26 Reasons To Appreciate The Hidden Gem Of St. Louis

 

1. 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.

2. 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!

3. Its massive Forest Park is almost twice as big as Central Park!

Offering nearly 1,400 acres of land for in-line skating, biking, walking, running, golf, tennis, and other sports and activities, Forest Park is the crown jewel of St. Louis. The park is home to five of the region’s major institutions: the St. Louis Art Museum, the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Science Center, the Missouri History Museum, and the Muny amphitheatre (more on all these later).

4. 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!

5. The Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest botanical garden in continuous operation in America.

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Source:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/21/st-louis-reasons-to-love_n_4993763.html?view=print&comm_ref=false