St. Louis offers the familiarity of a small town while being surrounded by big-city advantages like opera, theatre, ballet, museums, sports, gaming, shopping galore.  St. Louis truly is the best of both worlds – small and big alike!

Population: Approximately 2,600,000 in the metropolitan area. The City of St. Louis has approximately 375,000 residents, while St. Louis County has approximately 1,000,000.

Cost of Living Index: 99.95 (National Average: 100)

Average Housing Cost: $103,000 (National Average: $143,000).

Climate: Average temperatures in the summer range from 57°F to 90°F degrees, and in the winter from below 0°F to 55°F degrees. The average annual rainfall is 38 inches, with an average annual snowfall of 20 inches. Storms are common throughout the year, and at times they can bring a path of destruction with lightning, heavy winds and a torrent of moisture.

Time Zone: Central Standard Time, which is six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.  When it’s noon in St. Louis, it’s 1 p.m. in Toronto, 6 p.m. in London, and 4 a.m. in Sydney.  St. Louis observes Daylight Savings Time, which is in effect April through October.

Economy: St. Louis is the sixth largest Fortune 500 headquarters city in the nation.  St. Louis apartments are surrounded by major commercial enterprises including Anheuser-Busch, Emerson Electric, Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas), Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and Monsanto.

Taxes: Combined city and state sales tax is 6.6% (4.225% state and 1.775% city).  Hotel occupancy tax is 7.25%.

Some interesting websites to visit to learn more about St. Louis and the downtown apartments St. Louis has to offer:

• Explore St. Louis – http://www.explorestlouis.com
• The St. Louis Post Dispatch – http://www.stltoday.com
• Local school districts – http://www.hughchou.org/hugh/stl_schools.html