It is located near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In , the city proper had a population of ,, [ 8 ] while its metropolitan area , which extends into Illinois , had an estimated population of over 2. It is the largest metropolitan area in Missouri and the second-largest in Illinois.
The city's combined statistical area is the 20th-largest in the United States. The land that became St. Louis had been occupied by Native American cultures for thousands of years before European settlement.
In , the United States acquired St. Louis as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In the 19th century, St. Louis developed as a major port on the Mississippi River; from until the census, it was the fourth-largest city in the country. It separated from St. Louis County in , becoming an independent city and limiting its political boundaries. In , it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition , also known as the St.
Louis World's Fair, and the Summer Olympics. Louis is designated as one of global cities by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Louis has a diverse economy with strengths in the service, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and aviation industries. Louis , the U. Major research universities in Greater St. Louis include Washington University in St. Louis has four professional sports teams : the St. The city's attractions include the foot m Gateway Arch in Downtown St.
Louis , the St. Louis Art Museum , and Bellefontaine Cemetery. The area that became St. Louis was a center of the Native American Mississippian culture , which built numerous temple and residential earthwork mounds on both sides of the Mississippi River. Their major regional center was at Cahokia Mounds , active from to Due to numerous major earthworks within St. Louis boundaries, the city was nicknamed as the "Mound City". These mounds were mostly demolished during the city's development.
