the locals as an independent country, but the government hasn’t sent in military forces to try and stop them yet, so I doubt they ever will have a true civil war or anything.

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Will you meet me there?

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How is the Museum of Westward Expansion? When I was there years ago I rode up to the top of the Arch, but didn’t have time for the museum. Is it worth a second visit next time I’m in town?

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Is the city slowly dying? I was there for a funeral last year and the airport was like nothing I’ve seen elsewhere. Most airports are bustling places full of people rushing about, while St. Louis’ was dead, with dozens of empty gates and shuttered storefronts.

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I’m not sure I recognize the town from your description…and I’m a fifth generation resident.

Seriously, there are plenty of better places to go locally than Six Flags, the local version of which is overpriced and only a mediocre amusement park at best… And downtown IS empty after 5pm (unless there’s a baseball game), except for the homeless and a few clubs the city is trying to shut down on noise ordinance and violence issues, because the few people who do live downtown (they’re trying to get a loft population going, but it’s not going too well) don’t want them there. And let’s not even discuss the City of St. Louis school system, one of the worst in the country.

Great things to see in St. Louis? There are many. The Missouri Botanical Garden (world class, especially come for the Japanese festival over Labor Day), the museums, the zoo, the Children’s Museum in Kirkwood, the Butterfly house. However, note that these are spread out allll over town.

St. Louis is a good place to live and not a bad place to visit and do some things if you’re not looking for a lot of excitement. You can probably see more and have more fun in Branson (Silver Dollar City is WELL worth the trip and ten times more fun that Six Flags) or in Chicago.

Also, St. Louis pizza is an acquired taste. If you’re from out of town you probably won’t like it. If you want to try it, avoid both Imo’s (NASTY!) and Cecil Whittaker’s at all cost and try Fortel’s. Or better yet, head over to one of the great Italian restaurants in the Hill area in the City and enjoy.

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Mandatory St. Louis native questions:

  1. Where did you go to high school? You’ve already said you didn’t grow up in the City, so what part of the county? The county’s huge and there’s a lot of variation from town to town.

  2. St. Louis is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, and it’s also considered part of the local culture to ask ‘What parish did you grow up in’? Locals know that even local non-Catholics can answer this.

(These questions are considered almost stereotypically St. Louis things to ask locally. It’s what St. Louisans ask each other on meeting to establish cred. We’re an odd crew that way.)