FAST FACTS ABOUT ST. LOUIS

Population: Approximately 2,600,000 in the Metropolitan area. The City of St. Louis has approximately 375,000 residents, while St. Louis County has approximately 1,000,000.

Cost of Living Index: 99.95 (National Average: 100)

Average Housing Cost: $103,000 (National Average: $143,000).

Climate: Average temperatures in the summer range from 57°F to 90°F degrees, and in the winter from below 0°F to 55°F degrees. The average annual rainfall is 38 inches, with an average annual snowfall of 20 inches. Storms are common throughout the year, and at times they can bring a path of destruction with lightning, heavy winds and a torents of moisture.

Time Zone: Central Standard Time, which is six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. When it's noon in St. Louis, it's 1 pm in Toronto, 6 pm in London and 4 am in Sydney. St. Louis observes Daylight Saving Time, which in 1997 is in effect Apr 6-Oct 25.

Economy: St. Louis is the sixth largest Fortune 500 headquarters city in the nation. Some of its major commercial enterprises include Anheuser-Busch, Emerson Electric, Boeing (formerlly Mcdonnell Douglas), May Department Stores, Monsanto, Ralston Purina, and Trans World Airlines.

Taxes: Combined city and state sales tax is 6.6% (4.225% state and 1.775% city). Hotel occupancy tax is 7.25%.

FAST FACTS ABOUT MISSOURI

Capital: Jefferson City

Statehood: Aug. 10, 1821; the 24^th state.

Nickname: Show Me State.

Bird: Bluebird.

Flower: White hawthorn.

Tree: Flowering dogwood.

Motto: Salus populi suprema lex esto ("Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law").

Song: "Missouri Waltz."

ATTRACTIONS

Historic Homes : Here are some of the historic homes in the St. Louis Metro area. We sincerely welcome your input. Please use our online form to tell us about any attractions not listed here that you would like to see listed.

·       Campbell House Museum 1508 Locust Street (314) 421-0325 : Built by colonel Robert Campbell in 1851, this fine example of Victorian architecture is almost entirely furnished with original pieces. Open Tuesday through Sunday.

·       Cupples House 3673 W. Pine Blvd. (314) 977-3025 : A Romanesque Revival style mansion constructed of pink Missouri granite and Colorado sandstone. The 42 room mansion is filled with beautiful antiques and decorative objects, and features an art gallery in the basement. It also houses a wonderful collection of art glass.

·       Daniel Boone Home & Boonesfield Village 1868 Hwy. F, Defiance, MO (314) 987-2221 or 987-2251

·       Although Daniel Boone was well-travelled, he did spend the last years of his life here in this pioneer village. You can tour this four-story Georgian-style home and savor this early-1800's part of history.

·       DeMenil Mansion & Museum 3352 DeMenil Place: Greek Revival architecture with extensive furnishings of the period.

·       Eugene Field House & St. Louis Toy Museum 634 S. Broadway (314) 421-4689

·       The childhood home of Eugene Field, author of "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" and "Little Boy Blue." Built in 1845, the house displays a large collection of antique toys and dolls spanning 300 years.

·       General Daniel Bissell House 10225 Bellefontaine Road : The first American military post west of the Mississippi.

·       Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site (White Haven) 7400 Grant Road (314) 842-3298

·       White Haven is at the core of the 1,100 acres Grant owned in St. Louis. Visitor Center open daily.

·       Hawken House 1155 S. Rock Hill Road (Exit Elm Ave. from I-44) (314) 968-1857 : Built in 1857, this wonderful home is a blend of Victorian and Federal styles.

·       Historic Hanley House 7600 Westmoreland: Greek Revival architecture from 1855-1894 and furnishings are from 1820-1890.

·       John B. Meyers House 180 Dunn Road (314) 837-7661 : Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 1860's Palladian style house is well worth the visit. Interesting shops and a restaurant. Mon. - Sat. Free admission.

·       Oakland House 7801 Genesta (314) 842-4795

·       Sappington House Museum 1015 S. Sappington Road, Crestwood, MO 63126 (314) 957-4785 : National Historic Landmark built in 1808, this Federal-period museum is furnished with authentic antiques and holds the Sappington House Restaurant, a gift shop, and the Library of Americana.

·       Scott Joplin House State Historic Site & Museum 2658 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103 (314) 533-1003 : Built in the years following the Civil War and listed as a National Historic Landmark, this structure was the home of the famous ragtime composer Scott Joplin and his wife between 1900 and 1903. It contains exhibits interpreting Joplin's life and his extraordinary contribution to American Music. Includes a visitor center, music room and museum.

·       Taille de Noyer 1896 S. Florissant Road (314) 524-1100 : Originally built in 1790, this house was enlarged in stages from 1805-1850. Sun, 1 pm-4 pm. $2 adults, $1 children.

·       Thornhill Faust Park & Historic Home 5185 Olive Blvd., Faust Park, St. Louis, MO (314) 532-7298 : Tours by reservation are available at Thornhill, the home of Missouri's second governor, Frederick Bates.

COMEDY CLUBS

·       Catch a Rising Star St. Louis Union Station, (314) 231-6900.

·       Laugh Tracks 1820 Market Street, #250 St. Louis Union Station, (314)241-3435

LIVE BLUES & JAZZ

·       Backstage Bistro : 3536 Washington Avenue, (314) 534-3663

·       BB's Jazz, Blues, & Soups  : 700 S. Broadway, (314) 436-5222

·       Broadway Oyster Bar : 736 South Broadway, (314) 621-8811

·       1860's Hard Shell Cafe & Bar  : 1860 South 9th Street, (314) 231-1860

·       Hannegan's : 719 North Second Street, (314) 241-8877

·       Mike & Min's : 925 Geyer, (314) 421-1655

NIGHTCLUBS & DANCING

·       I.E.C. 1401-A Mississippi Avenue, Sauget, IL, (618) 271-9420

·       St. Louis Casa Loma Ballroom : 3354 Iowa Avenue, (314) 664-8000

·       The Summit 200 N. Broadway (St. Louis Place), Suite 110, (314) 436-2770

·       Blueberry Hill 6504 Delmar, (314) 727-0880

·       Boomer's 707 Clamorgan Alley, (314) 621-8155

·       Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grill 371 Northwest Plaza, (314) 209-1201

·       Kicks Nightclub 660 Maryville Centre Drive, (314) 878-2747

·       Mississippi Nights 914 N. First Street, (314) 421-3853

·       Side Door Music Club 2005 Locust, (314) 231-3666

SPORTS BARS

·       Charlie Spoon's Restaurant 309-313 N. Euclid, (314) 361-7811

·       Maggie O'Brien's Restaurant 2000 Market Street, (314) 421-1388

·       Ozzie's Restaurant & Sports Bar 645 West Port Plaza, (314) 343-1000

·       Skeeter's Eatery 727 North First Street, (314) 241-2220

Your Guide to St. Louis, Missouri

 Welcome to SaintLouis.Com, your guide to St. Louis, MO, the Gateway City. SaintLouis.com is your interactive online guide to the St. Louis Area (St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles, St. Peters, and O'Fallon). Here you will find information and resources for everything from facts and figures on St. Louis, to what to do on your day off.  We also have a comprehensive guide to sports in St. Louis, with coverage and information on the NHL St. Louis Blues, MLB St. Louis Cardinals, NFL St. Louis Rams, and the St. Louis Ambush professional indoor soccer team. We will soon be adding information for the St. Louis Sting and other St. Louis area sports teams. We will also keep you up to date on the professional basketball team that will be playing in St. Charles. You can also find national sports stories through our partnership with ESPN.  SaintLouis.com also provides you with current weather conditions and forecast for the St. Louis Area through our partnership with The Weather Channel. SaintLouis.com brings you information about local businesses, apartments, stores, restaurants, etc. Concert information, Movie listing, its all right here. We provide you with information about the Saint Louis Zoo, the Saint Louis Symphony, and St. Louis parks and Missouri State parks. We are adding section for the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis City Museum, and the Washington University Art Museum. SaintLouis.com also offers free listings for other not for profit organizations, with pictures, information, etc.  Wondering where to go this weekend? How to get there? Look no further than SaintLouis.com, as we strive to bring you the best guide to the St. Louis region of Missouri. If you can't find the information about St. Louis that you are looking for on this site, please let us know and we will add it.

 What you can find here

St. Louis Community - Saint Louis area Not for profit organizations, City and State Government information, Utilities, etc.,

 St. Louis Computers - Saint Louis Computer Hardware and Software vendors, and local Internet Service providers

St. Louis Outdoors - St. Louis and Missouri state parks, trails, camping and more, including directions, trail maps etc.

St. Louis Services - Attorneys, Doctors, Construction, Hair Stylist, etc.

 St. Louis Shopping - Saint Louis area stores and internet shopping. Auto parts, Comic books, Florist, and more.

 St. Louis Sports - Real time News and Scores from ESPN, complete Saint Louis Blues, Cardinals, Rams, and Ambush

 St. Louis Tourism - From Hotels and Things to do, including an area dedicated to the Saint Louis Zoo.

About St. Louis

More than 2.5 million people live in the Greater St. Louis region, which includes 12 counties covering 6,375 square miles in Missouri and Illinois, making it the 18th largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Where To Work

Home to 20 Fortune 1000 companies such as Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., Monsanto Company, Ralston Purina Company and Trans World Airlines, Inc., Greater St. Louis ranks fourth in the United States as a headquarters location for Fortune 500 companies. In addition to these major corporations, many entrepreneurial businesses flourish in the St. Louis area. In fact, St. Louis ranked 2nd in the U.S. in Entrepreneur magazine’s listing of the top places for small business, marking four straight years on that publication’s Top 10 list. Inc. magazine placed St. Louis among the Top 10 areas for growing firms. Black Enterprise magazine also named St. Louis as one of six new business meccas for African-Americans. The St. Louis region’s economy is booming with over 91,100 new jobs created since January 1995. The region’s main industries include aviation, biotechnology, chemicals, electrical utilities, food and beverage manufacturing, refining, research, telecommunications and transportation.

Through a record-breaking economic development campaign, the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association helped Greater St. Louis raise $14 million to use toward reaching the area’s goal of generating 100,000 jobs in the region by the end of the year 2000. For more information about doing business in greater St. Louis, visit the RCGA web page.

Where To Play

Downtown or around town, there are many ways St. Louisans play. Three professional sports teams - Cardinals baseball, Rams football and Blues hockey - play in downtown St. Louis venues. Laclede's Landing, a revitalized riverfront district, features additional entertainment opportunities, including riverboat casinos, restaurants, shops and the Gateway Arch Park, which surrounds the famous Gateway Arch. Union Station, formerly St. Louis' train terminal, now houses a comedy club, hotel, specialty shops and restaurants, and a man-made pond for paddle-boating under the old train shed. Grand Street, a center for ethnic restaurants and art galleries; historic Soulard, featuring an open-air farmer's market, beautifully restored homes and the Anheuser-Busch brewery; the Hill, home to Italian neighborhoods, shops and restaurants; and the Central West End, with its eateries, antique shops, and grand old homes are just a few of the neighborhoods visitors love to explore. St. Louis' Forest Park, site of the 1904 World's Fair, outdoes New York's Central Park in size. Frequented by runners, rollerbladers and picnickers, the park also hosts some of the region's favorite cultural and educational institutions: the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center and the Missouri History Museum. All are free to the public. Even the Municipal Opera (affectionately known as the Muny), a 12,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, offers free seats for its summer theater productions. Five state parks and hundreds of neighborhood parks make St. Louis one of the greenest regions in the nation and a beautiful place to visit. St. Louisans don't have to travel far to reach a variety of attractions outside of the city, including the Fairmont Park thoroughbred racing arena, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Gateway International Raceway, Casino St. Charles Riverfront Station, Six Flags over Mid-America and several historic area wineries.

Where to Meet

Hospitality is St. Louis' second largest industry. It employs more than 46,000 people, who serve over 6 million visitors a year and bring $8 billion into the local economy. The newly expanded America's Center convention complex welcomes some of the country's largest meeting groups to its user-friendly environs in the heart of downtown St. Louis. The center's Trans World Dome, the first multi-purpose stadium in America to be built as an integral part of a convention center, is bringing new attention to the complex through its ability to host special events as well as through its major sports tenant: the St. Louis Rams. With the Metrolink light rail system, four main interstate routes and 575 Bi-State Development Agency buses, Greater St. Louis is an easy region to navigate. The area is home to the 8th largest airport in the world, Lambert St. Louis International Airport, and to several smaller regional airports including Mid-America Airport located in St. Clair County in Illinois. The region is easily accessible by train via the 84 Amtrak passenger trains that pass through each week. For more information about St. Louis metropolitan area as a

 place to visit or meet, contact the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission at (800) 916-8938 or visit their web site at http://www.st-louis-cvc.com or for information on the Illinois side of the metro area contact the Southwestern Illinois Tourism and Convention Bureau at (800) 442-1488 or visit their web site at http://www.illinoissouthwest.org/

Where to Live

The same attractions, cultural institutions and negotiability that make the St. Louis region a great place to visit also make it a great place to live. In fact, Fortune magazine recently rated Greater St. Louis the nation's Third Best Place To Live and Work. Greater St. Louis boasts the second-lowest cost of living and the second most affordable housing rates among major metropolitan areas. Families find it easy to take root in the region because of its close-knit, friendly communities and variety of educational opportunities. The region offers 115 public school districts ranging from outstanding urban magnet schools to excellent suburban systems, over 300 of the finest private schools in the nation and 80 technical and vocational schools, one of which was designated as an exemplary school by the US Department of Education. The St. Louis area's average ACT score of 21.8 is higher than the national average of 21.0. Expansion Management, Money and Redbook magazines and the U.S. Secretary of Education have commended area schools in recent years. Twelve universities and four year colleges, including 16th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis; eight two-year institutions and numerous professional schools enhance the quality and skills of the region's work force and enrich its intellectual creativity and strength.