I don't understand people who love St. Louis...
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12/11/2006
I've lived here for 13 years - originally from the Northwest. Most people I know who love St. Louis are people who haven't lived anywhere else but Missouri. This is one of the ugliest cities in America. Crime is rampant. The highways are in major disrepair. Traffic is horrible. The commute from the suburbs is totally depressing, because all you see is strip malls, strip malls, and more strip malls. St. Louis is way behind other cities who have put a priority on renewing their downtowns. Every region of the U.S. has its own "culture", and the culture here is weird. St. Louisans are just happy to go to the mall, sports events, and work in their yards, because they don't know what else to do here. There are no scenic safe biking paths, no hiking trails, and there is no pretty and vibrant downtown - just malls. The parks are nothing special. What's so awesome about the St. Louis Zoo? The cool cafes/restaurants/music scene may exist, but it's all so spread apart. There's no actual one place you can go to where it all exists in one location, where you can walk to all of it once you're there. There is no "music scene" here, so if you would want to take a nice little stroll downtown and maybe sit down for a drink and listen to some beautiful live music, don't move here. Someone wrote that a certain city in the Northwest was a little "redneck". Well, St. Louis is far more "redneck" than anyplace in the Northwest. I call the St. Louis Metro Area the land of suburban sprawl, pickup trucks, soccer moms driving SUVs, strip malls, and ugliness. It's great if you're not a visual person, if you love sports, and if you don't mind driving a long time to get anywhere. On a positive note, there are great educational opportunities here, low unemployment, and affordable housing. Portland may be cold and frequently overcast, BUT it has culture, beauty, a great transportation system, scenic bike paths and hiking trails, and a lot more to see and do than St. Louis. By the way, if anyone knows of another city besides Portland that fits my description of a great place to live, please let me know!
Venus | Saint Charles, MO