In its April 2008 edition, Fortune magazine rates the the top 100 communities in the country to start a small business. 85th on the list, and the only St. Louis place to be included is...drumbeat please...Lemay, Missouri!
Located at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the River Des Peres, Lemay's history is as old as Carondelet's, and its welcoming business climate makes it a competitive location to start a new company. Factor in its central location, and Lemay businesses have a lower transportation costs as well.
Part of the Hancock and Bayless School districts, Lemay has a stock of older homes, many built in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. One challenge for older communities like Lemay and our other inner ring suburbs is how to modernize their pre and post World War 2 housing stocks to keep them attractive to today's homebuyers.
One of the best routes to preserve historic neighborhoods is to keep them viable over the decades. With Lemay's notice as a good place for business, it can only mean good things for the area's other community betterment efforts.
Hats off to the many people and organizations working to promote the Lemay community, and congratulations for this recognition by one of the country's leading financial advice publications!
4 comments:
Lemay is about as much as a destination as number one place to live O'Fallon Missouri!
Doug,
Welcome to the STL Rising blog!
While some St. Louisans might be taken aback by Lemay getting the nod from Fortune magazine, it's just one more example of out of towners seeing the potential in our community that we locals often fail to recognize.
For us, we just received the monthly credit card bill for our gasoline purchases, and it was just under $400 for the month.
I can see a time in the near future when those of us paying less than $500 a month for gas will be considered fortunate. Can you imagine?
Lemay, with its close proximity to the city, affordable housing, and interesting neighborhoods and architecture, will be viewed more and more as a community of choice for those seeking a sensible, lower consumption, more economical lifestyle.
As one of our immediate neighbors, what's good for Lemay certainly doesn't hurt St. Louis!
I always appreciate good press for any part of the St. Louis area, but did you notice they didn't even mention Lemay's close proximity to St. Louis??
The article reads like it was written by an intern sitting on 5th Ave who surfed the internet for a half hour to get information for the story.
In fairness, areas like Lemay, right across the border from St. Louis, need our attention, as they are getting to that dangerous age of "too old, too new." We have seen the decline of the old northern ring suburbs, so Lemay remaining stable is a good thing.
P.S. Do we really need another casino???
Hey Doug, Lemay's not what you might call "nice", but it's certainly got a bizarre character all its own. It's a pocket that time forgot, like a small southern town plunked down right on the border of the city. Comparing it to O'Fallon, MO makes me think you've never actually been to Lemay. I spent a lot of time wandering around there in my teens - there was always some eccentric surprise around every corner. You're a short ride on the Broadway bus from downtown. And as a bonus, unlike much of the city, you can enjoy the weirdness without risking a gunshot wound. Go, Lemay!
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