Posted April 14, 200718 yr **ALL NEW PICS** University City, known locally as U. City, is without question St. Louis' most interesting suburb. It sits on the western border of St. Louis City and has long been extremely diverse and liberal. It gets its namesake from Washington University, most of which is located in the suburb. With about 38,000 residents, U. City has high concentrations of African-Americans, Asians and Jews. It is the epicenter of Jewish culture in the St. Louis metro area, with more than 13 synogogues within its borders. On Saturday mornings there are Hasidic Jews EVERYWHERE. U. City is well served by 2 MetroLink rail stations and is home to the Loop, which is a very lively entertainment and dining district. Enjoy these pics...
April 14, 200718 yr JivecitySTL... have you ever traveled to Cleveland? I regret having never traveled to St. Louis (although I'm looking to change that in the near future). I've always heard there are a lot of parallels btw Cleveland and St. Louis... Univ. City, for example, reminds me a lot of our Cleveland Heights both in terms of age, diversity, housing types and liberal/cultural atmosphere. Similar to the area you refer to as "the Loop" in your photo spread, CH also is known for its lively mixed-use housing/entertainment districts, of which "Coventry" is the largest and best known... From the map, UC also appears to be a close in (called "inner ring" here) suburb of St. Louis. There is no university within CH's borders, though our Case Western Reserve U. (very similar, prestige-wise to WUSTL) is immediately down the hill from CH and a lot of students live in CH and influence it's character... also, CH has no direct rail transit, as UC does, but there are a couple Rapid lines which pass just west and south of CH's borders... When I do make it to St. Louis, University City will definitely be a stop on my itinerary. Your post has definitely influenced me in that direction -- nice job.
April 14, 200718 yr It looks a bit like Grandview Heights, an inner-ring suburb of Columbus near Ohio State. Excellent shots! "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
April 14, 200718 yr clvlndr-- yes, I've been to Cleveland six times, most recently in September. I love Cleveland, and yes, it has an awful lot in common with St. Louis. Not only are they old industrial cities, but they are about the same size metros and have similar demographics as well. I definitely see the similarities between U. City and Cleveland Hts. U. City and Clayton also have a lot in common with Shaker Heights in my opinion. I hope you definitely take a trip to STL. If you love Cleveland, you'll love St. Lou! btw, U. City is indeed an inner-ring suburb (we call 'em inner-ring too)!
April 14, 200718 yr I immediately thought of Shaker reading some of the descriptions. Looks like an interesting place, thank you for posting.
April 15, 200718 yr JivecitySTL, glad you like Cleveland. What particularly do you like about Cleveland? Where do you hang out (place or neighborhood)? What do you like to do while in town? Do you walk, drive, use public trans or cab it?... Conversely, what do you not like? Where can we improve, as you see it?
April 15, 200718 yr ^I love the questions you've asked. Cleveland is a city very much like St. Louis in so many ways. It's not a city that screams out at you; instead, it's a city you have to discover. To use a cliche, Cleveland is an onion. It has depth, layers. It's a city you need to dig a little to get to know. What do I like about Cleveland? I like its hometown flavor. I love that it's big enough to offer a big city experience, yet it is digestible. I love that it tells a story. There is only one Cleveland. It doesn't try to be something it's not, and it isn't pretentious. It's Cleveland. It's the one and only Cleveland. Fuckin' A. My favorite Cleveland 'hoods: Shaker Square, Little Italy, Tremont. I love the feel of these 'hoods.
April 15, 200718 yr ^cool. I'll definitely reciprocate after I return from St. Louis -- photos, comments, everything... Thanks much, Jivecity.
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