I never thought I'd be typing up an actual post on this site, but this topic interests me to no end.
I've lived in Saint Louis my entire life, in Baden, North City to be exact. Those who have lived in Saint Louis know North City as a place to be avoided, but the reasons as to why Saint Louis City is the way it is are complex and intricate.
For one, let me say something that should be obvious to anyone who has ever stepped foot in Saint Louis -- Saint Louis has dozens and dozens of counties and districts around it (over 91), none of which are actually considered Saint Louis on pen and paper. Saint Louis itself is an incredibly small city, but you wouldn't know it driving through; counties like Jennings and Florissant are right next to Saint Louis City homes. For those that might not understand, I keep repeating "Saint Louis City" because Saint Louis City is the only part of "Saint Louis" that actually belongs to Saint Louis. It's a shame I even have to call Saint Louis, Saint Louis City, but it's the only way anyone's going to know what I'm talking about. The Gateway Arch, the Delmar Loop, Forest Park -- all of it belongs to Saint Louis City, and don't let anyone tell you anything different. I don't know the exact history, but years ago Saint Louis was prohibited from buying property outside of its own city limits, something that remains in place to this day, and this is part of the reason why Saint Louis isn't nearly as large, or productive, as other cities. You see, St. Charles and Normandy voters (as well as countless others) didn't want to be part of Saint Louis, and still don't, even though they're a stone's throw away. People in these counties elect their own officials, vote on their own policies and most importantly, they pay their own taxes. The tax money spent in these counties stays in these counties, even though a large portion of these county dwellers work in Saint Louis. So where does the money earned in Saint Louis go? You guessed it, directly back to the counties, where they could give a good goddamn about what goes on in the city they claim to live in. Apparently, there's far too much crime for county folk to merge with Saint Louis City, and it sickens me to know that the very crime they're afraid of is partly due to the fact that they're bleeding the city dry. It won't be long before more people live outside of Saint Louis than in it (if that isn't true already) and cities without people living in them aren't quite cities at all; they're empty streets and dark alleys where shootings and rapes happen, kind of like Saint Louis.
But that's not even half of it. In addition to being one of the most scattered cities in the United States, Saint Louis also has the pleasure of being one of the most racially and politically divided cities in the country. It's not just crime county folk want to hide from, that would be far too simple, it's "black people" in general. There, I said it. Now no one else has to. I could talk about race relations all day, but I've spent far too much time and energy typing up this post already. As a multiracial man, I've seen things from both sides, and none of it is pretty. "Blacks" blame "whites," "whites" blame "blacks" -- none of it helps.
I'm sick of typing this post, and I haven't even made a case for all the points I wanted to make. Take everything I wrote up for what you will. I'm sick of people bad mouthing the city I was born in just because they're too busy to stop and look around. Saint Louis doesn't have an identity, its residents have no culture of their own. Think about it, what do you think of when you think "Saint Louis?" The Arch? Get the fuck out of here, what else? Thought so.
The city is dead, and we killed it. WE killed it.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go jack off.
I've lived in Saint Louis my entire life, in Baden, North City to be exact. Those who have lived in Saint Louis know North City as a place to be avoided, but the reasons as to why Saint Louis City is the way it is are complex and intricate.
For one, let me say something that should be obvious to anyone who has ever stepped foot in Saint Louis -- Saint Louis has dozens and dozens of counties and districts around it (over 91), none of which are actually considered Saint Louis on pen and paper. Saint Louis itself is an incredibly small city, but you wouldn't know it driving through; counties like Jennings and Florissant are right next to Saint Louis City homes. For those that might not understand, I keep repeating "Saint Louis City" because Saint Louis City is the only part of "Saint Louis" that actually belongs to Saint Louis. It's a shame I even have to call Saint Louis, Saint Louis City, but it's the only way anyone's going to know what I'm talking about. The Gateway Arch, the Delmar Loop, Forest Park -- all of it belongs to Saint Louis City, and don't let anyone tell you anything different. I don't know the exact history, but years ago Saint Louis was prohibited from buying property outside of its own city limits, something that remains in place to this day, and this is part of the reason why Saint Louis isn't nearly as large, or productive, as other cities. You see, St. Charles and Normandy voters (as well as countless others) didn't want to be part of Saint Louis, and still don't, even though they're a stone's throw away. People in these counties elect their own officials, vote on their own policies and most importantly, they pay their own taxes. The tax money spent in these counties stays in these counties, even though a large portion of these county dwellers work in Saint Louis. So where does the money earned in Saint Louis go? You guessed it, directly back to the counties, where they could give a good goddamn about what goes on in the city they claim to live in. Apparently, there's far too much crime for county folk to merge with Saint Louis City, and it sickens me to know that the very crime they're afraid of is partly due to the fact that they're bleeding the city dry. It won't be long before more people live outside of Saint Louis than in it (if that isn't true already) and cities without people living in them aren't quite cities at all; they're empty streets and dark alleys where shootings and rapes happen, kind of like Saint Louis.
But that's not even half of it. In addition to being one of the most scattered cities in the United States, Saint Louis also has the pleasure of being one of the most racially and politically divided cities in the country. It's not just crime county folk want to hide from, that would be far too simple, it's "black people" in general. There, I said it. Now no one else has to. I could talk about race relations all day, but I've spent far too much time and energy typing up this post already. As a multiracial man, I've seen things from both sides, and none of it is pretty. "Blacks" blame "whites," "whites" blame "blacks" -- none of it helps.
I'm sick of typing this post, and I haven't even made a case for all the points I wanted to make. Take everything I wrote up for what you will. I'm sick of people bad mouthing the city I was born in just because they're too busy to stop and look around. Saint Louis doesn't have an identity, its residents have no culture of their own. Think about it, what do you think of when you think "Saint Louis?" The Arch? Get the fuck out of here, what else? Thought so.
The city is dead, and we killed it. WE killed it.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go jack off.
