The discount brokerage firm Scottrade recently opened their 300th branch office (press release), however, the company located in St. Louis’ suburbs does not have a branch in the City of St. Louis. Their name is in big letters downtown but as the naming rights for a sports facility. Can someone downtown please give Scottrade CEO Roger Riney a tour of available spaces?
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It’s not just Scottrade that has local identity confusion.
These other “STL” businesses have no presence in the city:
Dierbergs
Monsanto
Energizer
Rawlings
University of Missouri-St. Louis
I’m sure there are many others that claim STL as home but have not affiliation with the city
One of my pet peeves is the opposite of this issue: Companies using a “St. Louis” address when they are actually way out in the county somewhere. There’s nothing I hate more than sending out a resume to a company that says “St. Louis”, only to be called in to an interview at their offices in Chesterfield or O’Fallon or St. Charles or some crap. I feel like asking them to refund the cost of my wasted stamp!
The zip code should have given it away. If you don’t even know where they are physically located you sure don’t know enough about them to send them a resume.
I’m sure there are many others that claim STL as home but have not affiliation with the city
Affiliation with St. Louis County still can claim STL home.
I hate it when people claim to live in St. Louis, but are really from, say Eureka (big pet peeve of mine!)
[UrbanReviewSTL — Well, which is it? You seem to think that someone from St. Louis County can lay claim to “St. Louis” but not someone from Eureka. I hate to break it to you but Eureka, first platted in 1858, is located in St. Louis County.]
Re. all those county and exurban folks who claim to be fellow “St. Louisans”, you know what? They could not care less that we city people don’t like them using our name. If anything, they probably think we’re a little obsessed.
Matt B, you are so right! I got so annoyed years ago watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and a contestant was ID’d as being from Webster Groves, MO. What? Are you too snotty to say your’e from St. Louis? And thank you too, Meg. I grew up in the County and moved to the City after college. I consider myself a lifelong St. Louisan…I had no control over where my parents decided to live. If I’m out of town for business or pleasure, I’m telling people that I’m from St. Louis…not that I was raised in U-City, MO.
I don’t think this is uncommon in metropolitan areas with multiple municipalities.
I do agree that it’s a little irritating when it comes from the outer countians, but it’s really only irritating to those of use who live around here and know the layout. I think it can only serve the region well if a big company out in the suburbs claims
to be “from St. Louis.”
I live in U-City and tell out-of-towners I’m from St. Louis. But when I’m in the county, I tell people I’m from U-City. University City has it’s own identity problems among the outer countians, so I proudly tell people where I live and where my children go
to school (public schools.)
By the way, the comments box is messed up somehow. Can’t see what I’m typing unless I put in hard returns.
[UrbanReviewSTL — Thanks for the comment, I’ve removed the hard returns. This site is best viewed using Firefox or Safari — users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer will have trouble with some of the technology used on modern websites.]
The question is, why? One is obviously that most people in the region don’t live in the City and rarely visit it. They identify with the City only as an albatross for the rest of the region to bear. But I think one of the big obstacles to businesses locating in the City–whether we want to admit it or not–is the Earnings Tax (Profits for a Corporation–2% out of my pocket instantly as a business owner), and to a lesser extent, the high fees for a business license. I’ve been looking at this issue in regards to moving my firm out of the house lately, and it’s a real issue. We need to do something about it.
I guess my comment didn’t make much sense, being that I left out an important word – CITY!
I had a roomate in college who told people she lived in St. Louis City and then would be asked where and she’d say about 10 minutes from downtown.
1. Eureka is not ten minutes from downtown and 2. Eureka is not in St. Louis City.
Bureaucratic lines are not what the region should be looking at. We have to celebrate the City of St. Louis as the center of our region. But when people refer to Warrenton as part of the St. Louis Metro area what do we expect – don’t blame the people – blame the leaders that can’t think regionally and act locally – specifically looking at their ward. I live in the burbs and I am shocked at why the city looks up to the burbs and can’t have a vision of their own. Lifestyle centers that have popped up in every major metro – are just now being introduced 10 years later in St. Louis. I guess we loved strip malls so much that we wanted to delay the lifestyle centers for a good 10 years.
This is a battle you’ll never win – it all depends on the perspective and local knowledge of whoever you’re talking to. It funnels down from USA to midwest to St. Louis (metro) to St. Louis (city) to ward and/or neighborhood, and in more than a few cases, parish and/or high school. I moved here from Denver, SE Denver, near DU, the Platt Park Neighborhood in Council District 7. Most people in St. Louis have an idea where Denver is, some have an idea where DU (University of Denver) is, but only local Denverites know where the Platt Park neighborhood is. And it took me a while to figure out the nuances between city and county here, even though I’m willing to try and figure it out . . .
^ this inconsisitency is a big deal when the crime reports and school reports come out. Then all these suburban “St. Louisians” quickly do an about face and get all accurate and precise and blame STL specifically for the mess. Then they are conveniently separated from old St. Lou again. They want our history, namesake and good qualities, yet don’t want to pay or vote to fix the bad qualities.
stlmark hits the nail on the head — “They want our history, namesake and good qualities, yet don’t want to pay or vote to fix the bad qualities.”
As for “University of Missouri-St. Louis” — it’s true the UMSL campus is not located in the City, but University of Missouri Extension does have a presence in the City of St. Louis.
The office where I work (Small Business Empowerment Center) is located at 100 N. Tucker Blvd., Ste. 530, downtown. Also the Urban 4-H and Nutrition programs have an Outreach office at 724 N. Union, in the West End Community Center.
But we are actually on the payroll of University of Missouri-Columbia. Go figure.
Also, UMSL does have an Optometric Center at 3940 Lindell Blvd., and co-sponsors the Center for Emerging Technologies at 4041 Forest Park Pky., both in the Central West End sort of near SLU.
Nevertheless, it’s true that no UMSL teaching faculty operate within the city limits. For about 10 years from the mid-70s to mid-80s, there was an “UMSL Downtown” offering night classes to downtown workers like Webster does. But I think the building where it was located got demolished to make way for One Metropolitan Square.
Of course, there’s a similar issue with “Washington University in St. Louis.” The legal name says St. Louis, but of course most of the Danforth Campus is located in unincorporated St. Louis County!
My point was that it’s no different here than in any other city – whether you’re talking St. Louis, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Miami or Seattle, everyone funnels their answers down to what their listener understands (based on their familiarity with the specific city/region/neighborhood) and how they want to spin the information or create a perception. It’s not “fair”, but you’re not going to get someone from O’Fallon or Clayton or Fenton to start off a conversation with a new acquaintance on the beach in Cancun or Maui, or standing in line in Orlando, with anything other than “I’m from St. Louis” or I’m from Missouri”. Otherwise, the only response you’ll get in return will be “Huh, where?”
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It’s not just Scottrade that has local identity confusion.
These other “STL” businesses have no presence in the city:
Dierbergs
Monsanto
Energizer
Rawlings
University of Missouri-St. Louis
I’m sure there are many others that claim STL as home but have not affiliation with the city
We shouldn’t forget that UMSL built the Touhill which draws away national acts that could be performing at the Kiel Opera House.
One of my pet peeves is the opposite of this issue: Companies using a “St. Louis” address when they are actually way out in the county somewhere. There’s nothing I hate more than sending out a resume to a company that says “St. Louis”, only to be called in to an interview at their offices in Chesterfield or O’Fallon or St. Charles or some crap. I feel like asking them to refund the cost of my wasted stamp!
The zip code should have given it away. If you don’t even know where they are physically located you sure don’t know enough about them to send them a resume.
I’m sure there are many others that claim STL as home but have not affiliation with the city
Affiliation with St. Louis County still can claim STL home.
I hate it when people claim to live in St. Louis, but are really from, say Eureka (big pet peeve of mine!)
Re. all those county and exurban folks who claim to be fellow “St. Louisans”, you know what? They could not care less that we city people don’t like them using our name. If anything, they probably think we’re a little obsessed.
If all of these companies and people refused to identify with St. Louis, people would complain about that as well.
Matt B, you are so right! I got so annoyed years ago watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and a contestant was ID’d as being from Webster Groves, MO. What? Are you too snotty to say your’e from St. Louis? And thank you too, Meg. I grew up in the County and moved to the City after college. I consider myself a lifelong St. Louisan…I had no control over where my parents decided to live. If I’m out of town for business or pleasure, I’m telling people that I’m from St. Louis…not that I was raised in U-City, MO.
I don’t think this is uncommon in metropolitan areas with multiple municipalities.
I do agree that it’s a little irritating when it comes from the outer countians, but it’s really only irritating to those of use who live around here and know the layout. I think it can only serve the region well if a big company out in the suburbs claims
to be “from St. Louis.”
I live in U-City and tell out-of-towners I’m from St. Louis. But when I’m in the county, I tell people I’m from U-City. University City has it’s own identity problems among the outer countians, so I proudly tell people where I live and where my children go
to school (public schools.)
By the way, the comments box is messed up somehow. Can’t see what I’m typing unless I put in hard returns.
The question is, why? One is obviously that most people in the region don’t live in the City and rarely visit it. They identify with the City only as an albatross for the rest of the region to bear. But I think one of the big obstacles to businesses locating in the City–whether we want to admit it or not–is the Earnings Tax (Profits for a Corporation–2% out of my pocket instantly as a business owner), and to a lesser extent, the high fees for a business license. I’ve been looking at this issue in regards to moving my firm out of the house lately, and it’s a real issue. We need to do something about it.
I guess my comment didn’t make much sense, being that I left out an important word – CITY!
I had a roomate in college who told people she lived in St. Louis City and then would be asked where and she’d say about 10 minutes from downtown.
1. Eureka is not ten minutes from downtown and 2. Eureka is not in St. Louis City.
Sorry for the confusion.
Bureaucratic lines are not what the region should be looking at. We have to celebrate the City of St. Louis as the center of our region. But when people refer to Warrenton as part of the St. Louis Metro area what do we expect – don’t blame the people – blame the leaders that can’t think regionally and act locally – specifically looking at their ward. I live in the burbs and I am shocked at why the city looks up to the burbs and can’t have a vision of their own. Lifestyle centers that have popped up in every major metro – are just now being introduced 10 years later in St. Louis. I guess we loved strip malls so much that we wanted to delay the lifestyle centers for a good 10 years.
http://www.stlcommercemagazine.com/archives/january2005/region.html
This is a battle you’ll never win – it all depends on the perspective and local knowledge of whoever you’re talking to. It funnels down from USA to midwest to St. Louis (metro) to St. Louis (city) to ward and/or neighborhood, and in more than a few cases, parish and/or high school. I moved here from Denver, SE Denver, near DU, the Platt Park Neighborhood in Council District 7. Most people in St. Louis have an idea where Denver is, some have an idea where DU (University of Denver) is, but only local Denverites know where the Platt Park neighborhood is. And it took me a while to figure out the nuances between city and county here, even though I’m willing to try and figure it out . . .
^ this inconsisitency is a big deal when the crime reports and school reports come out. Then all these suburban “St. Louisians” quickly do an about face and get all accurate and precise and blame STL specifically for the mess. Then they are conveniently separated from old St. Lou again. They want our history, namesake and good qualities, yet don’t want to pay or vote to fix the bad qualities.
stlmark hits the nail on the head — “They want our history, namesake and good qualities, yet don’t want to pay or vote to fix the bad qualities.”
As for “University of Missouri-St. Louis” — it’s true the UMSL campus is not located in the City, but University of Missouri Extension does have a presence in the City of St. Louis.
The office where I work (Small Business Empowerment Center) is located at 100 N. Tucker Blvd., Ste. 530, downtown. Also the Urban 4-H and Nutrition programs have an Outreach office at 724 N. Union, in the West End Community Center.
But we are actually on the payroll of University of Missouri-Columbia. Go figure.
Also, UMSL does have an Optometric Center at 3940 Lindell Blvd., and co-sponsors the Center for Emerging Technologies at 4041 Forest Park Pky., both in the Central West End sort of near SLU.
Nevertheless, it’s true that no UMSL teaching faculty operate within the city limits. For about 10 years from the mid-70s to mid-80s, there was an “UMSL Downtown” offering night classes to downtown workers like Webster does. But I think the building where it was located got demolished to make way for One Metropolitan Square.
Of course, there’s a similar issue with “Washington University in St. Louis.” The legal name says St. Louis, but of course most of the Danforth Campus is located in unincorporated St. Louis County!
My point was that it’s no different here than in any other city – whether you’re talking St. Louis, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Miami or Seattle, everyone funnels their answers down to what their listener understands (based on their familiarity with the specific city/region/neighborhood) and how they want to spin the information or create a perception. It’s not “fair”, but you’re not going to get someone from O’Fallon or Clayton or Fenton to start off a conversation with a new acquaintance on the beach in Cancun or Maui, or standing in line in Orlando, with anything other than “I’m from St. Louis” or I’m from Missouri”. Otherwise, the only response you’ll get in return will be “Huh, where?”
Business is booming in Dallas.
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2007/07/16/daily23.html?f=et82&ana=e_du