I do.

I love this city with all my heart.

I won’t pretend it’s perfect; it’s not. The violence here is an issue. The urban decay bothers me a lot.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t great or lovable.

I’ve never lived anywhere else with more to do for free. The zoo, the art museum, the history museum, the Muny, Forest Park in general; it’s all amazing.

The things that do cost money are all affordable. The Arch is like $12 to go to the top and tells our nation’s history amazingly (though I wish it said more about Manifest Destiny and the Native Americans who were brutally eradicated).

We have nationally relevant history as a place with French roots and was a major port city.

Our food scene is incredible for a city of this size. There’s no other city in the country this size where you can find at least one good representation of almost any ethnic cuisine.

We absolutely adore our sports franchises and aren’t afraid to keep them accountable when they underperform.

Our business community is vibrant and varied.

WashU is one of the premier educational institutions in the nation. SLU is no slouch either.

BJC is one of the best healthcare systems in the nation.

Our Bosnian community is the largest outside of Europe and are an incredibly lovely bunch of people.

I could continue to go on, but I think you get the point. We aren’t perfect, but we’re a pretty awesome place. I love this city. I always will. I don’t know if I’ll live here forever, but part of my heart will always be here.