St. Louis was once the gateway to the American west. Today, the Gateway Arch glistens above the Mississippi River in St. Louis, representing the history of the city and the vast frontier. St. Louis is where Scott Joplin rolled out ragtime tunes and jazzmen played the blues. It's also where Dred Scott filed his landmark lawsuit for freedom from slavery.
The St. Louis Zoo is a notable part of the city, but the Cardinals and the Rams now play elsewhere in town. St. Louis weathered a period of urban decline in the 1960s-1970s, when its downtown streets were fairly empty, but then the city bounced back. In many St. Louis neighborhoods, sidewalk cafes, ethnic restaurants, and new shops and galleries are reviving the city's distinctive character.
