About St. Louis

	The Climatron and reflecting pools at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Visitors from out of town often are surprised to see that St. Louis offers the amenities and sophistication of big-city living, but at affordable prices. The city boasts a world-famous symphony orchestra, a popular science center, a wonderful art museum, an active botanical garden and zoo, 11 Fortune 500 companies and a metropolitan area population of 2.5 million people.

St. Louis was founded in 1764 by Pierre Laclede as a Native American trading post. The location, just below the confluence of the Illinois, Mississippi and Missouri rivers, gave access to New Orleans and the emerging river towns along the Mississippi. Named after Louis IX, St. Louis' French influences are still strong. When Lewis and Clark pushed off in 1804 to explore the West, St. Louis' position as the Gateway to the West was assured.

The Mississippi River was once the focal point of commerce in St. Louis. Laclede's Landing, formerly a jumble of warehouses along the riverfront, is now a lively center for business, dining and entertainment, with horse-drawn carriages, cobblestone streets and gas lamps. Just south of the Landing is the 630-foot, stainless steel Gateway Arch, a monument to westward expansion. St. Louis' huge Fourth of July celebration is held on the Arch grounds, featuring three days of air shows, free celebrity concerts, food and beverage vendors, and spectacular fireworks.

The St. Louis Zoo in Forest Park.

European roots -- predominantly French, German, Irish and Italian -- are still here and still strong; they can be seen in the city's neighborhoods, restaurants, ethnic festivals and other attractions. Today, immigrants and refugees from many countries are finding St. Louis to be an excellent city in which to settle.

Forest Park, one of the largest city parks in the nation, is adjacent to Washington University Medical Center. The 1,370-acre park was the venue for the 1904 World's Fair and today is home to the Missouri Historical Society, the St. Louis Art Museum and the St. Louis Science Center, all free to the public. Other attractions include the Muny, a large outdoor amphitheater that seats 12,000 people and hosts a summer season of musical theater, and the 83-acre St. Louis Zoo, with outdoor and indoor exhibits, a railroad, animal shows, movies, restaurants and gift shops. Forest Park also boasts public tennis courts, a golf course, an ice rink, picnic areas, playgrounds, a lake with canoeing and boating opportunities, and a seven-mile trail for cycling, skating and running.

The St. Louis highway system allows easy access to all parts of the city and St. Louis County. MetroLink -- a light-rail line -- runs from Lambert Airport through downtown and includes a stop at the Medical Center.

	Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sports, both professional and amateur, have long been part of St. Louis living. In 2000, The Sporting News named St. Louis its Best Sports City. Fans cheer the storied Cardinals baseball team, the Super Bowl-winning Rams, and the perennially playoff-bound Blues hockey team. In 2001, St. Louis hosted the NCAA Women's Final Four basketball tournament. Amateur sports include hockey, football, rugby, baseball, softball and soccer, as well as tennis and golf.

Many musical genres are performed in the metropolitan area. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has its home at the attractive and acoustically excellent Powell Hall. The Opera Theatre of St. Louis has a spring season and brings English-language versions of classic and contemporary operas to the stage. Outdoor concerts take place throughout late spring and summer in various locations, including the Missouri Botanical Garden and city and county parks. Ragtime and jazz have a long tradition in this city and remain attractions in many bars and eateries along the riverfront. An outdoor venue, UMB Pavilion, brings major popular musical artists in the summer months, while such attractions are often presented at the historic Fox Theatre during the winter.

An hour's drive to the southwest rise the Ozark Mountains, among the Earth's oldest. A land of unsurpassed spring-fed and gravel-bottomed streams, the Ozarks offer camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and mountain biking adventures ranging from leisurely to challenging. One of the nation's last uncrowded outdoor jewels, the Ozarks' trails and backroads can be explored in solitude. Road cyclists also enjoy the 200-mile Katy Trail, reclaimed from an unused railroad bed alongside the picturesque Missouri River. Those interested in exploring history can visit Mark Twain's Hannibal and the Mississippian culture's startling mounds at Cahokia.

And when it's time to get farther away for a long weekend, St. Louis' central location makes exploring cities as varied as Memphis and Chicago, Kansas City and New Orleans relatively simple and inexpensive.

The main Washington University web site has extensive additional information about the St. Louis area.