5 Weirdest Things About Living in St. Louis, MO

[@LivingStLouis]

🔔🏠If you're moving to St. Louis, read our FULL GUIDE here: thestlrealtors.com/moving-to-st-louis-mo/

[@phillhuddleston9445]

One thing unique to the St. Louis region is on Halloween kids are expected to tell a joke to get a treat while trick-or-treating, often they tell very corny jokes that are passed on from generation to generation but that part is not a rule.

[@matthewlofton8465]

two of the wonkiest experiences with driving in the city for me are: 1)the back and forth layout of one-way streets. Some go one way, some go the opposite way, and sometimes the same street will go one-way in one direction and run into another block that's going one-way in the opposite direction. 2)long-running streets will sometimes shift left or right by a block or so, or sometimes there will be completely unconnected portions of the street nowhere close to running along the same route. I ran into this issue as a kid in boy scouts (back before GPS or navigation was a thing) when we had to go to another scout's house for a get-together. The street his house was on had the same street name that was close to my house but it was an isolated 2-block street that didn't even run the same direction as the main one. Unable to find it I ended up being unable to go.

[@doctorj6030]

As far as weather goes, the tornado sirens scared the crap out of me when I 1st moved here. It doesn't anymore, but if u are not used to it, it can cause a lot of anxiety

[@LivingStLouis]

Oh I hear you completely. They catch me off guard every single time

[@nelnason]

Thank you for making this! I’m moving to STL soon. 😊

[@LivingStLouis]

Thank you for watching! Is there anything else that would be helpful to know that wasn't covered here?

[@Ryarios]

I guess we can’t ask you where you went to school…😁 Maybe we can ask if you got your deer last year instead…😁

[@LivingStLouis]

@@Ryarios What do you mean

[@Ryarios]

@@LivingStLouis it’s an old Missouri joke.

[@nelnason]

@@Ryarios lmao I was homeschooled anyway. But I could get a deer

[@shontehanna2759]

It's always so fun to hear you.Talk about things that I didn't know.Other people noticed about saint louis

[@LivingStLouis]

Haha thank you! To be honest when I do research for videos and see what people say about it online, I usually uncover a bunch of stuff I didn't know either, or stuff I hadn't thought about as being unusual until someone else says something done differently elsewhere

[@drh3b]

I didn't catch any of the interchanges you had pictured, but the one I deal with has been rebuilt twice since I moved here in 1979. Lindbergh and I-270 were separate, I-270 had two cloverleafs, and I honestly don't remember how the non cloverleaf part of the exchange hooked up. Probably directly on Lindbergh. Right next to it was a 5 way intersection, where Dunn Rd, Taylor Rd and Lindbergh met in a messed up 5 way intersection. That was then replaced with the weird thing that was there for decades, where they blocked Dunn road at Taylor where the Toyota dealership is, ran Lindbergh over Taylor, had those weird on ramps/exits over Taylor from/to I-270 which was a real bottleneck. Now, they have that monstrosity where they split Lindbergh into two overpasses over I-270, which of course, like most of the 'improvements" in North County prioritize I-270 traffic flow over local traffic flow, although some of the local traffic flow stuff is good too, it's a mixed bag.

[@gwillis01]

Ahhh yes the famous rolling stop at the stop sign. I always make sure to slow down to less than five miles an hour during my rolling stop

[@LivingStLouis]

Hahah right?? As close as you can get to stopping without actually stopping

[@AshesOfRoses]

What a great explanation! How about Watson & Chippewa? Also, I get confused about what seems to be newly named neighborhoods. I have no idea where they are. Dutchtown, Dog Town, The Hill, Benton Park, Holly Hills, St Louis Hills - and some others - I know where they are. Some recently reported on the news leave me feeling very unsure where they are and I grew up here. About high schools, I always thought that was all about competing sports teams. Our rivals in that sense, not about wealth or status. And so correct about the seasons. Heat on in the morning. Air on in the afternoon. Rapid changes.

[@susanhopper813]

I think the high school question is a way to pigeon hole people--certain schools are for rich kids or smart kids or rich dumb kids etc. I think it's an innocent question for the most part!

[@LivingStLouis]

Thanks for watching! Yes you're absolutely right about Watson and Chippewa I missed those two. Your point about the neighborhoods is so true and I didn't touch on it, but yes that's another strange thing about neighborhoods that have different names or there isn't an official neighborhood but it's a combination of a few, such as Dogtown

[@Ryarios]

I moved from the west coast to STL and immediately noticed four things: 1. Traffic here is nothing compared to there. Listening to people complain about it here always makes me laugh. 2. My allergies suddenly stopped. On the west coast I had terrible allergies and took antihistamines every day. He I take a few antihistamines a year. I think it was the pollution in CA. 3. It’s green here. Lots of green. CA is a desert and looks it. 4. Weather. I came from a desert to here where we get rain so heavy, it comes down in buckets and sheets. It’s not uncommon for the fast setting on my wipers to not be enough. Then there’s the tornadoes here. Tornado watches are common. Tornado warnings aren’t uncommon. It changes quickly too. And let’s not forget the ice storms. You wake up to a quarter inch sheet of ice on your car. It takes you a half hour to get your car door open. The summertime humidity is terrible for a west coaster to experience too. It’s like being in a sauna with your clothes on.

[@LivingStLouis]

Super good points! That's funny about your allergies going away - I feel like I've heard so many people say the opposite where they move here and suddenly have allergies haha

[@jadebaker1495]

It’s the awful intersection map for me! As a St. Louis transplant, I so appreciate your honesty and humor about some of the struggles we face living here.

[@LivingStLouis]

Haha these intersections get me every single time!! Thanks so much for watching the video I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@Blessedhomeschoolinggrannyof1]

I am from Illinois. We pronounce it “Illinoy ”. People that aren’t from Illinois pronounce it “Illini noise” 🤣🤣

[@LivingStLouis]

Hahah that's too funny!

[@Miss_SJay]

I’m from Wisconsin and we pronounce it “Illinoy” as well lol

[@Ryarios]

I used to say Illi noise until a resident remarked that there is only one Illinoy…

[@joshuabissey]

A lot of people pronounce it "ell-innoy," and don't even realize they're getting it wrong.

[@marcbuxton3907]

Two separate downtowns. Clayton and DTStL. Can't name another city our size set up this way. Imagine all those Clayton bldgs in DTStL. The skyline would be incredible.

[@LivingStLouis]

Very good point. And totally agree. STL would look a lot more contemporary if those Clayton buildings were actually Downtown!!

[@rogermurph101]

You’re wrong about the liquor laws as far as time. No liquor sales after midnight on Sundays, or 1:30am the rest of the week.

[@phillhuddleston9445]

Yep, that's when you have to cross the river into Illinois where it's sold 24/7 if you run out.

[@Cowracer67]

#6 Imo's Pizza. You can describe it, but you can't truly know it till you experience it. The best I ever did in putting it into words is "There is no middle gears with Imo's pizza. Either you 100% LOVE it or you 100% LOATHE it."

[@LivingStLouis]

That's so true

[@ronaldpope7411]

I loved Sala's pizza 🍕 in the 70s on Newstead in the Central West End. It was the best!

[@mzondi1970]

I grew up next door to the original store and still don't think it's fantastic Pizza

[@joshuabissey]

I'm in the middle on Imo's. As long as it's hot, it's OK. Not very good when it gets cold.

[@drasmith153]

Saint Louis natives stand behind it tho! Me being a trans plant, I've learned to say, "I don't like it " and leave it at that lol.

[@brookewebb4924]

Thank you for the explanation on the street names changing. Could you do a video about the neighborhood names and where they are? Like dog town, the hill, or are they just areas of town? Also the bridges? They say the bridge names on the local news and I never have a clue which ones they are talking about. I don’t even see the name of the bridge when I cross the one that is 270 that turns into 255?? Thank for your consideration and time from a “transplant” to this area. 😊

[@LivingStLouis]

Absolutely! I will make a note of that and try to incorporate into a future video. The bridge names being different is a good point I didn't touch on in this video

[@jolenetwomey8280]

Thank you for the video. I presently live in Carbondale, but I am visiting Belleville 8/5 to check out possibilities of moving there, and Belleville is part of the metro area. About the weird pronunciations of French names; another one is Creve Coeur which most people pronounce the second part okay (Kerr) but the first part is Creeve when the French would pronounce it with an "accent grave" so it's Krev. As for high schools, many St. Louisans might have heard of the high school I went to in Kansas, Shawnee Mission South, since it's part of metro K.C. Anyway, I'm considering Belleville for better social opportunities and easier access to travel and big city amenities.

[@drh3b]

McCluer North wasn't there! It's definitely NOT McCluer. McCluer North, in the eighties, had the highest ACT scores for a public school, coming in THIRD statewide, meaning it was ahead of all but 3 private schools in all of Missouri. This was at the same time Florissant was the lowest crime city in the country in its size class.

[@katherinemcintosh7247]

I grew up in the county (Kirkwood,) moved away, moved back and bought a house in the City (Dutchtown,) then got married, husband was transferred overseas, sold my City house (which was my dream home,) and on our return we bought a home in the county (Webster Groves.) I never said I was from St. Louis when I was growing up, because I did not live in the City. I was SO PROUD to say I lived in St. Louis when I lived there. I no longer claim to e from St. Louis, but still proudly say that I did own my dream home when I was living in the City.

[@katherinemcintosh7247]

Lindbergh changes to Kirkwood Road through Kirkwood because the residents decided they did not want to have a road named for a Hitler sympathizer running through town.

[@katherinemcintosh7247]

I always asked people who said they were from the St. Louis area where they went because I may know,someone they know. St. Louis is a big small town. Once I went to college, I was hard pressed to go anywhere in St. Louis (city or county) without knowing someone or at least knowing someone a person I meet knows. That is the ONLY reason I ever asked. I did not know that the “status” thing was an issue until I was in my 30’s…when I was told that I probably would not have known that because I was from Kirkwood and that is one of the more affluent old communities in the county.🤷🏻‍♀️

[@JohnSmith-dk4qe]

I believe all cities with outerbelts like 270 HAVE to go in all 4 directions, east west north south in order to circle the city. Also, ever wonder why so many catholic high schools, chaminade, priory, desmet, cbc, villa Duchesne in creve coeur, but they can't keep st monica school open.

[@LivingStLouis]

That’s true about the highways

[@roberthensley7533]

I think on the allergy thing its because Missouri has the most diverse tree population in the country. Oh btw, CDS '81 aka CODASCO '81 here. I think you may recognize that. LOL. Keep up the great work!

[@LivingStLouis]

Thanks for watching! And great to hear from a fellow alum :)

[@jzavist71]

Colorado has both Denver and Broomfield as independent city-counties, similar to STL city.

[@LivingStLouis]

Oh wow I had no idea!

[@ZorValachan]

We'd ask in St. Charles County, just to get an idea of where you lived, because just saying the county wasn't specific enough. Even going to Mizzou in Columbia, MO when you'd meet somene from the St. Louis area, you'd ask which High School. Your sports teams were probably rivals as well. Francis Howell here. No cardinal point, the original 😉

[@The-Logic-Wizard]

Yeah it's a very annoying trait st louis people hold onto. You will never catch a Kansas City person or general Missouri person acting like that. It is just the baked in elitism/segregation that St Louis produces. Every single neighborhood is just a former immigrant group and they all hate each other. That is why the city is segregated to such an insane degree. It is not even a long racial lines, but literally country or place of origin. The Irish hate the polish, the polish hate the Germans, the Germans hate everyone, the whites and black don't get along, hell even the people from Indiana are segregated and called "Hoosiers" in a derogatory way by older citizens. St Louis is a complete basket case. The neighborhood "check" thing is just a St Louis person's way of prejudgment and deciding if you are worth speaking to or ignoring. Please trust me that the rest of Missouri is NOTHING like this, we are typically very nice and don't judge you for those things. The KKK is rising the fastest in St Louis than any other part of the country and that should tell you everything you need to know

[@haydenhendricks2155]

I currently go to Mizzou, and when i introduce myself to people i usually say i’m from the St. Louis area (i’m from St. Charles) and if they’re not from Missouri or the area they just accept that. But if they’re from STL or the area, they basically interrogate me asking STL specific questions to see if i’m really from STL or just St Charles😭 it really is a popularity game with a weird hierarchy about it lmao

[@tomryan9827]

Those freakin psycho intersections. I avoid driving downtown when my stress resistance is anything less than medium-high, because every block is some new insane intersection captcha to figure out, and I just can't deal with being forced to solve a new puzzle every 25 seconds

[@LivingStLouis]

I don't blame you! Not to mention when there's road work happening and it's 1000 times worse

[@tomryan9827]

@@LivingStLouis At one point about 20 years ago, EVERY SINGLE ROAD between my apartment and work was under construction. And in St Louis, they love to rip up the streets and then walk away for 2 years before they come back and finish

[@glmorris86]

My husband and I are from Springfield, MO, but currently live in Memphis. Folks here are also obsessed with the “where’d ya go to high school?” question. It’s bizarre. Anyway, I’d love to pick your brain as we’re seriously considering a move to STL. If you’re up for that just let me know. Thanks!

[@LivingStLouis]

St. Louisans LOVE that question. Would love to chat about your move! My business partner Madison (from the Chesterfield vid) is originally from Springfield so she could answer specific questions about STL vs Springfield differences. Feel free to reach out via text or email and we can setup a call. No pressure. But if you need help we'd love to be of service. 314-527-3270 [e-mail]

[@joshuabissey]

Bellefontaine is always pronounced "bell-fowntin."

[@LivingStLouis]

Yes!

[@SunShine-ij9yl]

Where is this dude from?

[@LivingStLouis]

?

[@mathew2214]

Everything is 20 minutes from everything else. Always. Sorry I'm late, road work on 270. Sorry I'm late, traffic on 44.

[@LivingStLouis]

Hahah yes exactly

[@mzondi1970]

I went to soldan. Only white guy on the football team

[@maryaltshuller885]

With the high school question I regard it as an ice-breaker question. But my late husband who came from a foreign country, viewed as a way for people to discriminate. He came from a country that the US was not always friendly with.

[@LivingStLouis]

I've definitely noticed people ask it with different intentions. Sometimes it is just an ice-breaker, but sometimes there's more undertone of trying to 'place' or 'categorize' someone based on where they say they went to school

[@jayfrancois2453]

#6: St. Louis style "pizza". I've been here 15 years and still can't stand it. #7: Making you tell a joke to get candy on Halloween. I found this out after having kids. Nope. My awesome costume is enough.

[@LivingStLouis]

Those are some good ones I didn't mention!!

[@jodi7947]

This is a pretty new phenomenon.