St. Louisans may know that St. Louis doesn't suck, but does the rest of the world? Maybe not. At least not according to Forbes writer Aaron Perlut, who posted an aptly named article on the national magazine's website yesterday. In "St. Louis Doesn't Suck," Perlut points out that despite a bad rap from unfortunate crime statistics, a complex city/county battle, and a recent ranking as one of the saddest cities in the country, there's a lot to love about St. Louis (here's our list of 50 things). He points to factors such as affordable housing, a strong employment base, rich cultural resources, and more—all of which are fairly easily proven, but the hard part is getting the word out and getting the world to listen.
Perlut's suggestions for an action plan suggest the usual social media, PR, and paid media channels in addition to SEO optimization (getting St. Louis to come up in Googled phrases such as "best cities to live) and an idea for a mobile app that would offer push notifications for local events. Since the article was published, there have been several small efforts to carry out Perlut's plan, including a few Facebook groups, a Twitter hashtag (#stlouisdoesntsuck), and a myriad of coverage from local and national media.
Will St. Louis ever get the notoriety it deserves? Hard to say. But maybe if his plan is carried out, a few other "reluctant" transplants, like Perlut's, will learn to love our city.
What do you love about St. Louis? What do you think needs to happen to improve the national image of the city? Let us know in the comments!
