This year, St. Louis, founded on February 15th, 1764, is celebrating its
250th Birthday. The city is named after
King Louis IX of France, who was a patron of architecture.
The Mississippi River, considered by some America's Nile, gave St. Louis life as an early fur-trading outpost. St. Louis' origins began as a French-Colonial outpost in French Louisiana. St. Louis then went under the tutelage of the Spanish and eventually American control.
Before Europeans, Africans and Creoles arrived, the Ancient Cahokia and Mississippians had been established in the area now known as metro St. Louis. Cahokia Mounds, about fifteen minutes from downtown St. Louis in Illinois, is a UNESCO World Heritage site - one of only two in the Midwest. Cahokia Mounds is the largest pre-Columbian archaeological site north of Mexico, and also the earliest. It is the pre-eminent example of a cultural, religious, and economic center of the prehistoric Mississippian cultural tradition.
(Source)
Fast-forward to 2014, the latest bridge to cross the Mississippi River is the new $667-million Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, which had its grand-opening/ribbon-cutting this past Sunday (02/09/14). The bridge is a brand new architectural landmark and befitting birthday gift considering St. Louis is considered the Gateway To The West (and to the East).
The Gateway Arch and park-grounds, which represent St. Louis's explorer heritage, are currently undergoing
a $380-million multi-phased renovation.
St. Louis' economy is transitioning from one dependent on manufacturing to one of health-care, information technology, biotech, advanced manufacturing, financial services, plant sciences, energy and distribution. St. Louis is booming with new and rehab development - especially in the Central Corridor. The city and county are seriously exploring a merger. And new mass transit options are being planned as the long-awaited Delmar Loop Trolley will start construction soon.
Millenials are moving in, St. Louis' urban schools are improving and overall crime is down in St. Louis City.
Here's to the next 250 years, St. Louis!