St. Louis is an independent city and a major U.S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, which marks Missouri's border with Illinois.

The largest urban areas are St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, and Columbia; the capital is Jefferson City.

The city had an estimated 2017 population of 308,626 and is the cultural and economic center of the St. Louis metropolitan area (home to nearly 3,000,000 people), which is the largest metropolitan area in Missouri, the second-largest in Illinois (after Chicago), and the 22nd-largest in the United States. Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

Greater St. Louis is a bi-state metropolitan area that completely surrounds and includes the independent city of St. Louis (its principal city).

During the 19th century, St. Louis developed as a major port on the Mississippi River; at the time of the 1870 Census it was the fourth-largest city in the U.S. It separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries.

It is bounded by the city of St. Louis and the Mississippi River to the east, the Missouri River to the north, and the Meramec River to the south.

In 1904, it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics.

The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, United States from August 29 until September 3, 1904, as part of an extended sports program lasting from July 1 to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

Peabody Energy, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is the largest private-sector coal company in the world.

St. Louis has two professional sports teams: the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League.

The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

Ameren Corporation is an American power company created December 31, 1997 by the merger of St. Louis, Missouri's Union Electric Company (formerly NYSE: UEP) and the neighboring Central Illinois Public Service Company (CIPSCO Inc. holding, formerly NYSE: CIP) of Springfield, Illinois.

St. Louis is an independent city and a major U.S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, which marks Missouri's border with Illinois. During the 19th century, St. Louis developed as a major port on the Mississippi River; at the time of the 1870 Census it was the fourth-largest city in the U.S. It separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries.

The three independent cities outside Virginia are Baltimore, Maryland; St. Louis, Missouri; and Carson City, Nevada.

St. Louis has two professional sports teams: the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League.

The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team in St. Louis, Missouri.

The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by French fur traders Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, and named after Louis IX of France.

René Auguste Chouteau, Jr. (September 7, 1749 or September 26, 1750 in New Orleans, French Louisiana – February 24, 1829 in St. Louis, Missouri ), also known as Auguste Chouteau, was the founder of St. Louis, Missouri, a successful fur trader and a politician.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

Nestlé Purina Petcare is a St. Louis, Missouri-based subsidiary of Nestlé.

One of the city's iconic sights is the 630 ft tall Gateway Arch in the downtown area.

The Gateway Arch is a 630 ft monument in St. Louis, Missouri, United States.

St. Louis is an independent city and a major U.S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, which marks Missouri's border with Illinois.

From its origin at Lake Itasca to St. Louis, Missouri, the waterway's flow is moderated by 43 dams.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

The Emerson Electric Co. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri, United States.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

As an independent commuter air carrier, Resort Air operated Swearingen Metro propjets from a small hub located in St. Louis (STL) with service to Carbondale, Illinois; Columbia, Missouri; Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Joplin, MO; Lake of the Ozarks, MO; Springfield, IL; and Springfield, MO.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

Boeing Defense, Space & Security is headquartered in Greater St. Louis north of St. Louis Lambert International Airport in the northern St. Louis suburb of Berkeley, Missouri.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

Monsanto Insectarium at the St. Louis Zoo, in St. Louis, Missouri

One of the city's iconic sights is the 630 ft tall Gateway Arch in the downtown area.

Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area.

St. Louis is an independent city and a major U.S. port in the state of Missouri, built along the western bank of the Mississippi River, which marks Missouri's border with Illinois.

The small French settlements continued, although many French migrated west to Ste. Genevieve and St. Louis, Missouri, to evade British rule.

(French lands east of the Mississippi had been ceded to Great Britain and the lands west of the Mississippi to Spain; France and Spain were 18th-century allies and both were Catholic nations.) The early French families built the city's economy on the fur trade with the Osage, as well as with more distant tribes along the Missouri River.

Rising in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana, the Missouri flows east and south for 2341 mi before entering the Mississippi River north of St. Louis, Missouri.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

The company is headquartered in St. Louis and has operations in approximately 40 countries.

Their major regional center was at Cahokia Mounds, active from 900 to 1500.

The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site (11 MS 2) is the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city (circa 1050–1350 CE ) directly across the Mississippi River from modern St. Louis, Missouri.

Its metro area is home to major corporations, including Anheuser-Busch, Express Scripts, Centene, Boeing Defense, Emerson, Energizer, Panera, Enterprise, Peabody Energy, Ameren, Post Holdings, Monsanto, Edward Jones, Go Jet, Purina and Sigma-Aldrich.

Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.

Shortly after the official transfer of authority was made, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson.

It began near St. Louis, made its way westward, and passed through the Continental Divide of the Americas to reach the Pacific coast.

During the 19th century, St. Louis developed as a major port on the Mississippi River; at the time of the 1870 Census it was the fourth-largest city in the U.S. It separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries.

Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco also had a great population of foreigners that made up a significant fraction of their total populations.