St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri is an independent city. An independent city, relatively rare in the United States, is a city that does not belong to any particular county. St. Louis is not part of St. Louis County; rather, it is bordered by St. Louis County to the north, south and west. Madison County, Illinois borders St. Louis to the northeast, and St. Clair County, Illinois to the southeast.  Nearby communities taking advantage of the attractions in St. Louis, MO include University City, Belleville, St. Charles and Florissant.

The City of St. Louis had 352,389 residents in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. There were 141,000 households in St. Louis, with an average household size of 2.4 people. Families made up half of the total number of households.

St. Louis was founded in 1763 by colonial French traders on land just south of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. They named St. Louis in honor of King Louis IX of France. After the French were defeated in the Seven Years War, St. Louis became part of the Spanish Empire. In 1800, the land was secretly returned to France, and Napoleon Bonaparte sold it to the United States in 1803. On August 22, 1876, the City of St. Louis seceded from St. Louis County and become an independent city.

St Louis has been known as the "Gateway to the West" because of the important role it played in the westward expansion of the United States. The Gateway Arch was constructed in 1965 and has since become St. Louis' best known landmark and a popular tourist attraction. Beneath the north and south legs of the Gateway Arch, you can board one of two enclosed trams and ride to the top.

St. Louis, Missouri boasts a large number of healthcare facilities for its residents, with several major healthcare systems based in the city. BJC HealthCare is the St. Louis area's largest employer. Within St. Louis, the healthcare organization operates the Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital. SSM Health Care, also based in St. Louis, MO, operates the Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, as well as 19 other hospitals spread across four states. In addition, there is Saint Louis University School of Medicine, which operates the Saint Louis University Hospital.

The St. Louis Public School District boasts 92 schools in the public school system. The district is the largest in the state of Missouri with more than 38,000 students. Post-secondary educational offerings include Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University, Concordia Seminary and St. Louis Community College.

St. Louis is serviced by many interstate freeways, including I-70, I-55, I-44, I-64, I-255, I-170 and I-270. Three airports serve St. Louis: the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, which is located in suburban northwest St. Louis County, but is owned and operated by the city of St. Louis; MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, which is located 25 miles east of the city; and the St. Louis Downtown Airport, which is located across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis. MetroBus provides public transportation via bus and MetroLink provides the region's light-rail system. The Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center is the hub station in St. Louis, serving the city's rail system, regional bus system, Greyhound Buses, Amtrak, and city taxi services.

St. Louis, MO hosts more than 22 million visitors each year, employing 83,000 St. Louis-area residents in the hospitality industry. The almost endless variety of free and low-cost attractions draws many international as well as American tourists. The highlights of the attractions in St. Louis, Missouri include the Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Science Center, Missouri History Museum, Anheuser-Busch InBev Brewery, the Old Courthouse, Cahokia Mounds in nearby Collinsville, IL, Laumeier Sculpture Park and the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site.

The Metropolitan Police Department, City of St. Louis provides police services. According to the Police Department statistics, through August 31, 2009, overall crime in the City of St. Louis was down 4.3 percent compared to the same time last year.

In Missouri, the counties plus the City of St. Louis are organized into 45 judicial circuits. There is a court in every county. The circuit court is typically in the county seat, or in the city of St. Louis. Missouri circuit courts are divided into associate circuit, small claims, municipal, family, probate, criminal, and juvenile courts. St. Louis is the Judicial Circuit 22. The Civil Courts Building is located at 10 N. Tucker Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63101.

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