St. Louis stay safe · St. Louis travel safety advice
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St. Louis travel safety advice
St. Louis travel safety advice
St. Louis' recent designation as the Most Dangerous City in America should not deter the potential visitor -- vagaries in data collection and the city's fixed borders distort the true nature of the Gateway City's safety. Areas most often visited by tourists are no more dangerous than any other large American city. The more popular and most-visited areas in the city, such as Clayton, Downtown, the Central West End, and Forest Park have very low crime rates, even for the Midwest.
Some economically depressed North County suburbs like Wellston, Pagedale and parts of Normandy and Jennings, as well as many parts of North Saint Louis city are unsafe. The post-war exodus to the suburbs has taken a huge economic toll on these areas, leaving many buildings abandoned, decaying, or demolished. East St. Louis, in Illinois, is also noted for its high crime rate (note this is not true of Alton or Belleville, in Illinois to the north and south). When in the city, a general guideline (though politically incorrect and somewhat simplistic) is that areas north of Delmar Blvd are less safe than south. Most tourists, however, will have little reason to visit any of these places, so it should not present reason for much concern.
Some Metrolink stations are located in areas some may find questionable after dark as well. But most downtown areas around Busch Stadium, and Union Station, as well as the St. Louis University area and commuter lots near the airport, are generally safe and patrolled.
Although the chance is extremely rare, an earthquake is possible in the area, as St. Louis sits on a fault line, whose last big earthquake changed the course of the Mississippi River. While many scientists have cautioned that a "big one" may occur again, the majority agree it is unlikely to happen any time soon.
St. Louis has had more urban tornadoes than any other city in the country, so make sure you understand tornado safety precautions.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about St. Louis
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in St. Louis - updated May 2024
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St. Louis Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.