The city of St. Louis, Missouri, is located right on the edge of the Missouri/Illinois border near the meeting of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. St. Louis is the largest urban area and second-largest city in Missouri. Eight Fortune 500 companies are headquartered here, and many other private and public companies have major operations within the city.
St. Louis is also a center for medicine and biotechnology, with strong science programs in the majority of local universities. St. Louis University, the oldest university west of the Mississippi River, and Washington University St. Louis are top-ranked biomedical research institutions.
This city is a tourist hot spot. The famous Gateway Arch, built to commemorate the 1804 Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Westward Expansion, has given St. Louis the popular nicknames the Gateway City and the Gateway to the West. There are over one hundred public parks, gardens, and museums in this historically rich city. The nationally famous Forest Park played host to the 1904 World's Fair, and many historical, cultural, and scientific landmarks grew in and around this area. Many of St. Louis's parks and museums are free or low-cost. But if you have money burning a hole in your pocket or you are feeling lucky, check out one of the famous casinos along the river.
Sports fans will find a slice of heaven here. The city is home to the famous St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball team and the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League, as well as the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues. University teams are also popular and draw in large crowds on game day. These successful sports franchises have caused many to call St. Louis "North America's Best Sports City."
