St. Louis suburbs in Missouri include Ferguson, Florissant, Kirkwood, St. Charles, University City, and Webster Groves. Several bridges across the Mississippi link St. Louis with the Illinois part of its metropolitan area. The historic Eads Bridge extends from the foot of Washington Avenue to East St. Louis, the largest Illinois suburb of St. Louis. This steel-arch bridge was considered an engineering wonder when it was completed in 1874. The city includes many people of African, English, French, German, Irish, Italian, Polish, and Scottish descent.
Blacks make up about half of the city's population.
The population of northern St. Louis, which has the city's worst slums, is largely black. Most of the people of the southern half of the city are white. Since the 1950's, public housing projects have replaced hundreds of run-down structures. But in spite of new public housing and other redevelopment programs, living conditions in the black community remain a major problem. About a fifth of the area's workers are employed in industry.