Greater St. Louis is the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Home to 20 Fortune 1,000 companies and several firms listed by Forbes in its U.S. list of “Largest Private Companies,” these top firms include Anheuser-Busch, Emerson Electric, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Monsanto, and Smurfit-Stone, to name a few.

St. Louis’ strategic location has created a legacy of exploration, transportation, and the distribution of goods, whether for a growing nation or today’s growing U.S. economy. Within a 600-mile radius of St. Louis — one day’s drive — can be found approximately one-third of U.S. population, disposable income, employment, and gross domestic product; and nearly one-half of U.S. manufacturing employment and product.

Over several decades, the St. Louis area has emerged as the nation’s financial services powerhouse between the coasts. Brokerage firms Edward Jones, Wachovia Securities, Scottrade, and Stifel Nicolaus all call St. Louis home. Every MasterCard transaction in the world is processed at MasterCard’s St. Louis facility. And CitiMortgage, with its 4,500 employees, is headquartered in St. Louis as well.

The future of St. Louis will be tied closely to scientific research and its applications, particularly in the fields of plant sciences and human health. Resources such as Monsanto’s global headquarters, the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden, and the 10-year-old Donald Danforth Plant Science Center solidly position St. Louis as a world leader in plant science. Washington University in St. Louis, whose medical school is perennially ranked among the top five nationwide, is just one of several life science research institutions that result in St. Louis’ inclusion among top tier regions in the life sciences as well.