Saint Louis, Missouri

:This article is about the city in Missouri. For other uses of Saint Louis, see Saint Louis.

Geography

St. Louis is located at {{coor dms|38|38|53|N|90|12|44|W|region:GR}} (38.648056, -90.212222).{{GR|1}}

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The city lies along the western banks of the Mississippi River, just south of the Missouri-Mississippi confluence. Much of the area is a gently rolling prairie with low hills and broad, shallow valleys. Both the Mississippi River and the Missouri River have cut large valleys with wide flood plains. Limestone underlies much of the area and there are some sinkholes and caves, although most of the caves have been sealed shut.

Related Topics:
Mississippi River - Missouri

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The western and northern boundaries of Saint Louis County are defined by the Missouri River. Near the southern boundary of Saint Louis County is the Meramec River.

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At the southern boundary of the city of Saint Louis (separating it from the county) is the River des Peres, virtually the only river or stream within the city limits that is not entirely underground. Most of River des Peres was either channelized or put underground in the 1920s and early 1930s. The lower section is an open channel with a sewer at the bottom. Because of poor water quality, the River des Peres has acquired some uncomplimentary local nicknames, such the "River de Pew" and "River Despair". The lower section of the river was the site of some of the worst flooding of the Great Flood of 1993.

Related Topics:
River des Peres - Nickname - Great Flood of 1993

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Near the central, western boundary of the city is Forest Park, site of the 1904 World's fair, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 or, as it is commonly known, the Saint Louis World's Fair, and the 1904 Summer Olympics, the first Olympic Games held in North America. At the time, Saint Louis was the fourth most populous city in the United States.

Related Topics:
Forest Park - World's fair - Louisiana Purchase Exposition - 1904 - Saint Louis World's Fair - 1904 Summer Olympics - Olympic Games

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 171.3 km² (66.2 mi²). 160.4 km² (61.9 mi²) of it is land and 11.0 km² (4.2 mi² or 6.39%) of it is water.

Related Topics:
United States Census Bureau - Km² - Mi²

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Metropolitan statistical area

The Saint Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area, the 18th largest in the United States, has a total population of 2,698,672). This area includes Saint Louis County (1,016,315), the independent City of Saint Louis (348,189), the Missouri counties of Saint Charles (283,883), Jefferson (198,099), Franklin (93,807), Lincoln (38,944) and Warren (24,525), and the Illinois counties of Madison (258,941), Saint Clair (256,082), Clinton (35,535), Monroe (27,619) and Jersey (21,668).

Related Topics:
Metropolitan Statistical Area - 18th largest - Saint Louis County - Missouri counties - Saint Charles - Jefferson - Franklin - Lincoln - Warren - Illinois counties - Madison - Saint Clair - Clinton - Monroe - Jersey

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Cityscape

The city is divided into 81 neighborhoods. The divisions have no legal standing, although some neighborhood associations administer grants or hold veto power over historic-district development. Nevertheless, the social and political influence of neighborhood identity is profound. Some hold avenues of massive stone edifices built as palaces for heads of state visiting the 1904 World's Fair. Others offer tidy working-class bungalows, hip loft districts, or areas hard-hit by social problems and unemployment. Many of them have retained - quite consciously and deliberately - a camaraderie that is missing from many American towns today.

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Among the best-known, architecturally significant, or well-visited neighborhoods areDowntown St. Louis, Midtown St. Louis, Benton Park, Carondelet, the Central West End, Clayton/Tamm(Dogtown), Forest Park Southeast, Grand Center, The Hill, Lafayette Square, Shaw (home to the Missouri Botanical Garden and named after the Garden's founder, Henry Shaw), Soulard (home of the second-largest Mardi Gras festival in the nation), TowerGrove East and Tower Grove South, and Wydown/Skinker.

Related Topics:
Downtown St. Louis - Midtown St. Louis - Carondelet - Central West End - Clayton/Tamm - Forest Park Southeast - Grand Center - The Hill - Missouri Botanical Garden - Henry Shaw - Soulard - Mardi Gras - TowerGrove

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