26 Reasons to Appreciate St. Louis

We are lovers of all things St. Louis (as if our name doesn’t already prove that). From lunch on The Hill to Cardinal’s games, our heartstrings flutter when anyone mentions our beloved city. Apparently, the Huffington Post agrees.

In its post, “26 Reasons To Appreciate the Hidden Gem of St. Louis,” the Huffington Post shares some of the most coveted landmarks, facts and to-dos in St. Louis. Below we have selected our favorites from the list. Read the full post here.

It’s one of the most charitable cities in America.

The ‘Lou puts its (charitable) money where its mouth is. The city is consistently ranked as one of the most charitable cities in the country, having ranked ninth last year (and ahead of Chicago, to boot!). What makes St. Louis a true gem is its eagerness to give.

A third of St. Louis residents volunteer.

A study by the Corporation for National & Community Service ranked St. Louis eighth when it comes to volunteering. 730,000 people, or 32 percent of St. Louis area residents, donated 73 million hours of service. This adds up to more than $1.6 billion dollars!

There’s nothing like being a Cardinals fan, especially in one of the best ballparks in the country.

Baseball in St. Louis is an unavoidable annual celebration, with an influx of red-clad fans — drinking Schlafly beer, obviously — invading the downtown area each season. Plus, Yelp, Bleacher Report and Fox Sports have all ranked Busch Stadium as one of the top ten in the country for the views of the city, the hospitality of its staff and for the ability to see the game both in the stadium and outside!

It treats access to the arts as a public right, not an exclusive privilege.

St. Louis has placed emphasis on the arts and cultural institutions as a way to elevate society, as evidenced by the special property tax that subsidizes the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District, which includes several of the city’s world-class cultural institutions. As a result, most of them are free!

St. Louis has one of the top 10 zoos in the country — and it’s free.

The St. Louis Zoo is one of the best in the country with over 90 acres and about 18,000 animals! Located in the heart of Forest Park, getting in will cost you nothing.