Louis

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Culture

Sports

St. Louis is home to Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, notable collegiate-level soccer teams, and has hosted several collegiate sports tournaments. It is one of three American cities to have hosted an Olympic Games.

Professional sports

Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis

St. Louis is home to two major league sports teams. The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won 19 National League (NL) titles (the most pennants for the league franchise in one city) and 11 World Series titles, most recently in 2011. They play at Busch Stadium. Previously, the St. Louis Browns played in the American League (AL) from 1902 to 1953, before moving to Baltimore, Maryland to become the current incarnation of the Orioles. The 1944 World Series was an all-St. Louis World Series, matching up the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park.

The St. Louis Blues play at the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis.

The St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) play at the Scottrade Center (formerly the Savvis Center, originally Kiel Center). They were one of the six teams added to the NHL in the 1967 expansion. The Blues have never won the Stanley Cup. Prior to the Blues, the city was home to the St. Louis Eagles. The team only played in the 1934-35 season.
St. Louis has been home to four different National Football League (NFL) teams. The St. Louis All-Stars played in the city in 1923, the St. Louis Gunners in 1934, the St. Louis Cardinals from 1960 to 1987, and the St. Louis Rams from 1995 to 2015. The football Cardinals advanced to the NFL playoffs just three times (1974, 1975 and 1982), never hosting or winning in any appearance. The Cardinals moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1988. The Rams played at the Edward Jones Dome from 1995 to 2015 and went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV. The Rams returned to Los Angeles, California in 2016.
The St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) played at Kiel Auditorium from 1955 to 1968. They won the NBA championship in 1958 and played in two other NBA Finals: 1957 and 1960. In 1968 the Hawks moved to Atlanta, Georgia.
St. Louis also hosts several minor league sports teams. The Gateway Grizzlies and the River City Rascals of the Frontier League (which are not affiliated with Major League Baseball) play in the area. The St. Louis Trotters of the Independent Basketball Association play at Matthews Dickey. St. Louis FC of the United Soccer League play at World Wide Technology Soccer Park and both River City Raiders and St. Louis Ambush play at the Family Arena. The region hosts NHRA drag racing and NASCAR events at the Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois.St. Louis Slam play at the Harlen C. Hunter Stadium

Amateur sports

At the collegiate level, St. Louis has hosted the Final Four of both the women's and men's college basketball NCAA Division I championship tournaments, and the Frozen Four collegiate ice hockey tournament. Although the area does not have a National Basketball Association team, it hosts an American Basketball Association team called the St. Louis Phoenix. St. Louis University has won 10 NCAA Men's Soccer Championships, and the city has hosted the College Cup several times. In addition to collegiate soccer, many St. Louisans have played for the United States men's national soccer team, and 20 St. Louisans have been elected into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. St. Louis also is the origin of the sport of corkball, a type of baseball in which there is no base running.

Chess

St. Louis is home to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis (CCSCSL) where the U.S. Chess Championship is held. St. Louisan Rex Sinquefield founded the CCSCSL and moved the World Chess Hall of Fame to St. Louis in 2011. The Sinquefield Cup Tournament started at St. Louis in 2013. In 2014 the Sinquefield Cup was the highest rated chess tournament of all time. Fabiano Caruana won the 2014 Sinquefield tournament winning seven straight games including a game against the world champion Magnus Carlsen. Caruana and U.S. Chess Champion Hikaru Nakamura live in St. Louis.

FIRST Robotics World Event

Every year, usually in April, the annual FIRST Robotics Competition world festival is held in St. Louis.

Parks

Forest Park features a variety of attractions, including the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, and the St. Louis Science Center.

Main article: Parks in St. Louis

For parks in the region, see Parks in Greater St. Louis.

The city operates more than 100 parks, with amenities that include sports facilities, playgrounds, concert areas, picnic areas, and lakes. Forest Park, located on the western edge of city, is the largest, occupying 1,400 acres of land, making it almost twice as large as Central Park in New York City.^[26] The park is home to five major institutions, including the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Science Center, the Missouri History Museum, and the Muny amphitheatre.^[26] Another significant park in the city is the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a National Memorial located on the riverfront in downtown St. Louis. The centerpiece of the park is the 630 feet (190 m) tall Gateway Arch, designed by noted architect Eero Saarinen and completed on October 28, 1965. Also part of the historic park is the Old Courthouse, where the first two trials of Dred Scott v. Sandford were held in 1847 and 1850.

The Jewel Box, a greenhouse and event venue in Forest Park

Other notable parks in the city include the Missouri Botanical Garden, Tower Grove Park, Carondelet Park and Citygarden. The Missouri Botanical Garden, a private garden and botanical research facility, is a National Historic Landmark and one of the oldest botanical gardens in the United States.^[26] The Garden features 79 acres of horticultural displays from around the world. This includes a Japanese strolling garden, Henry Shaw's original 1850 estate home and a geodesic dome called the Climatron.^[26] Immediately south of the Missouri Botanical Garden is Tower Grove Park, a gift to the city by Henry Shaw. Citygarden is an urban sculpture park located in downtown St. Louis, with art from Fernand Léger, Aristide Maillol, Julian Opie, Tom Otterness, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Mark di Suvero.^[84]^[85] The park is divided into three sections, each of which represent a different theme: river bluffs; flood plains; and urban gardens. The park also has a restaurant – Death in the Afternoon. Another downtown sculpture park is the Serra Sculpture Park, with the 1982 Richard Serra sculpture Twain.^[86]

Education

Main article: Education in St. Louis

For education in the region, see Education in Greater St. Louis.

Colleges and universities

Brookings Hall at Washington University in St. Louis

The city is home to two national research universities, Washington University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University, as classified under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been ranked among the top 10 medical schools in the country by US News & World Report for as long as the list has been published, and as high as second, in 2003 and 2004.^[26]
In addition to Catholic theological institutions such as Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis is home to three Protestant seminaries: Eden Theological Seminary of the United Church of Christ, Covenant Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America, and Concordia Seminary of the St. Louis-based Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

Primary and secondary schools

St. Louis University High School was founded in 1818. Their current building pictured here was built in 1924.

The St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) operate more than 75 schools, attended by more than 25,000 students, including several magnet schools. SLPS operates under provisional accreditation from the state of Missouri and is under the governance of a state-appointed school board called the Special Administrative Board, although a local board continues to exist without legal authority over the district. Since 2000, charter schools have operated in the city of St. Louis using authorization from Missouri state law. These schools are sponsored by local institutions or corporations and take in students from kindergarten through high school.^[77] In addition, several private schools exist in the city, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis operates dozens of parochial schools in the city, including parochial high schools. The city also has several private high schools, including secular, Catholic and Lutheran schools. St. Louis University High School - a Jesuit preparatory high school founded in 1818 - is the oldest secondary educational institution in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River.^[78]

Economy

Main article: Economy of St. Louis

According to stltoday.com 2015 GDP of St. Louis was $155 billion. 2014 Gross Metropolitan Product (GMP) of St. Louis was $145.958 billion up from $144.03 in 2013, $138.403 in 2012 and $133.1 in 2011 making it the 21st-highest in the country. The St. Louis Metropolitan Area had a Per capita GDP of $48,738 in 2014 up 1.6% from 2013.^[57] This signals the growth of the St. Louis economy. According to the 2007 Economic Census, manufacturing in the city conducted nearly $11 billion in business, followed by the health care and social service industry with $3.5 billion, professional or technical services with $3.1 billion, and the retail trade with $2.5 billion. The health care sector was the biggest employer in the area with 34,000 workers, followed by administrative and support jobs, 24,000; manufacturing, 21,000, and food service, 20,000.^[58]

Major companies and institutions

The Anheuser-Busch packaging plant in St. Louis

As of 2013, the St. Louis Metropolitan Area is home to nine Fortune 500 companies, the third-highest in the Midwestern United States. In addition, seven other Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the MSA: Express Scripts, Emerson Electric, Monsanto, Reinsurance Group of America, Centene, Graybar Electric, and Edward Jones Investments.^[59]

A Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, which is headquartered in St. Louis. The F/A-18E Super Hornet is assembled in the St. Louis area.

Other notable corporations headquartered in the region include Arch Coal, Scottrade, Wells Fargo Advisors (formerly A.G. Edwards), Energizer Holdings, Patriot Coal, Post Foods, United Van Lines, and Mayflower Transit, Ralcorp, Hardee's, Olin, and Enterprise Holdings (a parent company of several car rental companies). Notable corporations with operations in St. Louis include Cassidy Turley, Kerry Group, MasterCard, TD Ameritrade, and BMO Harris Bank.
Health care and biotechnology institutions with operations in St. Louis include Pfizer, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the Solae Company, Sigma-Aldrich, and Multidata Systems International. General Motors manufactures automobiles in Wentzville, while an earlier plant, known as the St. Louis Truck Assembly, built GMC automobiles from 1920 until 1987. Chrysler closed its St. Louis Assembly production facility in nearby Fenton, Missouri and Ford closed the St. Louis Assembly Plant in Hazelwood.
Several once-independent pillars of the local economy have been purchased by other corporations. Among them are Anheuser-Busch, purchased by Belgium-based InBev; Missouri Pacific Railroad, which was headquartered in St. Louis, merged with the Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific Railroad in 1982;^[60] McDonnell Douglas, whose operations are now part of Boeing Defense, Space & Security;^[61] Mallinckrodt, purchased by Tyco International; and Ralston Purina, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Nestlé.^[62] The May Department Stores Company (which owned Famous-Barr and Marshall Field's stores) was purchased by Federated Department Stores, which has its regional headquarters in the area. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in downtown is one of two federal reserve banks in Missouri.^[63] Most of the assets of Furniture Brands International were sold to Heritage Home Group in 2013, and while that company remained in the area for a brief time, it has moved to North Carolina.^[64]^[65]

Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which is affiliated with the Washington University School of Medicine

St. Louis is a center of medicine and biotechnology.^[66] The Washington University School of Medicine is affiliated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the fifth-largest hospital in the world. Both institutions operate the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center.^[67] The School of Medicine also is affiliated with St. Louis Children's Hospital, one of the country's top pediatric hospitals.^[68] Both hospitals are owned by BJC HealthCare. The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University played a major role in the Human Genome Project.^[69] St. Louis University Medical School is affiliated with SSM Health's Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital and St. Louis University Hospital. It also has a cancer center, vaccine research center, geriatric center, and a bioethics institute. Several different organizations operate hospitals in the area, including BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health Care, and Tenet.
Boeing employs nearly 15,000 people in its north St. Louis campus, headquarters to its defense unit. In 2013, the company said it would move about 600 jobs from Seattle, where labor costs have risen, to a new IT center in St. Louis.^[70]^[71] Other companies, such as LaunchCode and LockerDome, see the city's potential to become the next major tech hub.^[72] Programs such as Arch Grants are attracting new startups to the region.^[73]
According to the St. Louis Business Journal, the top employers in the St. Louis metropolitan area as of June 1, 2015, are as follows:^[74]

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	BJC Health Care	24,182
2	Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.	21,721
3	Boeing Defense, Space & Security	15,000
4	Washington University	14,451
5	SSM Health	13,301

According to St. Louis's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[75]^[76] the top employers in the city only, as of June 30, 2016 are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Washington University	15,683
2	BJC Health Care	14,142
3	St. Louis University	10,257
4	City of St. Louis	9,254
5	Defense Finance and Accounting Service	6,411
6	Wells Fargo (A. G. Edwards)	5,645
7	St. Louis Board of Education	5,179
8	US Postal Service	4,624
9	State of Missouri	4,038
10	St. Louis Children's Hospital	3,615

Demographics

St. Louis grew slowly until the American Civil War, when industrialization and immigration sparked a boom. Mid-19th century immigrants included many Irish and Germans; later there were immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. In the early 20th century, African American and white migrants came from the South; the former as part of the Great Migration out of rural areas of the Deep South. Many came from Mississippi and Arkansas.
After years of immigration, migration, and expansion, the city reached its peak population in 1950. That year, the Census Bureau reported St. Louis's population as 82% White and 17.9% African American.^[43] After World War II, St. Louis began losing population to the suburbs, first because of increased demand for new housing, unhappiness with city services, ease of commuting by subsidized highways, and later, white flight.^[44] St. Louis's population decline has resulted in a significant increase of abandoned residential housing units and vacant lots throughout the city proper; this blight has attracted much wildlife (such as deer and coyotes) to the many abandoned overgrown lots.
St. Louis has lost 62.7% of its population since the 1950 United States Census, the highest percent of any city that had a population of 100,000 or more at the time of the 1950 Census. Detroit, Michigan and Youngstown, Ohio are the only other cities that have had population declines of at least 60% in the same time frame. The population of the city of St. Louis has been in decline since the 1960 census; during this period the population of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, which includes more than one county, has grown every year and continues to do so. A big factor in the decline has been the rapid increase in suburbanization.
According to the 2010 United States Census, St. Louis had 319,294 people living in 142,057 households, of which 67,488 households were families. The population density was 5,158.2 people per square mile (1,990.6/km²). About 24% of the population was 19 or younger, 9% were 20 to 24, 31% were 25 to 44, 25% were 45 to 64, and 11% were 65 or older. The median age was about 34 years.
The population was about 49.2% African American, 43.9% White (42.2% Non-Hispanic White), 2.9% Asian, 0.3% Native American/Alaska Native, and 2.4% reporting two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population.^[45]
The African-American population is concentrated in the north side of the city (the area north of Delmar Boulevard is 94.0% black, compared with 35.0% in the central corridor and 26.0% in the south side of St. Louis^[46]). Among the Asian-American population in the city, the largest ethnic group is Vietnamese (0.9%), followed by Chinese (0.6%) and Asian Indians (0.5%). The Vietnamese community has concentrated in the Dutchtown neighborhood of south St. Louis; Chinese are concentrated in the Central West End.^[47]^{[not in citation given]} People of Mexican descent are the largest Latino group, and make up 2.2% of St. Louis's population. They have the highest concentration in the Dutchtown, Benton Park West (Cherokee Street), and Gravois Park neighborhoods.^[45]
In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $29,156, and the median income for a family was $32,585. Males had a median income of $31,106; females, $26,987. Per capita income was $18,108.
Some 19% of the city's housing units were vacant, and slightly less than half of these were vacant structures not for sale or rent.
In 2010, St. Louis's per-capita rates of online charitable donations and volunteerism were among the highest among major U.S. cities.^[48]
As of 2010, 91.05% (270,934) of St. Louis city residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a primary language, while 2.86% (8,516) spoke Spanish, 0.91% (2,713) Bosnian, 0.74% (2,200) Vietnamese, 0.50% (1,495) African languages, 0.50% (1,481) Chinese, and French was spoken as a main language by 0.45% (1,341) of the population over the age of five. In total, 8.95% (26,628) of St. Louis's population age 5 and older spoke a mother language other than English.^[49]

[hide]Racial composition	2015 (est.)^[50]	2010^[51]	2000^[52]	1990^[43]	1970^[43]	1940^[43]
White	47.1% (est.)	43.9%	43.9%	50.9%	58.7%	86.6%
—Non-Hispanic	44.0 (est.)	42.2%	43.0%^[53]	50.2%	57.9%^[54]	86.4%
Black	46.9% (est.)	49.2%	51.2%	47.5%	40.9%	13.3%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	3.9% (est.)	3.5%	2.0%	1.3%	1.0%^[54]	0.2%
Asian	3.3% (est.)	2.9%	2.0%	0.9%	0.2%	(X)

Bosnian population

About 15 families from Bosnia settled in St. Louis in 1960 and 1970. After the Bosnian War started in 1992, more Bosnian refugees began arriving and by 2000, tens of thousands of Bosnian refugees settled in St. Louis with the help of Catholic aid societies. Many of them were professionals and skilled workers who had to take any job opportunity to be able to support their families. Most Bosnians refugees are Muslim, ethnically Bosniaks (87%); they have settled primarily in south St. Louis and South County. Bosnian-Americans are well integrated into the city, developing many businesses and ethnic/cultural organizations.^[55]
An estimated 70,000 Bosnians live in the metro area, the largest population of Bosnians in the United States and the largest Bosnian population outside their homeland. The highest concentration of Bosnians is in the neighborhood of Bevo Mill and in Affton, Mehlville, and Oakville of south St. Louis County.^[56]

Climate

Further information: Geography of St. Louis § Climate

The Captains' Return statue inundated by the Mississippi River, 2010.

St. Louis lies in the transitional zone between the humid continental climate type and the humid subtropical climate type (Köppen Dfa and Cfa, respectively), with neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. The city experiences hot, humid summers, and chilly to cold winters. It is subject to both cold Arctic air and hot, humid tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico. The average annual temperature recorded at nearby Lambert–St. Louis International Airport, is 57.1 °F (13.9 °C). Both 100 and 0 °F (38 and −18 °C) temperatures can be seen on an average 2 or 3 days per year.^[30] Average annual precipitation is about 41.0 inches (1,040 mm),^[30] but annual precipitation has ranged from 20.59 in (523 mm) in 1953 to 61.24 in (1,555 mm) in 2015.^[31]
St. Louis experiences thunderstorms 48 days a year on average.^[32] Especially in the spring, these storms can often be severe, with high winds, large hail and tornadoes. Lying within the hotbed of Tornado Alley, St. Louis reigns as one of the most frequently tornadic metropolitan areas, and has an extensive history of particularly damaging tornadoes. Severe flooding, such as the Great Flood of 1993, may occur in spring and summer; the (often rapid) melting of thick snow cover upstream either the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers can contribute to springtime flooding.

[show]Climate data for St. Louis, Missouri (Lambert–St. Louis Int'l), 1981−2010 normals,^[a] extremes 1874−present^[b]

Flora and fauna

Tower Grove Park in spring

The Missouri Botanical Garden

Before the founding of the city, the area was mostly prairie and open forest. Native Americans maintained this environment, good for hunting, by burning underbrush. Trees are mainly oak, maple, and hickory, similar to the forests of the nearby Ozarks; common understory trees include eastern redbud, serviceberry, and flowering dogwood. Riparian areas are forested with mainly American sycamore.
Most of the residential areas of the city are planted with large native shade trees. The largest native forest area is found in Forest Park. In autumn, the changing color of the trees is notable. Most species here are typical of the eastern woodland, although numerous decorative non-native species are found. The most notable invasive species is Japanese honeysuckle, which officials are trying to manage because of its damage to native trees. It is removed from some parks.
Large mammals found in the city include urbanized coyotes and white-tailed deer. Eastern gray squirrel, cottontail rabbit, and other rodents are abundant, as well as the nocturnal Virginia opossum. Large bird species are abundant in parks and include Canada goose, mallard duck, as well as shorebirds, including the great egret and great blue heron. Gulls are common along the Mississippi River; these species typically follow barge traffic.
Winter populations of bald eagles are found along the Mississippi River around the Chain of Rocks Bridge. The city is on the Mississippi Flyway, used by migrating birds, and has a large variety of small bird species, common to the eastern US. The Eurasian tree sparrow, an introduced species, is limited in North America to the counties surrounding St. Louis. The city has special sites for birdwatching of migratory species, including Tower Grove Park.
Frogs are commonly found in the springtime, especially after extensive wet periods. Common species include the American toad and species of chorus frogs commonly called spring peepers, which are found in nearly every pond. Some years have outbreaks of cicadas or ladybugs. Mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and houseflies are common insect nuisances, especially in July and August; because of this, windows are nearly universally fitted with screens. Invasive populations of honeybees have sharply declined in recent years. Numerous native species of pollinator insects have recovered to fill their ecological niche, and armadillos have been regularly seen throughout the St. Louis area, especially since 2005.^[36]

Architecture

Further information: Architecture of St. Louis and List of tallest buildings in St. Louis

Wainwright Building (1891), an important early skyscraper designed by Louis Sullivan.

A cluster of skyscrapers is located just west of the Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River.

Many houses in Lafayette Square are built with a blending of Greek Revival, Federal and Italianate styles

The architecture of St. Louis exhibits a variety of commercial, residential, and monumental architecture. St. Louis is known for the Gateway Arch, the tallest monument constructed in the United States at 630 feet (190 m).^[26] The Arch pays homage to Thomas Jefferson and St. Louis's position as the gateway to the West. Architectural influences reflected in the area include French Colonial, German, early American, and modern architectural styles.
Some notable post-modern commercial skyscrapers were built downtown in the 1970s and 1980s, including the One US Bank Plaza (1976), the AT&T Center (1986), and One Metropolitan Square (1989), which is the tallest building in St. Louis. One US Bank Plaza, the local headquarters for US Bancorp, was constructed for the Mercantile Bancorporation in the Structural expressionist style, emphasizing the steel structure of the building.
During the 1990s, St. Louis saw the construction of the largest United States courthouse by area, the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse (completed in 2000). The Eagleton Courthouse is home to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The most recent high-rise buildings in St. Louis include two residential towers: the Park East Tower in the Central West End and the Roberts Tower located in downtown.
Several examples of religious structures are extant from the pre-Civil War period, and most reflect the common residential styles of the time. Among the earliest is the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (locally referred to as the Old Cathedral). The Basilica was built between 1831 and 1834 in the Federal style. Other religious buildings from the period include SS. Cyril and Methodius Church (1857) in the Romanesque Revival style and Christ Church Cathedral (completed in 1867, designed in 1859) in the Gothic Revival style.
Only a few civic buildings were constructed during the early 19th century. The original St. Louis courthouse was built in 1826 and featured a Federal style stone facade with a rounded portico. However, this courthouse was replaced during renovation and expansion of the building in the 1850s. The Old St. Louis County Courthouse (locally known as the Old Courthouse) was completed in 1864 and was notable for having an early cast iron dome and for being the tallest structure in Missouri until 1894. Finally, a customs house was constructed in the Greek Revival style in 1852, but was demolished and replaced in 1873 by the U.S. Customhouse and Post Office.
Because much of the city's early commercial and industrial development was centered along the riverfront, many pre-Civil War buildings were demolished during construction of the Gateway Arch. The city's remaining architectural heritage of the era includes a multi-block district of cobblestone streets and brick and cast-iron warehouses called Laclede's Landing. Now popular for its restaurants and nightclubs, the district is located north of Gateway Arch along the riverfront. Other industrial buildings from the era include some portions of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, which date to the early 1860s.
St. Louis saw a vast expansion in variety and number of religious buildings during the late 19th century and early 20th century. The largest and most ornate of these is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, designed by Thomas P. Barnett and constructed between 1907 and 1914 in the Neo-Byzantine style. The St. Louis Cathedral, as it is known, has one of the largest mosaic collections in the world. Another landmark in religious architecture of St. Louis is the St. Stanislaus Kostka, which is an example of the Polish Cathedral style. Among the other major designs of the period were St. Alphonsus Liguori (locally known as The Rock Church) (1867) in the Gothic Revival and Second Presbyterian Church of St. Louis (1900) in Richardsonian Romanesque.
By the 1900 census, St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the country. In 1904, the city hosted a world's fair at Forest Park called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Its architectural legacy is somewhat scattered. Among the fair-related cultural institutions in the park are the St. Louis Art Museum designed by Cass Gilbert, part of the remaining lagoon at the foot of Art Hill, and the Flight Cage at the St. Louis Zoo. The Missouri History Museum was built afterward, with the profit from the fair. But 1904 left other assets to the city, like Theodore Link's 1894 St. Louis Union Station, and an improved Forest Park.

Neighborhoods

Further information: Neighborhoods of St. Louis

French style houses in Lafayette Square

The Delmar Loop is a neighborhood which is on the border of the city and St. Louis County

The city is divided into 79 government-designated neighborhoods.^[27] The neighborhood divisions have no legal standing, although some neighborhood associations administer grants or hold veto power over historic-district development.
Several neighborhoods are lumped together in categories such as "North City" and "South City."
The following is a list of neighborhoods of the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

1	Carondelet	21	Soulard	41	Cheltenham	61	Carr Square
2	Patch	22	Benton Park	42	Clayton/Tamm	62	Columbus Square
3	Holly Hills	23	McKinley Heights	43	Franz Park	63	Old North St. Louis
4	Boulevard Heights	24	Fox Park	44	Hi-Pointe	64	Near North Riverfront
5	Bevo Mill	25	Tower Grove East	45	Wydown/Skinker	65	Hyde Park
6	Princeton Heights	26	Compton Heights	46	Skinker/DeBaliviere	66	College Hill
7	Southampton	27	Shaw	47	DeBaliviere Place	67	Fairground
8	St. Louis Hills	28	Botanical Heights	48	West End	68	O'Fallon
9	Lindenwood Park	29	Tiffany	49	Visitation Park	69	Penrose
10	Ellendale	30	Benton Park West	50	Wells/Goodfellow	70	Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial
11	Clifton Heights	31	Gate District	51	Academy	71	Mark Twain
12	The Hill	32	Lafayette Square	52	Kingsway West	72	Walnut Park East
13	Southwest Garden	33	Peabody/Darst/Webbe	53	Fountain Park	73	North Point
14	North Hampton	34	LaSalle Park	54	Lewis Place	74	Baden
15	Tower Grove South	35	Downtown	55	Kingsway East	75	Riverview
16	Dutchtown	36	Downtown West	56	Greater Ville	76	Walnut Park West
17	Mount Pleasant	37	Midtown	57	The Ville	77	Grand Center
18	Marine Villa	38	Central West End	58	Vandeventer	78	Hamilton Heights
19	Gravois Park	39	Forest Park Southeast	59	JeffVanderLou	79	North Riverfront
20	Kosciusko	40	Kings Oak	60	St. Louis Place

Topography

Rivers in the St. Louis area.

According to the United States Census Bureau, St. Louis has a total area of 66 square miles (170 km²), of which 62 square miles (160 km²) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km²) (6.2%) is water.^[28] (Not shown on simple maps of the city, the land at its airport is owned by the city, served by its fire department and others, and is an exclave of St. Louis.) The city is built primarily on bluffs and terraces that rise 100–200 feet above the western banks of the Mississippi River, in the Midwestern United States just south of the Missouri-Mississippi confluence. Much of the area is a fertile and gently rolling prairie that features low hills and broad, shallow valleys. Both the Mississippi River and the Missouri River have cut large valleys with wide flood plains.
Limestone and dolomite of the Mississippian epoch underlie the area, and parts of the city are karst in nature. This is particularly true of the area south of downtown, which has numerous sinkholes and caves. Most of the caves in the city have been sealed, but many springs are visible along the riverfront. Coal, brick clay, and millerite ore were once mined in the city. The predominant surface rock, known as St. Louis limestone, is used as dimension stone and rubble for construction.
Near the southern boundary of the city of St. Louis (separating it from St. Louis County) is the River des Peres, practically the only river or stream within the city limits that is not entirely underground.^[29] Most of River des Peres was confined to a channel or put underground in the 1920s and early 1930s. The lower section of the river was the site of some of the worst flooding of the Great Flood of 1993.
The city's eastern boundary is the Mississippi River, which separates Missouri from Illinois. The Missouri River forms the northern line of St. Louis County, except for a few areas where the river has changed its course. The Meramec River forms most of its southern line.