Qualla: St. Louis: The Gateway City That Opened the West and Then Got Left Behind https://qualla.com/st-louis en-us © 2026 Bendyline Wed, 16 Sep 2026 19:41:18 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/z/g/st-louis-wk/st-louis-mississippi-r.jpg Qualla: St. Louis: The Gateway City That Opened the West and Then Got Left Behind https://qualla.com/st-louis St. Louis: The Gateway City That Opened the West and Then Got Left Behind: Introduction https://qualla.com/st-louis/ Photo credit David Wilson, CC BY 2.0. St. Louis was supposed to be the great American city - positioned at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the launching point for western expansion, the commercial hub connecting East and West. The Eads Bridge, completed in 1874, was an engineering marvel; the 1904 World's Fair announced St. Louis to the world. Then everything went wrong: the city lost population to suburbs, lost economic importance to Chicago, lost manufacturing to everywhere. The population that peaked at 856,000 in 1950 has fallen to 300,000. The Gateway Arch, completed in 1965, commemorates an optimism the city can no longer sustain. St. Louis is the Gateway to the West for a journey Americans stopped taking.

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Image: David Wilson | CC BY 2.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/z/g/st-louis-city-wk/9yzg-st-louis-the-gateway-city-that-opened-the-west-and-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full St. Louis: The Gateway City That Opened the West and Then Got Left Behind: The Gateway https://qualla.com/st-louis/ Photo credit Garfield226, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Gateway Arch, designed by Eero Saarinen, rises 630 feet above the Mississippi riverfront - the tallest monument in the United States, stainless steel curves framing views of city and river. The Arch commemorates St. Louis's role as Gateway to the West: Lewis and Clark departe...

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Image: Garfield226 | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/z/g/st-louis-city-wk/9yzg-st-louis-the-gateway-city-that-opened-the-west-and-the-gateway.mp3 0:06 2 full St. Louis: The Gateway City That Opened the West and Then Got Left Behind: The Cardinals https://qualla.com/st-louis/ Photo credit Lightmetro, CC BY-SA 4.0. The St. Louis Cardinals are the city's remaining source of unified pride - 11 World Series championships, more than any National League team, a fan base that extends across Missouri, Illinois, and beyond. The Cardinals are what St. Louis still does well: sell out Busch Stadium, p...

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Image: Lightmetro | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/z/g/st-louis-city-wk/9yzg-st-louis-the-gateway-city-that-opened-the-west-and-the-cardinals.mp3 0:06 3 full St. Louis: The Gateway City That Opened the West and Then Got Left Behind: The Decline https://qualla.com/st-louis/ Photo credit Bananasoldier, CC BY-SA 3.0. St. Louis's collapse has many causes: white flight to suburbs accelerated by the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing projects (demolished in 1972); racial tensions that erupted in Ferguson in 2014; political fragmentation that separated the city from suburban St. Louis County (a unique ...

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Image: Bananasoldier | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/z/g/st-louis-city-wk/9yzg-st-louis-the-gateway-city-that-opened-the-west-and-the-decline.mp3 0:06 4 full St. Louis: The Gateway City That Opened the West and Then Got Left Behind: The Food https://qualla.com/st-louis/ Photo credit The original uploader was Indrian at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0. St. Louis food reflects the German and Italian immigration that shaped the city. The toasted ravioli - breaded, fried, served with marinara - was invented here (at a restaurant on The Hill, the Italian neighborhood). The thin-crust pizza, cut in squares with Provel cheese, is dis...

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Image: The original uploader was Indrian at English Wikipedia. | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/z/g/st-louis-city-wk/9yzg-st-louis-the-gateway-city-that-opened-the-west-and-the-food.mp3 0:06 5 full St. Louis: The Gateway City That Opened the West and Then Got Left Behind: Visiting St. Louis https://qualla.com/st-louis/ Photo credit Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0. St. Louis is served by Lambert International Airport (STL). The Gateway Arch National Park occupies the riverfront; the tram to the top offers views but requires advance tickets and tolerance for confined spaces. The City Museum is a sprawling, weird, wonderful playground built f...

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Image: Fredlyfish4 | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/9/y/z/g/st-louis-city-wk/9yzg-st-louis-the-gateway-city-that-opened-the-west-and-visiting-st-louis.mp3 0:06 6 full