St. Louis is an independent
city and a major United States port on the eastern line of the state of
Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 319,294, and a 2012
estimate put the population at 318,172, making it the 58th-largest U.S. city in
2012. The metropolitan St. Louis area, known as Greater St. Louis (CSA), is the
19th-largest metropolitan area in the United States with a population of
2,900,605.
The city of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by Pierre Laclède
and Auguste Chouteau, and named for Louis IX of France. After