Saint Louis, saynt LOO ihs, is the second largest city in Missouri and a leading industrial and transportation center of the United States. Among Missouri's cities, only Kansas City has more people. But St. Louis has the state's largest metropolitan area.
St. Louis lies on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of where the Mississippi meets the Missouri River. This location has made St. Louis the busiest inland port on the Mississippi River.
In 1764, French fur traders built a post on the site of what is now St. Louis. They chose the site because Indians bringing furs to trade could reach it easily by canoe. The French named the settlement for King Louis IX, who had been made a saint. It came under the control of the United States when President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 (see Louisiana Purchase).
During the first half of the 1800's, St. Louis served as a gateway to the West and as a main port for Mississippi River steamboats. The city became a railroad center after the American Civil War (1861-1865). During the late 1800's, industrial expansion helped St. Louis become one of the nation's chief urban centers.
