A 16% drop in population in the city of St. Louis could be blamed on any number of causes. Chuck Kindleberger, Director of research for the city planning office, says St. Louis is a 61-square-mile city, surrounded by 7,000 square-miles of suburbs, making it pretty easy to lose people. He says a “perception” of crime and bad schools have also lead people out of the city. Other causes: newer homes in the suburbs and shorter commutes. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch used census bureau numbers to estimate a new population at 333,000…down from 400,000 ten years ago.
