Saint Louis

About The Saint Louis

Pierre Laclede and his stepson, Auguste Chouteau, founded Saint Louis as a trading post in 1763. The city proper was established on February 15, 1764. St. Louis was in Louisiana Territory, which had belonged to France but, after the settlement of the French and Indian War in 1763, was controlled by Spain. Louisiana Territory was returned to France in the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800. Saint Louis was acquired from France by the United States under President Thomas Jefferson in 1803, as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

French explorers Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette had begun exploring the Mississippi River Valley in 1673. In 1682, La Salle claimed the entire valley for France, calling it "Louisiana" for King Louis XIV. The region explored and settled by the French was also known as "Illinois Country".

Saint Louis, despite its size, for many years has been a major center for corporate headquarters. The city is well known as being the center of operations for Anheuser-Busch Breweries, as well as Monsanto, formerly a chemical company and now a leader in genetically modified crops, and Solutia, the former Monsanto chemical division that was spun off as a separate company in 1997. Two local brokerages have grown into dominant players on America's financial landscape: A.G. Edwards and Edward Jones. It is also the site for the headquarters of Energizer, the battery company.

Unfortunately, in recent years many longtime corporate pillars have left St. Louis. Saint Louis was the corporate headquarters of McDonnell-Douglas prior to its 1997 merger with Boeing. Upon the merger, the area became the headquarters for Boeing's $27 billion-per-year Integrated Defense Systems division and its company-wide Phantom Works R&D operation. Locally, Boeing manufactures the F/A-18 Super Hornet and JDAM smart bombs, and has developed--at times secretly--several unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs). However, when Boeing relocated its corporate headquarters from Seattle, Washington in 2001, it moved to Chicago, Illinois. Saint Louis was not one of the final candidates.

From 1994 until its acquisition in 2000 by Tyco International, another chemical company, Mallinckrodt, was headquartered in Saint Louis County. Many of the former Mallinckrodt facilities are still in operation by Tyco in the Saint Louis suburb of Hazelwood, Missouri.

Saint Louis has also been corporate headquarters for animal feed and human-food maker Ralston Purina (split up and acquired by out-of-town interests), Trans World Airlines (acquired by American Airlines, which then dismantled TWA's St. Louis hub), telecommunications company SBC (moved to San Antonio), and military contractor General Dynamics (moved to Washington, D.C.). All major St. Louis banks have been purchased by out-of-town banks. The city retains a Federal Reserve Bank.

Saint Louis remains home to railway car plants; two DaimlerChrysler plants in the nearby suburb of Fenton, Missouri, where minivans and pickup trucks are built; a General Motors plant in suburban Wentzville; and a Ford Motor Company plant in Hazelwood, where SUVs are built.

The region has built up a formidable health care industry. The industry is dominated by BJC Health Care, which operates the world-leading Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital, plus more than a dozen others. BJC benefits from a symbiotic relationship with Washington University's School of Medicine, which is a major center of medical research. Other major players include SSM Health Care, St. John's Mercy, and the Tenet Corporation chain.

Although local housing costs have risen in recent years, they are still significantly below the national average, and are a revelation to new arrivals from the coasts. From the mid-1990s onward, the City of St. Louis itself has seen a major surge in housing rehabilitation as well as new construction on cleared sites. As a rule, other costs of living also are at or below the national average. Wages tend to reflect these facts, likewise being at or slightly below the average.

Attractions
Forest Park, located on the western edge of the central corridor of the City of St. Louis, offers many of Saint Louis' most popular attractions: the free Saint Louis Zoological Park; the Municipal Theatre ("The Muny"), the largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre in the United States; the Saint Louis Science Center and Observatory, with its architecturally distinctive McDonnell Planetarium; the Saint Louis Art Museum (also free); the Missouri History Museum; and, of course, plenty of lakes and scenic, open areas. Forest Park completed a multimillion dollar renovation in 2004 for the centennial of the St. Louis World's Fair. The Missouri Botanical Garden, also known as "Shaw's Garden", is one of the world's leading botanical research centers. It possesses a beautiful collection of flowery plants, shrubs, and trees: It includes the Japanese Garden, which features a lake filled with koi and lovely gravel designs; the woodsy English Garden; the Chinese Garden; the Home Gardening Center; a rose garden; the climate-controlled dome Climatron; and other scenic gardens. Immediately south of the Missouri Botanical Garden is Tower Grove Park, a gift to the City by Henry Shaw. The Gateway Arch, officially named the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, is located near the riverfront in downtown Saint Louis. It was designed by noted architect Eero Saarinen. The Arch is the centerpiece of a national park that also includes the nearby Old Courthouse, where the famous Dred Scott case was tried. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, the New Cathedral is a large Roman Catholic cathedral designed in the Byzantine and Romanesque styles. The interior is decorated with lovely mosaics, the largest mosaic collection in the world. The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (1834), also known as the "Old Cathedral", is the oldest Roman Catholic cathedral west of the Mississippi River. The Old Cathedral is located adjacent to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The Fox Theatre, originally one of many movie theatres along Grand Boulevard, is now a newly restored theatre featuring Byzantine decor. The Fox Theatre presents a Broadway Series in addition to concerts. The Hill is a historically Italian neighborhood where many of the area's best Italian restaurants can be found. The Hill was the home of Yogi Berra and many other noted baseball players. Laclede's Landing, located directly north of Downtown and by the Mississippi River, is popular for its restaurants and clubs. The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame is located by Busch Stadium in downtown Saint Louis. The Eugene Field House, located in downtown Saint Louis, is a museum dedicated to the distinguished children's author. The City Museum (http://www.citymuseum.org/) offers a variety of fun exhibits. It serves as a meeting point for Saint Louis' young arts scene. The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra plays at Powell Symphony Hall. Leonard Slatkin is one of the former conductors.

Sports
The Saint Louis Cardinals are one of the teams of baseball's National League. They play at Busch Stadium.
The Saint Louis Blues are the local NHL hockey team; they play at the Savvis Center, formerly the Kiel Center.
The Saint Louis Rams are the NFL team best known for bringing Saint Louis its first Super Bowl victory, in 1999. They play at the Edward Jones Dome (formerly the Trans World Dome, after Trans World Airlines, which merged with American Airlines).
The St. Louis Steamers are the local Major Indoor Soccer League team; they play at the Savvis Center
The Saint Louis University Billikens of the Conference USA.
In April 2007 Edward Jones Dome will host the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Final Four. The Savvis Center will host the 2007 Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament on April 5 and April 7, 2007.
In April 2009 Edward Jones Dome will host the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship Final Four.

Sports
The Saint Louis Cardinals are one of the teams of baseball's National League. They play at Busch Stadium.
The Saint Louis Blues are the local NHL hockey team; they play at the Savvis Center, formerly the Kiel Center.
The Saint Louis Rams are the NFL team best known for bringing Saint Louis its first Super Bowl victory, in 1999. They play at the Edward Jones Dome (formerly the Trans World Dome, after Trans World Airlines, which merged with American Airlines).
The St. Louis Steamers are the local Major Indoor Soccer League team; they play at the Savvis Center
The Saint Louis University Billikens of the Conference USA.
In April 2007 Edward Jones Dome will host the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Final Four. The Savvis Center will host the 2007 Frozen Four college ice hockey tournament on April 5 and April 7, 2007.
In April 2009 Edward Jones Dome will host the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship Final Four.