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Profile of Downtown Saint Louis
by Sid Cameron, (Data by: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000)
The heart of the City of Saint Louis is it's Downtown neighborhood- stretching from the banks of the Mississippi river westward to Tucker (12th) Street. Along with the adjacent Downtown West neighborhood, Downtown is the region's central business district and is marked by it's high-rise office buildings that are home to a number of national or regional Fortune 1000 headquarters which includes: Ameren UE, AT&T, Bank of America, Blue Cross (Anthem), CPI, Hardee's, NestlePurina, Peabody Energy, U.S. Bank and more.
But undoubtedly the image most people have in mind when you mention the name "Saint Louis" is that of Downtown's most impressive landmark- The Gateway Arch. Setting on more than 90 acres of downtown riverfront known as The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, The 630-foot Arch attracts more than 2 million visitors from around the world each year- making Downtown a very popular destination for tourists.
In 2007, Forbes ranked Saint Louis as the 18th most popular tourist destination in the U.S. with over 20 million visitors annual, and Downtown plays host to the vast majority of that. Besides The Gateway Arch, Downtown also offers The America's Center, Saint Louis' convention center, which features 502,000 contiguous square feet of exhibit space, 80 meeting rooms, a 1,400 seat theatre and the attached Edward Jones Dome. In the summer months, it is not uncommon for Downtown to be host to conventions of 15,000-30,000 people.
Sports are also a major tourist draw for Downtown. On the southern edge of the neighborhood you'll find the newly built Busch Stadium, home to the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Edward Jones Dome is also home to The St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Along with the nearby Scottrade Center, these facilities also host a variety of special sporting events including the yearly Missouri Valley Conference's "Arch Madness" Basketball Tournament (Scottrade), 2009 MLB All-Star game (Busch), the 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Final Four (Edward Jones Dome), the 2004 and 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Midwest Regionals (Edward Jones Dome), and the 2009 NCAA Women's Final Four Basketball Tournament (Scottrade).
And along with tourism comes entertainment. The Gateway Arch grounds host a 4th of July festival every year called "Fair Saint Louis" as well as a series of free concerts every July-August known as "LIVE on the Levee". In 2009 this included a wide variety of artists such as Counting Crows, Train, Sonic Youth, Little Feat, Angie Stone, Gretchen Wilson, Guster and Lupa Fiasco.
Over 11,000 people call Downtown their home- a number that has risen significantly over the past 10 years. It is now estimated that there is over 8,200 housing units (rental and sale) in this neighborhood alone. Much of this has come from converting excess office and warehouse space into condos and lofts.
The Washington Avenue Garment District (also known as The Loft District), stretching West from the Convention Center on Washington Avenue into the Downtown West neighborhood, is one of the fastest growing residential areas of the city. This stretch of Washington Avenue is also burgeoning with trendy shopping, dining and other nightlife.
To the east of the Convention Center you'll find another entertainment district known as Laclede's Landing (also known as "The Landing"). This nine block area of historic riverfront is directly north of the Gateway Arch grounds and is also home to condos and lofts as well as the brand new Lumiere Place Casino and Hotels.
Another area of residential growth can be found surrounding the newly built Busch Stadium.
Downtown is serviced by four major Interstate highways- I-44, I-55, I-64 (also known as Highway 40) and I-70. This gives downtown easy highway access to all other areas of the metropolitan area. Downtown is also serviced by MetroLink subway and Metro bus service. The neighboring Downtown West neighborhood is serviced by AmTrak connecting Saint Louis with Chicago (to the east) and Kansas City (to the west).
Highlights from the U.S. Census taken in 2000 includes:
Downtown Saint Louis (zip code: 63101), Missouri Demographic Profile Highlights:
General Characteristics |
Number |
Percent |
U.S. |
|
Total population |
1,327 |
|
|
|
Male |
630 |
47.5 |
49.1% |
|
Female |
697 |
52.5 |
50.9% |
|
Median age (years) |
48.1 |
(X) |
35.3 |
|
Under 5 years |
69 |
5.2 |
6.8% |
|
18 years and over |
1,131 |
85.2 |
74.3% |
|
65 years and over |
399 |
30.1 |
12.4% |
|
Average household size |
1.49 |
(X) |
2.59 |
|
Average family size |
2.65 |
(X) |
3.14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total housing units |
1,286 |
|
|
|
Occupied housing units |
889 |
69.1 |
91.0% |
|
Owner-occupied housing units |
34 |
3.8 |
66.2% |
|
Renter-occupied housing units |
855 |
96.2 |
33.8% |
|
Vacant housing units |
397 |
30.9 |
9.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Social Characteristics |
Number |
Percent |
U.S. |
|
Population 25 years and over |
1,076 |
|
|
|
High school graduate or higher |
701 |
65.1 |
80.4% |
|
Bachelor's degree or higher |
106 |
9.9 |
24.4% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Economic Characteristics |
Number |
Percent |
U.S. |
|
In labor force (population 16 years and over) |
550 |
46.1 |
63.9% |
|
Mean travel time to work in minutes (workers 16 years and over) |
28.4 |
(X) |
25.5 |
|
Median household income in 1999 (dollars) |
17,783 |
(X) |
41,994 |
|
Median family income in 1999 (dollars) |
24,010 |
(X) |
50,046 |
|
Per capita income in 1999 (dollars) |
15,635 |
(X) |
21,587 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Housing Characteristics |
Number |
Percent |
U.S. |
|
Single-family owner-occupied homes |
35 |
|
|
|
Median value (dollars) |
80,300 |
(X) |
119,600 |
|
Median of selected monthly owner costs |
(X) |
(X) |
|
|
With a mortgage (dollars) |
810 |
(X) |
1,088 |
|
Not mortgaged (dollars) |
515 |
(X) |
295 |
|
(X) Not applicable.
|
Downtown Saint Louis (zip code: 63102), Missouri Demographic Profile Highlights:
General Characteristics |
Number |
Percent |
U.S. |
|
Total population |
1,311 |
|
|
|
Male |
913 |
69.6 |
49.1% |
|
Female |
398 |
30.4 |
50.9% |
|
Median age (years) |
39.2 |
(X) |
35.3 |
|
Under 5 years |
19 |
1.4 |
6.8% |
|
18 years and over |
1,276 |
97.3 |
74.3% |
|
65 years and over |
123 |
9.4 |
12.4% |
|
Average household size |
1.20 |
(X) |
2.59 |
|
Average family size |
2.29 |
(X) |
3.14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total housing units |
870 |
|
|
|
Occupied housing units |
654 |
75.2 |
91.0% |
|
Owner-occupied housing units |
14 |
2.1 |
66.2% |
|
Renter-occupied housing units |
640 |
97.9 |
33.8% |
|
Vacant housing units |
216 |
24.8 |
9.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Social Characteristics |
Number |
Percent |
U.S. |
|
Population 25 years and over |
1,147 |
|
|
|
High school graduate or higher |
958 |
83.5 |
80.4% |
|
Bachelor's degree or higher |
448 |
39.1 |
24.4% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Economic Characteristics |
Number |
Percent |
U.S. |
|
In labor force (population 16 years and over) |
1,069 |
84.0 |
63.9% |
|
Mean travel time to work in minutes (workers 16 years and over) |
23.4 |
(X) |
25.5 |
|
Median household income in 1999 (dollars) |
37,991 |
(X) |
41,994 |
|
Median family income in 1999 (dollars) |
43,021 |
(X) |
50,046 |
|
Per capita income in 1999 (dollars) |
27,395 |
(X) |
21,587 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Housing Characteristics |
Number |
Percent |
U.S. |
|
Single-family owner-occupied homes |
0 |
|
|
|
Median value (dollars) |
0 |
(X) |
119,600 |
|
Median of selected monthly owner costs |
(X) |
(X) |
|
|
With a mortgage (dollars) |
0 |
(X) |
1,088 |
|
Not mortgaged (dollars) |
0 |
(X) |
295 |
|
(X) Not applicable.
|
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