Comments on: This is why I love that I don’t live in St Louis

By: SaintClarence

SaintClarence — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:11:14 +0000

Hi:

Almost 3,000,000 people live in the St. Louis metro area, so obviously SOME people want to live there. The loss of population might have to do with the increase in suburban living, don’t you think? And that has a lot to do with the fact that commuting/driving in St. Louis is easier than in most major cities.

By: SaintClarence

SaintClarence — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:05:25 +0000

James Norton:

It’s weird, but the “south” you talk about is more in pockets. Certainly not everything more than 45 minutes south of Chicago is culturally the south. Champaign/Urbana isn’t. Kankakee isn’t. Peoria isn’t. Bloomington/Normal isn’t. Hell, even Carbondale isn’t. Sure, the rural areas are different, but you can’t just draw a line and make those kinds of generalizations. I don’t know St. Louis all that well, but there are more progressive areas.

By: Hi

Hi — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:45:24 +0000

I’m inclined to mostly agree with this article. I grew up in STL and left at age 20, and recently came back for a couple of years to finish school. I regret coming back here every day I wake up. It’s one of the most bland cities in the country (and I’ve lived in or been to many of them). After getting used to living in California where races other than just black or white actually exist, and the weather is nice, and there’s actually a large selection of places to eat, and people are happy, and the scenery is nice, and it’s not dominated by christian conservitivism, and… yeah, I could go on and on – so yeah, after getting used to actually being happy where I lived, coming back to STL has been rough. The city has a few really nice things, such as the free zoo, but everything else about it is terrible. Year 1950 – population 856,796. Year 2000 – population 348,198. I think that, along with this little fact “…the city has lost people at a rate faster than any other major American city, losing more than half its population…” pretty much sums it up. I love when people try to say “But the cost of living is so cheap here!” as a plus side to the city – there’s a reason it’s so cheap – nobody wants to live here!

By: James Norton

James Norton — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:52:08 +0000

The South (from a cultural perspective) actually begins about 45 minutes south of Chicago — if you’ve ever visited central/southern Illinois, you’ve been to the South, minus the charm, history and good food.

Defining where the “Midwest” begins and ends is a constant fight for people who care. The two big mistakes are lumping in the Dakotas/Kansas (Plains states! Different people!) and Missouri / Indiana / central Illinois, part of the cultural south. I think access to a Great Lake is pretty key.

By: Angela

Angela — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:51:17 +0000

Yeah, random commenter – but I LOVE this city, and your blog by association. Unfortunately I don’t do enough interesting shit to warrant having a blog.

And yeah – at least five coffeehouses within walking distance of my apt. <3 MPLS!

By: RF

RF — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:02:57 +0000

My first job out of school was in St. Louis. Couldn’t get out of there fast enough!

Went back a couple years ago for a trade show. Couldn’t get out of there fast enough!

By: jarrin

jarrin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:02:16 +0000

I’ve lived in both Minneapolis and St. Louis. I have a natural affinity for St. Louis since I was born across the river and have spent a couple years at a time living in the area. I left Minneapolis for St. Louis in 2005 and will admit that I should NOT have left Mpls!

It’s funny… much of what you said about St. Louis is true. Sadly, the progressive mentality of a larger urban area seems lost in St. Louis. While Minneapolis is not devoid of social issues, it seems like old racism can’t be scrubbed from St. Louis.

While I like Minneapolis better than St. Louis (and should move back next summer), I have to give props to the food in St. Louis. It’s too bad I didn’t know you were going to St. Louis. (Not that you know me…) If you’d solicited advice about coffeeshops, I would’ve told you about two of the best in St. Louis. One is in Lafayette Square and is called Park Avenue Coffee. You could’ve gotten OUTSTANDING gooey butter cake (a St. Louis thing) while there. The other place is Coffee Cartel in the Central West End. Both are pretty easy to find.

I’ve been trolling your blog for awhile now… this was the first time I had a legitimate reason for leaving a comment. Sorry for the novel!

By: anne marie

anne marie — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:31:36 +0000

PS: white blinds would be just fine.

By: St. Paul Girl

St. Paul Girl — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 01:43:02 +0000

If my memory serves me correctly, Jonathan Franzen is from there. He left STL faster as soon as the opportunity presented itself. You are not alone in feeling that same experience.

I myself visited there, but had a guide, didn’t have to deal with the rush hour traffic, and only saw the “hip” places vs. dealing w/ any of the annoyances you faced. If I was in your shoes, I would feel the same way.

Yep, the TC is the place to be. Granted St. Paul is better you know.

By: Bree

Bree — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:20:54 +0000

I’ve never heard anything good about St. Louis, and it stands out in my mind as the setting for an undercover racial discrimination experiment that some news station did 20 years ago and has been featured in every course of study I’ve ever had, from high school through law school. Clearly, this means I am a hippie.