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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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