'Best Cities for Latinos' is a Latin Post feature series

St. Louis, Missouri relies heavily on its manufacturing, trade transportation of goods and tourism industries, but more and more the metropolis has grown to rely on its burgeoning Latino population, which offers the city labor and entrepreneurial spirit.

The 58th-most populous U.S. city commands the 21st-largest media market in the United States, it is home to two national research universities (Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis University) and three professional sports teams (St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Rams). Road, rail, ship, and air transportation readily connects St. Louis with surrounding and national communities, as well as international settings. Furthermore, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport has instituted plans to build an international air-cargo facility for the shipment of cargo to and from Mexico.

St. Louis boasts the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch, the eclectic fun-house known as the City Museum, a variety of breweries: Civil Life Brewing Company, Exit 6 Pub and Brewery, Schlafly Taproom, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, 4 Hands Brewing Company, and Anheuser-Busch; delicious local fare gooey-butter cake and provel cheese; and one of the largest urban parks in the United States, Forest Park.

"What makes St. Louis attractive to Latino and non-Latino populations? Jobs," Karlos Ramirez, executive director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis, told Latin Post. "People go where there are jobs, and St. Louis is no different. I think we have a love of corporations that are headquartered here, so that's a good thing. Another draw is that it's an extremely family friendly city. Even though it's a big city with a small town feel, it really is one area in the country, it's rated in the top 10, and it's great. When you throw that in there, plus the City Museum, the Science Center, Missouri Botanical Gardens, Outdoor MUNY Theater and all kind of festivals to celebrate everything, I think it's a type of city that people want to be in."

In recent decades, the city has observed sweeping changes. While the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that a mere 3.7 percent of the population dwelling in St. Louis and 3.9 percent of the population of Missouri are Latino, if fails to state that Hispanics, in fact, make up one of the largest ethnic groups in city. However, compared to national trends or populations in other major metro areas, the numbers appear to be relatively minuscule. Although small, the Latino population is growing, and the group has increasingly gained footing in the city as they infiltrate markets and flourish in the areas of business, wealth, influence and home ownership, particularly as banks have become more creative with who qualifies for home ownership.

"More and more people are understanding the economic advantages of welcoming immigrants, and Hispanics specifically," said Ramirez. "It certainly has become a lot more welcoming, a lot of that is evident in the growth of the Hispanic Chamber, where we almost doubled in size and our budget has more than tripled. We've really had a lot of people invite us to the table, to be able really appreciate and enjoy the Hispanic population and all that it brings."

Experts have indicated that St. Louis hasn't earned the immigrant or Latino representation known to some other metro areas because of migratory patterns, a lack of concentrated Hispanic neighborhoods and difficulties penetrating the job market due to challenges with English. Instead, immigrants who are not proficient in English are drawn to other areas in Missouri and Illinois, which have jobs in agriculture, meatpacking and tourism, which requires less English to be spoken. However, this is already changing.

"We know through Census statistics that St. Louis has over 2,000 Hispanic owned businesses in the metropolitan area. Unfortunately, we don't know exactly who they are. [However,] Gonzalez Construction, Nextgen Information Service and Pangea Group are examples of Hispanic-owned businesses. Also, there are smaller restaurants that have really emerged on Cherokee Street, which has actually kind of become the Mexican business district," said Ramirez. "We have several restaurants there. In Chicago, you have 26th street, Pilsen, Little Village and Humboldt Park. Right now, in St. Louis, Cherokee Street is one of those types of neighborhoods you'll be able to point to when looking for information on Mexican restaurants, like Carniceria Latino Americana, Neveria La Vallesana and El Leñador and places that are well-known for people who are looking for authentic Mexican food. Señor Pique is one of my favorite restaurants in the country."

Gonzalez Construction, founded by Anthony Gonzalez-Angel, is an example of the economic power of Latinos in the city developed along the western bank of the Mississippi River. It has six Midwest offices, 45 employees and it's been honored numerous times as a diverse business and as a growing private company. It is one of the chief contributors to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis, which bridges the gap between Hispanic-owned small businesses and large corporations.

"The Hispanic Chamber is going to effect positive change as the city welcomes more highly skilled Hispanic workers. The support of the mayor, a lot of key people in the county, and Saint Louis Economic Development Partnership shows that the city has learned to appreciate and value the Hispanic population, given the higher entrepreneurial spirit," Ramirez stated.

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