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{{Infobox City |official_name = St. Louis, Missouri|nickname = Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City|image_skyline = STLfinal.png|website = http://stlouis.missouri.org|image_flag = Flag of St. Louis, Missouri.png|image_seal =SaintLouisSeal.gif‎|image_map = MOMap-doton-Saint Louis.png|map_caption = Location in the state of Missouri|subdivision_type1 =[Political divisions of the United States|subdivision_type2 =List of counties in Missouri|subdivision_name =United States|subdivision_name2 =[Independent City|leader_name = [Francis G. Slay (Democratic Party (United States))|area_magnitude = 1 E8|area_total_km2 = 171.3|area_total_sq_mi = 66.2|area_land_km2 = 160.4|area_land_sq_mi = 61.9|area_water_km2 = 11.0|area_water_sq_mi = 4.2|population_as_of = July 2006|population_total = 353,837|population_metro = 2801033|population_density_km2 = 2207.1|population_density_sq_mi = 5716.3|population_footnotes ={{cite web | title = Accepted Challenges to Vintage 2006 Population Estimates | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/2000s/vintage_2006/06s_challenges.html | accessdate = 2007-05-15 --> |timezone = North American Central Time Zone|utc_offset = -6|timezone_DST = North American Central Time Zone|utc_offset_DST = -5|area_code = Area code 314|latd = 38|latm = 38|lats = 53|latNS = N|longd = 90|longm = 12|longs = 44|longEW = W|elevation_m = 138.7|elevation_ft =455|footnotes =-->

St. Louis (English language , French language Media:Saint-Louis.ogg) is an With these games, the United States became the first English language-speaking country to host the Olympic Games. Citizens of St. Louis still look back fondly on the events of 1904; there were several events held in 2004 to commemorate the centennial.

St. Louis had developed a lively immigrant gang culture by the early 20th century, leading up to much bootlegging activity and gang violence. One gang leader, from an Irish part of the city referred to as "Kerry Patch" (now almost entirely non-Irish-populated, the area is now part of the Old North St. Louis neighborhood) was named "Jelly Roll" Hogan. Hogan's gang is mentioned in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. In the 1920s there were shoot outs on Lindell Boulevard between Hogan's Gang and the gang known as Egan's Rats. A priest was brought in to broker peace between the gangs in 1923, but this truce only lasted a few months before two more people were killed in a public shoot out. In 1924, Egan's Rats made off with $2.4 million in bonds from a mail truck. Hogan during this time was a State legislature (United States). He was elected in 1916, eventually became a state senator, and spent forty years in elected office.

Although St. Louis did not segregate people on street cars like other cities, racial discrimination in housing was commonplace, and discrimination in employment was more or less universal before World War II. During World War II, the NAACP successfully campaigned, through protests and picket lines, to persuade the Federal government to allow African-Americans to work in war plants. Some 16,000 jobs were gained in this way. White southerners no longer had to be brought to St. Louis to do the work. State court rulings and local civil rights campaigns in the two decades after the war undid the legality of race-based restrictions on real estate ownership and opened some clerical positions in local banks, etc. that had been more common prior to WWII.

St. Louis experienced major expansion in the early 20th century due to the formation of many industrial companies. Like many U. S. cities, the city reached its peak population at the 1950 census. The Gateway Arch was built in the mid-1960s. In January 1999, the city hosted Pope John Paul II for a day. Suburbanization in conjunction with the GI Bill, interstate highway construction, and changes in housing preferences shifted the population out of the city and into newly-formed suburbs. Although the overall population of the St. Louis MSA has always been growing, the St. Louis city population itself had been decreasing. However, as discussed below, the St. Louis city population is slowly increasing.

Recently, there has been a significant upturn in construction in Downtown St. Louis. The St. Louis Cardinals' new Busch Stadium opened in 2006. St. Louis Ballpark Village will be built where the former Busch Memorial Stadium stood. For several years, the Washington Avenue Loft District has been gentrification with an expanding corridor along Washington Avenue from the Edwards Jones Dome westward almost two dozen blocks. Rehabilitation of other downtown areas is planned, such as around the Old Post Office, St. Louis, Cupples warehouses, and St. Louis Centre. The Forest Park Southeast neighborhood north of the Missouri Botanical Garden and the old Gaslight Square district between Midtown and the Central West End are also going through extensive renovations. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri intends to relocate its regional office into a newly renovated, building adjacent to the Fox Theater in Midtown.

In 2006 the U. S. Census Bureau reported St. Louis had a net population gain of 5,647 from the 2000 Census, to 353,837, the first the city has had since 1950.

Geography Topography 's Landsat 4.According to the United States Census Bureau, St. Louis has a total area of 171.3 square kilometre (66.2 square mile). 160.4 km² (61.9 mi²) of it is land and 11.0 km² (4.2 mi² or 6.39%) of it is water. The city is built primarily on Hill and terraces that rise 100-200 feet above the western banks of the Mississippi River, just south of the Missouri River-Mississippi confluence. Much of the area is a fertile and gently rolling prairie that features low hills and broad, shallow valleys. Both the Mississippi River and the Missouri River have cut large valleys with wide flood plains.

Limestone and dolomite of the Mississippian geologic time scale underlies the area and much of the city is a karst area, with numerous sinkholes and caves, although most of the caves have been sealed shut; many springs are visible along the riverfront. Significant deposits of coal, brick clay, and millerite ore were once mined in the city, and the predominant surface rock, the St. Louis Limestone, is used as dimension stone and rubble for construction.Near the southern boundary of the City of St. Louis (separating it from St. Louis County, Missouri) 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 of the river was the site of some of the worst flooding of the Great Flood of 1993.

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

The Missouri River forms the northern border of St. Louis County, Missouri, exclusive of a few areas where the river has changed its course. The Meramec River forms most of its southern border. To the east is the City and the Mississippi River.

Climate St. Louis has been known to be a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa), and has neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. It can also be classified as a humid subtropical climate (Koppen climate classification Cfa), falling within the 25° and 40° Cfa latitude boundaries. Both cold Canadian Arctic air and hot, humid tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico affect the region. The city has four distinct seasons. The average annual temperature for the years 1970-2000, recorded at nearby Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport, is 56.3 °F (13.5 °C), and average precipitation is 37.15 inches (942 mm). The normal high temperature in July is 90 °F (32 °C), and the normal low temperature in January is 21 °F (−6 °C), although these values have been known to vary at times. Temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) or more occur no more than five days a year and temperatures of 0 °F (-17.8 °C) or below occur 2 or 3 days a year on average. The official record low is -22 °F (-30.0 °C) and the record high is 115 °F (46.1 °C). St. Louis weather records at NOAA.

Winter is the driest season, averaging about 6 inches of total precipitation. Spring (March through May), is typically the wettest season, with approximately 10.5 inches of precipitation. Dry spells lasting one or two weeks are common during the growing seasons.

St. Louis usually experiences thunderstorms between 20 and 30 days a year. Especially in the spring, these storms can often be severe, with high winds, large hail and tornadoes. St. Louis has been affected on more than one occasion by St. Louis tornado history. Other occasional weather events include snow and ice storms.

A period of warm weather late in autumn known as Indian summer can occur – roses will still be in bloom as late as November or early December in some years.

{{Infobox Weather| single_line = Yes| location = St. Louis, Missouri| Jan_Hi_°F = 39 | Jan_Hi_°C = 3| Feb_Hi_°F = 44 | Feb_Hi_°C = 6| Mar_Hi_°F = 54 | Mar_Hi_°C = 12| Apr_Hi_°F = 67 | Apr_Hi_°C = 19| May_Hi_°F = 76 | May_Hi_°C = 24| Jun_Hi_°F = 85 | Jun_Hi_°C = 30| Jul_Hi_°F = 89 | Jul_Hi_°C = 32| Aug_Hi_°F = 87 | Aug_Hi_°C = 31| Sep_Hi_°F = 80 | Sep_Hi_°C = 27| Oct_Hi_°F = 69 | Oct_Hi_°C = 21| Nov_Hi_°F = 54 | Nov_Hi_°C = 12| Dec_Hi_°F = 43 | Dec_Hi_°C = 6| Year_Hi_°F = 66 | Year_Hi_°C = 19

| Jan_Lo_°F = 21 | Jan_Lo_°C = -6| Feb_Lo_°F = 25 | Feb_Lo_°C = -3| Mar_Lo_°F = 34 | Mar_Lo_°C = 1| Apr_Lo_°F = 46 | Apr_Lo_°C = 7| May_Lo_°F = 55 | May_Lo_°C = 12| Jun_Lo_°F = 65 | Jun_Lo_°C = 18| Jul_Lo_°F = 69 | Jul_Lo_°C = 20| Aug_Lo_°F = 67 | Aug_Lo_°C = 19| Sep_Lo_°F = 59 | Sep_Lo_°C = 15| Oct_Lo_°F = 48 | Oct_Lo_°C = 8| Nov_Lo_°F = 36 | Nov_Lo_°C = 2| Dec_Lo_°F = 26 | Dec_Lo_°C = -3| Year_Lo_°F = 46 | Year_Lo_°C = 7

| Jan_Precip_inch = 2.0 | Jan_Precip_mm = 51| Feb_Precip_inch = 2.1 | Feb_Precip_mm = 53| Mar_Precip_inch = 3.3 | Mar_Precip_mm = 84| Apr_Precip_inch = 3.6 | Apr_Precip_mm = 91| May_Precip_inch = 3.9 | May_Precip_mm = 99| Jun_Precip_inch = 3.8 | Jun_Precip_mm = 97| Jul_Precip_inch = 3.8 | Jul_Precip_mm = 97| Aug_Precip_inch = 3.0 | Aug_Precip_mm = 84| Sep_Precip_inch = 3.0 | Sep_Precip_mm = 84| Oct_Precip_inch = 2.8 | Oct_Precip_mm = 71| Nov_Precip_inch = 3.1 | Nov_Precip_mm = 79| Dec_Precip_inch = 2.6 | Dec_Precip_mm = 66| Year_Precip_inch = 37.1 | Year_Precip_mm = 942

| source =Weatherbase{{cite web| url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=043427&refer= | title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America |accessdate = 2007-01-29-->| accessdate = January 2007-->

Flora and fauna Before the founding of the city, the area was prairie and open forest maintained by burning by Native Americans in the United States. Trees are mainly oak, maple, and hickory, similar to the forests of the nearby The Ozarks; common understory trees include Eastern Redbud, Serviceberry, and Flowering Dogwood. Riparian areas are forested with mainly American sycamore. Most of the residential area of the city is planted with large native shade trees. The largest native forest area is found in Forest Park. In Autumn, the changing color of the trees is notable. Most species here are typical of the Eastern Woodland, although numerous decorative non-native species are found; the most notable invasive species is Japanese honeysuckle, which is actively removed from some parks.

on an egg in nest near Chain of Rocks BridgeLarge mammals found in the city include urbanized coyotes and occasionally a stray whitetail deer. Eastern Gray Squirrel, Cottontail rabbit, and other rodents are abundant, as well as the nocturnal and rarely seen Opossum. Large bird species are abundant in parks and include Canada goose, Mallard duck, as well as shorebirds, including the Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. Gulls are common along the Mississippi River; these species typically follow barge traffic. Winter populations of Bald Eagles are found by the Mississippi River around the Chain of Rocks Bridge. The city is on the Mississippi Flyway, used by migrating birds, and has a large variety of small bird species, common to the eastern U.S. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow, an introduced species, is limited in North America to the counties surrounding St. Louis. Tower Grove Park is a well-known birdwatching area in the city.

Frogs are commonly found in the springtime, especially after extensive wet periods. Common species include the American toad and species of chorus frogs, commonly called "spring peepers" that are found in nearly every pond. Some years have outbreaks of cicadas or ladybugs. Mosquitos and houseflies are common insect nuisances; because of this, windows are nearly universally fitted with Window screen, and "screened-in" porches are common in homes of the area. Populations of Western honey bee have sharply declined in recent years, and numerous species of Pollination insects have filled their ecological niche.

Metropolitan statistical area .The St. Louis United States metropolitan area is the largest United States metropolitan area in Missouri, and the List of United States metropolitan statistical areas by population in the United States, and has an estimated total population of 2,801,033 as of July 1, 2006. This area includes the independent city City of St. Louis (353,837) and the List of Missouri counties of St. Louis County, Missouri (1,000,510), St. Charles County, Missouri (338,719), Jefferson County, Missouri (213,469), Franklin County, Missouri (101,076), Lincoln County, Missouri (50,123), Warren County, Missouri (29,685), and Washington County, Missouri (24,182), and the List of Illinois counties of Madison County, Illinois (265,303), St. Clair County, Illinois (260,919), Macoupin County, Illinois (48,841), Clinton County, Illinois (36,633), Monroe County, Illinois (31,876), and Jersey County, Illinois (22,628).

Cityscape The city is divided into 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 or loft districts. Many of them have endured as strong and cohesive communities.

Among the best-known, architecturally significant, or well-visited neighborhoods are Downtown St. Louis, Midtown St. Louis, Benton Park, Carondelet, St. Louis, the Central West End, St. Louis, Clayton/Tamm, St. Louis (Dogtown), Dutchtown South, Forest Park Southeast, Covenant Blu/Grand Center, St. Louis, The Hill, St. Louis, Lafayette Square, St. Louis, LaSalle Park, Old North St. Louis, Compton Heights, Princeton Heights, Shaw, St. Louis (home to the Missouri Botanical Garden and named after the Garden's founder, Henry Shaw (botanist)), Southampton, St. Louis, Southwest Garden, Soulard, St. Louis (home of the second-largest Mardi Gras festival in the nation), Tower Grove East, Tower Grove South, Hortense Place (home to many grand mansions), Holly Hills, St. Louis Hills, and Wydown/Skinker.St. Louis Received the World Leadership Award for urban renewal in 2006. The improvement in the quality of life in the City of St. Louis received international recognition when the World Leadership Forum awarded St. Louis its World Leadership Award in the category of urban renewal. Mayor Francis G. Slay accepted the award in London. The World Leadership Award is an international award that recognizes great ideas and achievements by cities. The award is given to cities whose leaders have shown exceptional imagination, foresight or resilience in a number of key areas – especially cities that have reversed trends, shaken off traditional images, and acted as an example and inspiration to others. In the presentation, Mayor Slay talked about how the City of St. Louis had created a “culture of change” that has empowered people to improve the City’s quality of life. “It isn’t just bricks and mortar,” Slay said. “We are certainly revitalizing Downtown and our neighborhoods. But, we are also addressing health care, education, affordable housing, and homelessness.”

Culture Tourism with meeting of the waters statue

There are many museums and attractions in the city. The St. Louis Art Museum, located in the City's premier park, Forest Park, and dating from the 1904 World's Fair, houses an impressive array of modern art and ancient artifacts, with an extensive collection of master works of several centuries, including paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Camille Pissarro, Picasso, and many others. The privately-owned City Museum offers a variety of interesting exhibits, including several large faux-caves and a huge outdoor playground. It also serves as a meeting point for St. Louis's young arts scene. The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, located in Grand Center, is an arts instutution in a world-renowned building designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Tadao Ando. The Eugene Field House, located in downtown St. Louis, is a museum dedicated to the distinguished children's author. The Missouri History Museum presents exhibits and programs on a variety of topics including the 1904 World's Fair, and a comprehensive exhibit on Lewis and Clark's voyage exploring the Louisiana Purchase. The Fox Theatre (St. Louis), originally one of many movie theatres along Grand Boulevard, is now a newly restored theatre featuring a Byzantine facade and Oriental decor. The Fox Theatre presents a Broadway Series in addition to concerts. The St. Louis Union Station is popular tourist attraction with retail shops and a luxury hotel.

.There are several notable churches in the city, including the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (more commonly known as "the New Cathedral"), a large Roman Catholic cathedral designed in the Byzantine architecture and Romanesque architecture styles. It is the motherchurch and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis, the principal diocese of Missouri; the current Archbishop is Raymond Leo Burke. The interior is decorated with lovely mosaics, the largest mosaic collection in the world. The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (1834) (more commonly 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. Also notable is the abbey church of Saint Louis Abbey, whose distinctive architectural style garnered multiple awards at the time of its completion. The Gateway Arch, part of the Memorial, is arguably the city's best known landmark, as well as a popular tourist site. This Memorial commemorates the acquisition and settlement, by the citizens of the United States of America, of all of the lands west of the Mississippi River that are part of the nation today. The Arch, and the entire 91 acres of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial park, occupy the exact location of the original French village of St. Louis (1764-1804). Unfortunately, no buildings from that era exist today.

The Hill, St. Louis is an historically Italian neighborhood where many of the area's best Italian restaurants can be found. The Hill was the home of Yogi Berra, Joe Garagiola, and many other noted athletes.

The Saint Louis Zoological Park, one of the oldest and largest free-admission zoos in the country, is home to an Insectarium and the Prairie Village. The St. Louis Zoo is the most visited zoo in the United States, having surpassed the San Diego Zoo in popularity. It boasts many exhibits with animal-friendly habitats. The zoo is located in Forest Park, adjacent to the St. Louis Art Museum.

The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame and St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum are located near Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis.

Laclede's Landing, located on the Mississippi Riverfront directly north of the historic Eads Bridge, is popular for its restaurants and nightclubs. St. Louis also possesses several distinct examples of 18th and 19th century architecture, such as the Soulard Market district (1779-1842), the Chatillon-de Menil House (1848), the Bellefontaine Cemetery (1850), the Robert G. Campbell House (1852), the Old Courthouse (1845-62), the original Anheuser-Busch Brewery (1860), and two of Louis Sullivan's early skyscrapers, the Wainwright Building (1890-91) and the Union Trust Building.

On the Riverfront two sculptural groups has been designated a National Lewis and Clark site by the National Park Service. This includes a twice life sized grouping of Lewis and Clark on the St. Louis Riverfront which commemorated the final celebration of the bicentennial of the expedition. These sculptures were done by Harry Weber

The Lemp Mansion, home of the ill-fated Lemp family, brewers of Falstaff Beer and others, is considered one of the most haunted places in the nation. It is open to the public as a restaurant, murder-mystery dinner theater, and bed & breakfast.

Tourism outside the city proper The Butterfly House is located in western St. Louis County, Missouri.

The Museum of Transportation is just outside Kirkwood, Missouri, a suburb in southwestern St. Louis County, Missouri. Many large steam locomotives, classic cars, a rare Chrysler Turbine car, and even a boat are some of the spectacles.

The Magic House, a children's hands-on exploration museum, and Worldways Children's Museum, an international children's cultural museum, are also in Kirkwood.

The Delmar Loop, in University City, Missouri, just west of the St. Louis city line, is a popular entertainment, cultural, and restaurant district.

The St. Louis International Film Festival runs for 11 days in November every year and is one of the top regional film festivals in the United States.

Six Flags St. Louis, known as "Six Flags over Mid-America" when it opened in June 1971, is an amusement park in Eureka, Missouri, Missouri, in far west St. Louis County, Missouri. It is one of the original Six Flags.

Saint Charles, Missouri is the county seat of Saint Charles County, Missouri and first capital of the state of Missouri.

Cahokia Mounds, located eight miles east of St. Louis near Collinsville, Illinois, Illinois, holds the ruins of a city of the ancient Mississippian culture aboriginal culture. Similar mounds within St. Louis, used as construction fill in the 1800s, gave the city one of its nicknames, "Mound City".

Alton, Illinois is a northern suburb with wineries, antique shops, golf courses, and bed and breakfasts.

Entertainment and performing arts St. Louis is home to the world-renowned Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra which was founded in 1880, is the second oldest orchestra in the nation, which has over the years been honored with six Grammy Awards and fifty-six nominations. The Historic Powell Symphony Hall on North Grand Boulevard has been the permanent home of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra since 1968. Leonard Slatkin, largely credited with building the orchestra's international prominence during his 17-year tenure as Music Director, is Conductor Laureate (presently he conducts the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC). The current Music Director of the orchestra is David Robertson.

The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is an annual summer festival of opera performed in English, originally co-founded by Richard Gaddes in 1976 (he is now the director of the Santa Fe Opera). Union Avenue Opera Theatre, formed in the early 1990s, is a smaller but thriving company that performs opera in the original languages.Other classical music groups of note include the Arianna String Quartet, the quartet-in-residence at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, and the Young Catholic Musicians, a group for young choir and band members made up of kids from over 60 parishes all over Saint Louis.

St. Louis has long been associated with great ragtime, jazz and blues music. Early rock and roll singer/guitarist Chuck Berry is a native St. Louisan and continues to perform there several times a year. Soul music artists Ike Turner and Tina Turner and jazz innovator Miles Davis began their careers in nearby East St. Louis, Illinois. St. Louis has also been a popular stop along the infamous Chitlin Circuit.

Popular Music and entertainment in St. Louis peaked in the 1960s due to the popularity of Gaslight Square, a thriving local nightclub district that attracted nationally known musicians and performers. This area was all but extinct by the early 1970s and today is the site of a new housing development.

St. Louis is also the home to successful modern musical artists, including Living Things (band), Sheryl Crow, Gravity Kills, Story of the Year, Modern Day Zero, Stir, Strawfoot, Greenwheel, Ludo (band), 7 Shot Screamers, The Impact, and The Urge. In the 1990s, the metro area produced several prominent alt-country artists, including Uncle Tupelo — a Belleville, Illinois trio often considered the originators of the style, whose members went on to found Wilco and Son Volt in 1994 — and The Bottle Rockets. Currently the alt-country scene has celebrated a resurgence, producing a burgeoning St. Louis Twang Scene, consisting of bands, burlesque dancers and roller derby queens. It is also home to local record label Big Muddy Records. rap music and hip hop music artists include Nelly, The Saint Lunatics, Ali (rapper), Murphy Lee, Chingy, Huey (rapper), Ebony Eyez, J-Kwon, Jibbs, Akon, and others.

The theatre district of St. Louis is in midtown, which is undergoing a major redevelopment and building boom. This district of the city is known as Grand Center, St. Louis. The phrase can refer to the district itself (which is located within Midtown), or to the not-for-profit agency, Grand Center, Inc. (GCI), which possesses certain quasi-governmental powers and administers arts and urban-renewal programs in the area. The district includes the Fox Theatre (St. Louis), one of the largest live Broadway theaters in the United States, the Powell Symphony Hall, home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, The Sun Theatre (under redevelopment), The St Louis Black Repertory Theater Company , the Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts , and the Sheldon Concert Hall.

The Muny short for The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis is the largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre in the United States, located in Forest Park (St. Louis), St. Louis, Missouri. Saeting capacity for every performance is over 13,000 people with 1500 free seats. The Muny has completed it's eighty-ninth annual season for the summer of 2007 with the production of Les Misérables. The theatre is influential with Actors' Equity Association.St. Louis is home to the one of the largest theatrical production companies known as The Fox Associates . Fox Associates, L.L.C., was formed in 1981 to purchase, renovate and operate the 4,500-seat Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri. The Fox, which had once been at the center of the St. Louis "movie" theatre district, had been closed since 1978 and was in need of both a major restoration and new entertainment programming to elevate it once again to its rightful position as the major venue for entertainment in St. Louis. The restoration was completed and in 1982 the Fox reopened as a major entertainment venue for Broadway productions, country stars and rock, pop and jazz artists. It has since become one of the highest grossing theatres in the country. Today, The Fox Associates group has helped produce some of Broadway's biggest hit musicals and has been influential in St. Louis' theatre productions. In addition, the St. Louis Metropolitan Area has over 80 theatre and dance companies making the city one of the largest live performaing arts cities in the country today.

Parks and outdoor attractions The city operates 105 parks that serve as gathering spots for neighbors to meet, and contains playgrounds, areas for summer concerts, picnics, baseball games, tennis courts, and lakes.

Forest Park (St. Louis), located on the western edge of the central corridor of the City of St. Louis, is one of the largest urban parks in the world, outsizing Central Park in New York City by 500 acres (2 km²). It offers many of St. Louis's most popular attractions: the Saint Louis Zoological Park, the The Muny (also known as, The Muny, the largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre in the United States), the St. Louis Science Center (with its architecturally distinctive St. Louis Science Center#McDonnell Planetarium), the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, s {{Infobox City |official_name = St. Louis, Missouri|nickname = Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City|image_skyline = STLfinal.png|website = http://stlouis.missouri.org|image_flag = Flag of St. Louis, Missouri.png|image_seal =SaintLouisSeal.gif‎|image_map = MOMap-doton-Saint Louis.png|map_caption = Location in the state of Missouri|subdivision_type1 =[Political divisions of the United States|subdivision_type2 =List of counties in Missouri|subdivision_name =United States|subdivision_name2 =[Independent City|leader_name = [Francis G. Slay (Democratic Party (United States))|area_magnitude = 1 E8|area_total_km2 = 171.3|area_total_sq_mi = 66.2|area_land_km2 = 160.4|area_land_sq_mi = 61.9|area_water_km2 = 11.0|area_water_sq_mi = 4.2|population_as_of = July 2006|population_total = 353,837|population_metro = 2801033|population_density_km2 = 2207.1|population_density_sq_mi = 5716.3|population_footnotes ={{cite web | title = Accepted Challenges to Vintage 2006 Population Estimates | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/2000s/vintage_2006/06s_challenges.html | accessdate = 2007-05-15 --> |timezone = North American Central Time Zone|utc_offset = -6|timezone_DST = North American Central Time Zone|utc_offset_DST = -5|area_code = Area code 314|latd = 38|latm = 38|lats = 53|latNS = N|longd = 90|longm = 12|longs = 44|longEW = W|elevation_m = 138.7|elevation_ft =455|footnotes =-->

St. Louis (English language , French language Media:Saint-Louis.ogg) is an With these games, the United States became the first English language-speaking country to host the Olympic Games. Citizens of St. Louis still look back fondly on the events of 1904; there were several events held in 2004 to commemorate the centennial.

St. Louis had developed a lively immigrant gang culture by the early 20th century, leading up to much bootlegging activity and gang violence. One gang leader, from an Irish part of the city referred to as "Kerry Patch" (now almost entirely non-Irish-populated, the area is now part of the Old North St. Louis neighborhood) was named "Jelly Roll" Hogan. Hogan's gang is mentioned in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. In the 1920s there were shoot outs on Lindell Boulevard between Hogan's Gang and the gang known as Egan's Rats. A priest was brought in to broker peace between the gangs in 1923, but this truce only lasted a few months before two more people were killed in a public shoot out. In 1924, Egan's Rats made off with $2.4 million in bonds from a mail truck. Hogan during this time was a State legislature (United States). He was elected in 1916, eventually became a state senator, and spent forty years in elected office.

Although St. Louis did not segregate people on street cars like other cities, racial discrimination in housing was commonplace, and discrimination in employment was more or less universal before World War II. During World War II, the NAACP successfully campaigned, through protests and picket lines, to persuade the Federal government to allow African-Americans to work in war plants. Some 16,000 jobs were gained in this way. White southerners no longer had to be brought to St. Louis to do the work. State court rulings and local civil rights campaigns in the two decades after the war undid the legality of race-based restrictions on real estate ownership and opened some clerical positions in local banks, etc. that had been more common prior to WWII.

St. Louis experienced major expansion in the early 20th century due to the formation of many industrial companies. Like many U. S. cities, the city reached its peak population at the 1950 census. The Gateway Arch was built in the mid-1960s. In January 1999, the city hosted Pope John Paul II for a day. Suburbanization in conjunction with the GI Bill, interstate highway construction, and changes in housing preferences shifted the population out of the city and into newly-formed suburbs. Although the overall population of the St. Louis MSA has always been growing, the St. Louis city population itself had been decreasing. However, as discussed below, the St. Louis city population is slowly increasing.

Recently, there has been a significant upturn in construction in Downtown St. Louis. The St. Louis Cardinals' new Busch Stadium opened in 2006. St. Louis Ballpark Village will be built where the former Busch Memorial Stadium stood. For several years, the Washington Avenue Loft District has been gentrification with an expanding corridor along Washington Avenue from the Edwards Jones Dome westward almost two dozen blocks. Rehabilitation of other downtown areas is planned, such as around the Old Post Office, St. Louis, Cupples warehouses, and St. Louis Centre. The Forest Park Southeast neighborhood north of the Missouri Botanical Garden and the old Gaslight Square district between Midtown and the Central West End are also going through extensive renovations. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri intends to relocate its regional office into a newly renovated, building adjacent to the Fox Theater in Midtown.

In 2006 the U. S. Census Bureau reported St. Louis had a net population gain of 5,647 from the 2000 Census, to 353,837, the first the city has had since 1950.

Geography Topography 's Landsat 4.According to the United States Census Bureau, St. Louis has a total area of 171.3 square kilometre (66.2 square mile). 160.4 km² (61.9 mi²) of it is land and 11.0 km² (4.2 mi² or 6.39%) of it is water. The city is built primarily on Hill and terraces that rise 100-200 feet above the western banks of the Mississippi River, just south of the Missouri River-Mississippi confluence. Much of the area is a fertile and gently rolling prairie that features low hills and broad, shallow valleys. Both the Mississippi River and the Missouri River have cut large valleys with wide flood plains.

Limestone and dolomite of the Mississippian geologic time scale underlies the area and much of the city is a karst area, with numerous sinkholes and caves, although most of the caves have been sealed shut; many springs are visible along the riverfront. Significant deposits of coal, brick clay, and millerite ore were once mined in the city, and the predominant surface rock, the St. Louis Limestone, is used as dimension stone and rubble for construction.Near the southern boundary of the City of St. Louis (separating it from St. Louis County, Missouri) 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 of the river was the site of some of the worst flooding of the Great Flood of 1993.

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

The Missouri River forms the northern border of St. Louis County, Missouri, exclusive of a few areas where the river has changed its course. The Meramec River forms most of its southern border. To the east is the City and the Mississippi River.

Climate St. Louis has been known to be a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa), and has neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. It can also be classified as a humid subtropical climate (Koppen climate classification Cfa), falling within the 25° and 40° Cfa latitude boundaries. Both cold Canadian Arctic air and hot, humid tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico affect the region. The city has four distinct seasons. The average annual temperature for the years 1970-2000, recorded at nearby Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport, is 56.3 °F (13.5 °C), and average precipitation is 37.15 inches (942 mm). The normal high temperature in July is 90 °F (32 °C), and the normal low temperature in January is 21 °F (−6 °C), although these values have been known to vary at times. Temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) or more occur no more than five days a year and temperatures of 0 °F (-17.8 °C) or below occur 2 or 3 days a year on average. The official record low is -22 °F (-30.0 °C) and the record high is 115 °F (46.1 °C). St. Louis weather records at NOAA.

Winter is the driest season, averaging about 6 inches of total precipitation. Spring (March through May), is typically the wettest season, with approximately 10.5 inches of precipitation. Dry spells lasting one or two weeks are common during the growing seasons.

St. Louis usually experiences thunderstorms between 20 and 30 days a year. Especially in the spring, these storms can often be severe, with high winds, large hail and tornadoes. St. Louis has been affected on more than one occasion by St. Louis tornado history. Other occasional weather events include snow and ice storms.

A period of warm weather late in autumn known as Indian summer can occur – roses will still be in bloom as late as November or early December in some years.

{{Infobox Weather| single_line = Yes| location = St. Louis, Missouri| Jan_Hi_°F = 39 | Jan_Hi_°C = 3| Feb_Hi_°F = 44 | Feb_Hi_°C = 6| Mar_Hi_°F = 54 | Mar_Hi_°C = 12| Apr_Hi_°F = 67 | Apr_Hi_°C = 19| May_Hi_°F = 76 | May_Hi_°C = 24| Jun_Hi_°F = 85 | Jun_Hi_°C = 30| Jul_Hi_°F = 89 | Jul_Hi_°C = 32| Aug_Hi_°F = 87 | Aug_Hi_°C = 31| Sep_Hi_°F = 80 | Sep_Hi_°C = 27| Oct_Hi_°F = 69 | Oct_Hi_°C = 21| Nov_Hi_°F = 54 | Nov_Hi_°C = 12| Dec_Hi_°F = 43 | Dec_Hi_°C = 6| Year_Hi_°F = 66 | Year_Hi_°C = 19

| Jan_Lo_°F = 21 | Jan_Lo_°C = -6| Feb_Lo_°F = 25 | Feb_Lo_°C = -3| Mar_Lo_°F = 34 | Mar_Lo_°C = 1| Apr_Lo_°F = 46 | Apr_Lo_°C = 7| May_Lo_°F = 55 | May_Lo_°C = 12| Jun_Lo_°F = 65 | Jun_Lo_°C = 18| Jul_Lo_°F = 69 | Jul_Lo_°C = 20| Aug_Lo_°F = 67 | Aug_Lo_°C = 19| Sep_Lo_°F = 59 | Sep_Lo_°C = 15| Oct_Lo_°F = 48 | Oct_Lo_°C = 8| Nov_Lo_°F = 36 | Nov_Lo_°C = 2| Dec_Lo_°F = 26 | Dec_Lo_°C = -3| Year_Lo_°F = 46 | Year_Lo_°C = 7

| Jan_Precip_inch = 2.0 | Jan_Precip_mm = 51| Feb_Precip_inch = 2.1 | Feb_Precip_mm = 53| Mar_Precip_inch = 3.3 | Mar_Precip_mm = 84| Apr_Precip_inch = 3.6 | Apr_Precip_mm = 91| May_Precip_inch = 3.9 | May_Precip_mm = 99| Jun_Precip_inch = 3.8 | Jun_Precip_mm = 97| Jul_Precip_inch = 3.8 | Jul_Precip_mm = 97| Aug_Precip_inch = 3.0 | Aug_Precip_mm = 84| Sep_Precip_inch = 3.0 | Sep_Precip_mm = 84| Oct_Precip_inch = 2.8 | Oct_Precip_mm = 71| Nov_Precip_inch = 3.1 | Nov_Precip_mm = 79| Dec_Precip_inch = 2.6 | Dec_Precip_mm = 66| Year_Precip_inch = 37.1 | Year_Precip_mm = 942

| source =Weatherbase{{cite web| url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=043427&refer= | title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America |accessdate = 2007-01-29-->| accessdate = January 2007-->

Flora and fauna Before the founding of the city, the area was prairie and open forest maintained by burning by Native Americans in the United States. Trees are mainly oak, maple, and hickory, similar to the forests of the nearby The Ozarks; common understory trees include Eastern Redbud, Serviceberry, and Flowering Dogwood. Riparian areas are forested with mainly American sycamore. Most of the residential area of the city is planted with large native shade trees. The largest native forest area is found in Forest Park. In Autumn, the changing color of the trees is notable. Most species here are typical of the Eastern Woodland, although numerous decorative non-native species are found; the most notable invasive species is Japanese honeysuckle, which is actively removed from some parks.

on an egg in nest near Chain of Rocks BridgeLarge mammals found in the city include urbanized coyotes and occasionally a stray whitetail deer. Eastern Gray Squirrel, Cottontail rabbit, and other rodents are abundant, as well as the nocturnal and rarely seen Opossum. Large bird species are abundant in parks and include Canada goose, Mallard duck, as well as shorebirds, including the Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. Gulls are common along the Mississippi River; these species typically follow barge traffic. Winter populations of Bald Eagles are found by the Mississippi River around the Chain of Rocks Bridge. The city is on the Mississippi Flyway, used by migrating birds, and has a large variety of small bird species, common to the eastern U.S. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow, an introduced species, is limited in North America to the counties surrounding St. Louis. Tower Grove Park is a well-known birdwatching area in the city.

Frogs are commonly found in the springtime, especially after extensive wet periods. Common species include the American toad and species of chorus frogs, commonly called "spring peepers" that are found in nearly every pond. Some years have outbreaks of cicadas or ladybugs. Mosquitos and houseflies are common insect nuisances; because of this, windows are nearly universally fitted with Window screen, and "screened-in" porches are common in homes of the area. Populations of Western honey bee have sharply declined in recent years, and numerous species of Pollination insects have filled their ecological niche.

Metropolitan statistical area .The St. Louis United States metropolitan area is the largest United States metropolitan area in Missouri, and the List of United States metropolitan statistical areas by population in the United States, and has an estimated total population of 2,801,033 as of July 1, 2006. This area includes the independent city City of St. Louis (353,837) and the List of Missouri counties of St. Louis County, Missouri (1,000,510), St. Charles County, Missouri (338,719), Jefferson County, Missouri (213,469), Franklin County, Missouri (101,076), Lincoln County, Missouri (50,123), Warren County, Missouri (29,685), and Washington County, Missouri (24,182), and the List of Illinois counties of Madison County, Illinois (265,303), St. Clair County, Illinois (260,919), Macoupin County, Illinois (48,841), Clinton County, Illinois (36,633), Monroe County, Illinois (31,876), and Jersey County, Illinois (22,628).

Cityscape The city is divided into 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 or loft districts. Many of them have endured as strong and cohesive communities.

Among the best-known, architecturally significant, or well-visited neighborhoods are Downtown St. Louis, Midtown St. Louis, Benton Park, Carondelet, St. Louis, the Central West End, St. Louis, Clayton/Tamm, St. Louis (Dogtown), Dutchtown South, Forest Park Southeast, Covenant Blu/Grand Center, St. Louis, The Hill, St. Louis, Lafayette Square, St. Louis, LaSalle Park, Old North St. Louis, Compton Heights, Princeton Heights, Shaw, St. Louis (home to the Missouri Botanical Garden and named after the Garden's founder, Henry Shaw (botanist)), Southampton, St. Louis, Southwest Garden, Soulard, St. Louis (home of the second-largest Mardi Gras festival in the nation), Tower Grove East, Tower Grove South, Hortense Place (home to many grand mansions), Holly Hills, St. Louis Hills, and Wydown/Skinker.St. Louis Received the World Leadership Award for urban renewal in 2006. The improvement in the quality of life in the City of St. Louis received international recognition when the World Leadership Forum awarded St. Louis its World Leadership Award in the category of urban renewal. Mayor Francis G. Slay accepted the award in London. The World Leadership Award is an international award that recognizes great ideas and achievements by cities. The award is given to cities whose leaders have shown exceptional imagination, foresight or resilience in a number of key areas – especially cities that have reversed trends, shaken off traditional images, and acted as an example and inspiration to others. In the presentation, Mayor Slay talked about how the City of St. Louis had created a “culture of change” that has empowered people to improve the City’s quality of life. “It isn’t just bricks and mortar,” Slay said. “We are certainly revitalizing Downtown and our neighborhoods. But, we are also addressing health care, education, affordable housing, and homelessness.”

Culture Tourism with meeting of the waters statue

There are many museums and attractions in the city. The St. Louis Art Museum, located in the City's premier park, Forest Park, and dating from the 1904 World's Fair, houses an impressive array of modern art and ancient artifacts, with an extensive collection of master works of several centuries, including paintings by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Camille Pissarro, Picasso, and many others. The privately-owned City Museum offers a variety of interesting exhibits, including several large faux-caves and a huge outdoor playground. It also serves as a meeting point for St. Louis's young arts scene. The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, located in Grand Center, is an arts instutution in a world-renowned building designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, Tadao Ando. The Eugene Field House, located in downtown St. Louis, is a museum dedicated to the distinguished children's author. The Missouri History Museum presents exhibits and programs on a variety of topics including the 1904 World's Fair, and a comprehensive exhibit on Lewis and Clark's voyage exploring the Louisiana Purchase. The Fox Theatre (St. Louis), originally one of many movie theatres along Grand Boulevard, is now a newly restored theatre featuring a Byzantine facade and Oriental decor. The Fox Theatre presents a Broadway Series in addition to concerts. The St. Louis Union Station is popular tourist attraction with retail shops and a luxury hotel.

.There are several notable churches in the city, including the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (more commonly known as "the New Cathedral"), a large Roman Catholic cathedral designed in the Byzantine architecture and Romanesque architecture styles. It is the motherchurch and seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis, the principal diocese of Missouri; the current Archbishop is Raymond Leo Burke. The interior is decorated with lovely mosaics, the largest mosaic collection in the world. The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France (1834) (more commonly 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. Also notable is the abbey church of Saint Louis Abbey, whose distinctive architectural style garnered multiple awards at the time of its completion. The Gateway Arch, part of the Memorial, is arguably the city's best known landmark, as well as a popular tourist site. This Memorial commemorates the acquisition and settlement, by the citizens of the United States of America, of all of the lands west of the Mississippi River that are part of the nation today. The Arch, and the entire 91 acres of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial park, occupy the exact location of the original French village of St. Louis (1764-1804). Unfortunately, no buildings from that era exist today.

The Hill, St. Louis is an historically Italian neighborhood where many of the area's best Italian restaurants can be found. The Hill was the home of Yogi Berra, Joe Garagiola, and many other noted athletes.

The Saint Louis Zoological Park, one of the oldest and largest free-admission zoos in the country, is home to an Insectarium and the Prairie Village. The St. Louis Zoo is the most visited zoo in the United States, having surpassed the San Diego Zoo in popularity. It boasts many exhibits with animal-friendly habitats. The zoo is located in Forest Park, adjacent to the St. Louis Art Museum.

The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame and St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum are located near Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis.

Laclede's Landing, located on the Mississippi Riverfront directly north of the historic Eads Bridge, is popular for its restaurants and nightclubs. St. Louis also possesses several distinct examples of 18th and 19th century architecture, such as the Soulard Market district (1779-1842), the Chatillon-de Menil House (1848), the Bellefontaine Cemetery (1850), the Robert G. Campbell House (1852), the Old Courthouse (1845-62), the original Anheuser-Busch Brewery (1860), and two of Louis Sullivan's early skyscrapers, the Wainwright Building (1890-91) and the Union Trust Building.

On the Riverfront two sculptural groups has been designated a National Lewis and Clark site by the National Park Service. This includes a twice life sized grouping of Lewis and Clark on the St. Louis Riverfront which commemorated the final celebration of the bicentennial of the expedition. These sculptures were done by Harry Weber

The Lemp Mansion, home of the ill-fated Lemp family, brewers of Falstaff Beer and others, is considered one of the most haunted places in the nation. It is open to the public as a restaurant, murder-mystery dinner theater, and bed & breakfast.

Tourism outside the city proper The Butterfly House is located in western St. Louis County, Missouri.

The Museum of Transportation is just outside Kirkwood, Missouri, a suburb in southwestern St. Louis County, Missouri. Many large steam locomotives, classic cars, a rare Chrysler Turbine car, and even a boat are some of the spectacles.

The Magic House, a children's hands-on exploration museum, and Worldways Children's Museum, an international children's cultural museum, are also in Kirkwood.

The Delmar Loop, in University City, Missouri, just west of the St. Louis city line, is a popular entertainment, cultural, and restaurant district.

The St. Louis International Film Festival runs for 11 days in November every year and is one of the top regional film festivals in the United States.

Six Flags St. Louis, known as "Six Flags over Mid-America" when it opened in June 1971, is an amusement park in Eureka, Missouri, Missouri, in far west St. Louis County, Missouri. It is one of the original Six Flags.

Saint Charles, Missouri is the county seat of Saint Charles County, Missouri and first capital of the state of Missouri.

Cahokia Mounds, located eight miles east of St. Louis near Collinsville, Illinois, Illinois, holds the ruins of a city of the ancient Mississippian culture aboriginal culture. Similar mounds within St. Louis, used as construction fill in the 1800s, gave the city one of its nicknames, "Mound City".

Alton, Illinois is a northern suburb with wineries, antique shops, golf courses, and bed and breakfasts.

Entertainment and performing arts St. Louis is home to the world-renowned Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra which was founded in 1880, is the second oldest orchestra in the nation, which has over the years been honored with six Grammy Awards and fifty-six nominations. The Historic Powell Symphony Hall on North Grand Boulevard has been the permanent home of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra since 1968. Leonard Slatkin, largely credited with building the orchestra's international prominence during his 17-year tenure as Music Director, is Conductor Laureate (presently he conducts the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC). The current Music Director of the orchestra is David Robertson.

The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is an annual summer festival of opera performed in English, originally co-founded by Richard Gaddes in 1976 (he is now the director of the Santa Fe Opera). Union Avenue Opera Theatre, formed in the early 1990s, is a smaller but thriving company that performs opera in the original languages.Other classical music groups of note include the Arianna String Quartet, the quartet-in-residence at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, and the Young Catholic Musicians, a group for young choir and band members made up of kids from over 60 parishes all over Saint Louis.

St. Louis has long been associated with great ragtime, jazz and blues music. Early rock and roll singer/guitarist Chuck Berry is a native St. Louisan and continues to perform there several times a year. Soul music artists Ike Turner and Tina Turner and jazz innovator Miles Davis began their careers in nearby East St. Louis, Illinois. St. Louis has also been a popular stop along the infamous Chitlin Circuit.

Popular Music and entertainment in St. Louis peaked in the 1960s due to the popularity of Gaslight Square, a thriving local nightclub district that attracted nationally known musicians and performers. This area was all but extinct by the early 1970s and today is the site of a new housing development.

St. Louis is also the home to successful modern musical artists, including Living Things (band), Sheryl Crow, Gravity Kills, Story of the Year, Modern Day Zero, Stir, Strawfoot, Greenwheel, Ludo (band), 7 Shot Screamers, The Impact, and The Urge. In the 1990s, the metro area produced several prominent alt-country artists, including Uncle Tupelo — a Belleville, Illinois trio often considered the originators of the style, whose members went on to found Wilco and Son Volt in 1994 — and The Bottle Rockets. Currently the alt-country scene has celebrated a resurgence, producing a burgeoning St. Louis Twang Scene, consisting of bands, burlesque dancers and roller derby queens. It is also home to local record label Big Muddy Records. rap music and hip hop music artists include Nelly, The Saint Lunatics, Ali (rapper), Murphy Lee, Chingy, Huey (rapper), Ebony Eyez, J-Kwon, Jibbs, Akon, and others.

The theatre district of St. Louis is in midtown, which is undergoing a major redevelopment and building boom. This district of the city is known as Grand Center, St. Louis. The phrase can refer to the district itself (which is located within Midtown), or to the not-for-profit agency, Grand Center, Inc. (GCI), which possesses certain quasi-governmental powers and administers arts and urban-renewal programs in the area. The district includes the Fox Theatre (St. Louis), one of the largest live Broadway theaters in the United States, the Powell Symphony Hall, home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Louis University Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, The Sun Theatre (under redevelopment), The St Louis Black Repertory Theater Company , the Contemporary Art Museum Saint Louis, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts , and the Sheldon Concert Hall.

The Muny short for The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis is the largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre in the United States, located in Forest Park (St. Louis), St. Louis, Missouri. Saeting capacity for every performance is over 13,000 people with 1500 free seats. The Muny has completed it's eighty-ninth annual season for the summer of 2007 with the production of Les Misérables. The theatre is influential with Actors' Equity Association.St. Louis is home to the one of the largest theatrical production companies known as The Fox Associates . Fox Associates, L.L.C., was formed in 1981 to purchase, renovate and operate the 4,500-seat Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri. The Fox, which had once been at the center of the St. Louis "movie" theatre district, had been closed since 1978 and was in need of both a major restoration and new entertainment programming to elevate it once again to its rightful position as the major venue for entertainment in St. Louis. The restoration was completed and in 1982 the Fox reopened as a major entertainment venue for Broadway productions, country stars and rock, pop and jazz artists. It has since become one of the highest grossing theatres in the country. Today, The Fox Associates group has helped produce some of Broadway's biggest hit musicals and has been influential in St. Louis' theatre productions. In addition, the St. Louis Metropolitan Area has over 80 theatre and dance companies making the city one of the largest live performaing arts cities in the country today.

Parks and outdoor attractions The city operates 105 parks that serve as gathering spots for neighbors to meet, and contains playgrounds, areas for summer concerts, picnics, baseball games, tennis courts, and lakes.

Forest Park (St. Louis), located on the western edge of the central corridor of the City of St. Louis, is one of the largest urban parks in the world, outsizing Central Park in New York City by 500 acres (2 km²). It offers many of St. Louis's most popular attractions: the Saint Louis Zoological Park, the The Muny (also known as, The Muny, the largest and oldest outdoor musical theatre in the United States), the St. Louis Science Center (with its architecturally distinctive St. Louis Science Center#McDonnell Planetarium), the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, s

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