Ratings and Rankings - Quality of Life

In addition to having a strong business environment, St. Louis is a pleasant place to live, offering friendly neighborhoods, affordable cost of living, and a vast range of things to do.

Find out a few reasons why St. Louis has been recently noticed for its exceptional quality of life:

• Crestwood, MO. has been ranked the No. 1 "Best Place to Raise Your Kid - Missouri" in 2012 by Businessweek.

• Webster Groves, MO. was named as one of the "10 Best Towns for Families" by Family Circle magazine, August 2008. The magazine searched the country to find perfect places to live and raise kids, based on affordable home prices, student/teacher ratios, and residential recycling programs. Webster Groves was noted for its historic Victorian homes, landmark buildings, close community, and small class sizes.

• St. Louis was ranked No. 11 on Parenting Magazine's 2011 Best Cities for Families; the list ranks cities based on schools, affordable homes, low crime rates, jobs and parkland.

• Three St. Louis communities, Lake St. Louis, MO., Webster Groves, MO., and Ballwin, MO. ranked among the 100 best places to live in the nation on Money magazine’s 2011 list of “100 Best Places to Live in 2011". The ranking looked at job growth, income increases, job growth, income increases, cost of living, housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure options, safety, medical care, diversity and commute.

• O'Fallon, MO. was recognized by Relocate America as one of the "Top 100 Places to Live in 2011". The rankings are based on strong local leadership, employment opportunities, thriving community commitment, improving real estate markets, growing green initiatives, plentiful recreational options and an overall high quality of life.

• Forbes magazine ranked the culture in St. Louis No. 16 of 40 in a 2009 survey of "Best Cities for Singles."

• The  American College of Sports Medicine's 2011 American Fitness Index Report ranked St. Louis 26th out of the 50 largest U.S. metro's for community fitness status. The report is based on preventive health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, health care access, as well as community resources and policies that support physical activity.

• St. Louis was named 13th on the Vitality Index in 2011 by Creative Cities International. The index analyzed and assessed 35 U.S. cities assets and distinctive features to gauge civic vitality.

• St. Louis experienced the fastest rate of growth of college-educated young adults living in or near downtown St. Louis over the last decade than in any other major metro area, according to a report from CEOs for Cities. The report notes that the population ages 25-34 with a four-year degree living within three miles of downtown St. Louis grew 87 percent - or 2,700 - from 2000 - 2009.

• Careerbuilder ranked St. Louis as the 10th best city for recent college graduates for 2011. 

• Forbes magazine named St. Louis the 15th "Best City for Young Professionals" in the July 2008 issue based on the high share of best big businesses and small businesses that call St. Louis home, the number of graduate students attracted to the region, the never-married population and the salary to cost of living ratio.

Most Bicycle Friendly

• Bicycling magazine named St. Louis No. 38 on its list of the 50 Top Places to Ride in the United States in the May 2010 issue. Each city was rated on its vibrant and diverse bike culture, as well as its smart, savvy bike shops. Bicycling magazine notes that St. Louis has over 73 miles of on-street bike routes and praised the region's participation in National Bike to Work Day.

• St. Louis was ranked as a top "Bicycle Friendly Community" in the United States by the League of American Bicyclists for 2009. The League noted St. Louis' progress in completing several noteworthy projects within the past year, which include 53 new miles of on-street additions to the bikeway system, a $10 million investment, and an expansion of bicycling education offerings for children and adults.  Overall, the state of Missouri ranks 17 out of the 50 states, while St. Louis is listed in the top 15 out of 318 cities.

• In February 2010, Forbes magazine named St. Louis No. 8 on its "America's Best Housing Markets" list based on low foreclosures, rising home prices, and affordability.

• Money magazine listed St. Louis as the No. 8 Best City for Home Buyers in 2011.

• After examining average income for seniors, current and expected home prices, job-growth predictions through 2014, cost of living, and median monthly housing cost, Forbes magazine named the St. Louis region the fifth most "Recession-Proof Cities To Retire In" in the nation for October 2009.

• Busch Stadium, home to the St. Louis Cardinals, was named No. 7 on Fox Sports' list of The 10 best ballparks in Major League Baseball for 2011. The ranking noted a bustling downtown crawling with fans dressed in red and prevailing hospitality, in addition to Busch Stadium's "handsome brick exterior, the friendliest ushers ever, the views of the city, the ability to watch the game from the sidewalk outside, and the mix of old and new that typify the contemporary class of parks," which all make it a top venue.

• The Pageant ranks No. 5 on Pollstar's "Top Club Venues in the World", according to Pollstar's 2011 annual lists. The Fox Theatre ranked No. 11 among the top 100 theater venues in the world, and Verizon Wireless Amphitheater ranked No. 9 on the list of worldwide amphitheaters in Pollstar's 2008 list.

• The Saint Louis Science Center was named No. 5 on the "10 Best Science Centers for Families" in the country by Parents magazine, September 2008. This is the second recent recognition the Saint Louis Science Center has received for being top in the nation. Forbes Traveler magazine recognized the Science Center as one of the nation's Top 25 Most Visited Museums in 2007. It was the only Missouri museum to be named on the list.

• The Delmar Loop in University City and St. Louis was named among the 10 Great Streets in America for 2007 by the American Planning Association's Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value.

• The Saint Louis Zoo, located in Forest Park, was named No.3 on Parents magazine's "10 Best Zoos for Kids" in the May 2011 issue..

• The St. Louis Art Fair in Clayton was ranked No. 4 on Art Fair Source Book's "Top 25 Fine Art Events" in the nation for 2009.

• The St. Louis City Museum in 2005 was named one of the World’s 10 Best Public Spaces by the New York-based Project for Public Spaces.

• Praised for its cultural attractions, lodging, food, and fair prices, St. Louis was named as one of the "Most Underrated Destinations of the World" for 2009 by the Los Angeles Times, noting that "St. Louis has the best value of any urban destination anywhere".

Most Literate

• The St. Louis region ranked No. 2 in the country for library services on the 2011 "America's Most Literate Cities" study published by Central Connecticut State University. In addition, St. Louis was named the 8th most literate city overall for 2011, based on six key indicators of literacy, which included newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.

Most Generous

• St. Louis was named one of the nation's most generous large cities for 2011 ranking 7th, based on 2010 per capita online giving and total amount donated online with total populations of more than 100,000.

• St. Louis ranked as having the 10th highest volunteer rate in the nation among large U.S. cities for 2010, according to a study published by the Corporation for National & Community Service. The study found that St. Louis had a volunteer rate of 31.3% in 2010, with 709,700 adult volunteers contributing an average of 39.8 hours of service per resident.

• St. Louis was named as one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2010"Dozen Distinctive Destinations", which ranked cities on their offerings of cultural and recreational experiences that differ from those found at the typical vacation destinations.

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