The editorial about the drop in population speaks to problems that continue to plague St. Louis. The American cited examples of people who have excelled in St. Louis, but they represent limited examples. And, it’s not solely a race issue. The numbers don’t lie: St. Louis lacks the dynamic verve that is necessary to attract a wide cadre of young, urban professionals.
The city has one recent downtown success story, and that is the loft district … and that took over 20 years of planning and talking to reach fruition. An honest assessment would categorize urban St. Louis as a place where the status quo is the preferred form of action.
The city hangs its hat on the Arch, Forest Park, the St. Louis Zoo, its sports teams and its central location. Aside from that, why would a young, talented 20-30 something place St. Louis at the top if his/her lists of places to live? How does St. Louis stack up against Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle or even Charlotte?
The problem is that St. Louis lacks dynamic leadership politically and on the corporate side when it comes to springing this city from the doldrums. We are what we are: a nice little sleepy hollow in the Midwest.
Greg Gibson
St. Louis