Welcome to “The Lou”

The Cardinals. The Arch. The Rams, Blues, and Anheuser-Busch. These are some of the things that immediately come to mind when one thinks about St. Louis. But there are so many other great things that this city has to offer:

• One of the country’s oldest and largest FREE-admission zoos. The St. Louis Zoo has been named #1 zoo by Zagat Survey’s U.S. Family Travel Guide.
• Soulard Market
• Forest Park — at 1,371 acres it is approximately 500 acres bigger than New York City’s Central Park
• Missouri Botanical Garden, a National Historic Landmark
• City Museum

The 15th largest urban area in the United States (according to the 2010 U.S. census), St.Louis is home to some of the country's largest public and privately held corporations, including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Graybar, Scottrade, Edward Jones, Emerson, Energizer, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Boeing Defense, Space & Security, Purina, Monsanto Company, and MasterCard. Other interesting facts:

• St. Louis is home to over 81 theatre and dance companies
• The world-renowned Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1880, is the second oldest U.S. orchestra. It has received six Grammy Awards and 56 nominations.
• “The Hill,” a historically Italian neighborhood, was home to five soccer players from the 1950 U.S. World Cup soccer team, and was also home to other athletes such as Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola.

More information about St. Louis is available through the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.