Understand

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The city is named after Louis IX of France.

St. Louis was acquired from France by the US during President Thomas Jefferson's term in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The transfer of power from Spain was made official in a ceremony called "Three Flags Day." On March 8, 1804, the Spanish flag was lowered and the French one raised. On March 10, the French flag was replaced by that of the USA.

St. Louis is called "the Gateway to the West". The city was the last major stop before journeying westward to the Pacfic coast.

St. Louis was the only place to manufacture Chevy Corvettes from 1953-1980.

St. Louis was also known for hosting the 1904 World's Fair and the Olympic games.

The city also played a large part during the steam boat era due its position at the meeting of the Mississippi River and Missouri River.

Eat

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Try St. Louis Originals

Barbequed Pork Steaks, St. Louis Style Boston Butt sliced into steaks, basted with Maull's Barbecue sauce

Gooey butter Cake,

Gus's Pretzels, great hot LARGE pretzels (about 1' long and 1" diameter!)

Maull's Barbecue Sauce,

Provel Cheese,

St. Louis Style Pizza,

Ted Drewes Frozen Custard,

Toasted Ravioli,

For original restaurants exclusive to St. Louis, see .

The Hill
If you are a fan of Italian, head over to a neighborhood known as "the Hill", . Home of Yogi Berra, the Hill has more Italian restaurants than any other area in the city.

Adriana's, +1 314 773-3833. Sicilian. Not open for dinner but can boast one of the best Italian veggie sandwiches out there. Lines are long but move quickly.

Cunetto's House of Pasta, +1 314 781-1135 .

Favazzas, +1 314 772-4454 .

Zia's Restaurant, +1 314 776-0020 . One of the most popular restaurants on The Hill, Zia's pastas stand out in St. Louis.

Rigazzi's Restaurant, +1 314 772-4900 . More known for it's fishbowls of beer than its food, Rigazzi's is a great place to get together and enjoy good Italian food in a relaxed environment.

TheHillSTL.com, . This is the unofficial site of The Hill but is your best guide to all the restaurants, shops and organizations on that make The Hill such a shining Italian jewel in St. Louis.

Central West End

Bar Italia, +1 314 361-7010, . Italian. Delightful venue for parties, drinking, picking up lovely ladies and happytimes. Refreshingly, ID's are rarely checked, although this tends to be a bit of a secret, so the crowd is actually happily devoid of drunken teenyboppers.

Coffee Cartel, . 24 hour coffee shop with free wi-fi.

Delmar Loop

Riddles, . A place to eat, drink, and listen to music on the Loop.

Blueberry Hill, . Restaurant and bar (open till 3AM) - Chuck Berry frequently on the calander to play.

Mirasol, . Tapas bar- South American Cuisine

Fitz's Rootbeer, . American Bar and Grill, Family friendly, watch the bottle factory go to work as you dine.

Dewey's Pizza, . Gourmet Pizza just north of the loop...