A story collection, newsletter series and local events to help the new-to-St. Louis get comfortable in their new town.
St. Louis has a reputation for being a hard place for newcomers to settle. The STL Welcome Kit is a fresh new resource from St. Louis Public Radio that aims to help new arrivals get established — no matter where they went to high school.
STLPR Engagement Editor Lara Hamdan curates a collection of stories to fully immerse readers in the politics, history, arts, music, quirks and culture of St. Louis. Whether looking for practical information, or searching for help finding community, the STL Welcome Kit is an easy place to start the journey.
"St. Louis is a region with so many gems hidden in plain sight,” Hamdan said. “Even though this is my hometown, I'm still always learning and gaining a deeper appreciation for this place the longer I'm here.”
“The Welcome Kit is designed to help newcomers settle in and feel at home by explaining what St. Louis has to offer, and offer deep dives into why we do things the way we do. The guide will continue to grow to help further contextualize the inner workings of our region and to highlight what makes this place we all now call home unique."
Stories from St. Louis Public Radio’s award-winning journalists will focus on engaging topics including moments in history that are relevant today, navigating the city’s transit system, practical matters like where to vote, even managing our unusual street name pronunciations.
Discover why we’re home to Halloween jokes and fish-fry Fridays, learn to “sound” like St. Louis, find out how this town came to slice its pizza in squares and its bagels in pieces. Whether you're new to St. Louis or just new to your neighborhood, there’s something for everyone who loves (or is learning to love) St. Louis.
Unpack the STL Welcome Kit in 3 ways:
- See the latest stories at the STL Welcome Kit home page and browse sections on St. Louis culture, history, local government, politics and more
- Get the STL Welcome Kit email newsletter series — with helpful tips and a weekly challenge to help readers get out and meet their new city!
- Attend special in-person events to discover what’s happening around town and meet other Welcome Kit explorers
Who’s new to St. Louis?
About 70,000 people move to the St. Louis metro area each year, according to recent U.S. Census data. As a whole, people moving to our region are younger and more racially diverse than the resident population.
“There’s so much to figure out when you move to a new city,” said STLPR Interim News Director Brian Heffernan. “We asked St. Louis transplants what info would have made their lives easier when they arrived and got hundreds of responses. We’ve taken those ideas and turned them into a digital welcome wagon for new communities who are making St. Louis home.”
For more information about what the STL Welcome Kit entails, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
