Guide #1

St. Louis (pronounced /seɪntˈluːɪs/ in English, /sɛ̃ lwi/ in French), sometimes written Saint Louis, encompasses an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri (the "City of St. Louis") and its metropolitan area (Greater St. Louis). This area includes counties in the states of Missouri and Illinois; it is the 18th largest in the United States with a population of 2,698,672 as of the 2000 census. According to the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), the 2004 population is approximately 2,764,054.The city, which is named after Louis IX of France, is adjacent to, but not part of, St. Louis County, Missouri and has a population of 352,572. It is the second largest city in Missouri after Kansas City, but it has the state's largest metropolitan area population. In relation to the Midwest region, the City of St. Louis is the 10th largest city in population (between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Wichita, Kansas).The city has several common nicknames, including the "Gateway City", "Gateway to the West", "Baseball City USA", and "Mound City". St. Louis is also sometimes called "St. Louie", "River City" or "Baseball Heaven". Alternatively, many young people who live in St. Louis have begun to call it "The 'Lou" or "The STL" in reference to the long-standing use of an interlocked S, T and L by the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.