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Multicultural St. Louis

Asian and Hispanic St. Louis

St. Louis’ first Asian immigrants arrived in the 1850s, with many early Chinese residents probably taking part in the 1904 World’s Fair, which was attended by China’s Prince Pu Lun. Japanese and Chinese cultures are honored at the Missouri Botanical Garden with the nation’s largest Japanese garden and a peaceful Chinese garden donated by St. Louis’ sister city of Nanjing. Many recent Asian immigrants have enlivened both the South Grand neighborhood and Olive Boulevard in St. Louis County, where visitors can find restaurants, food stores and import shops that sell an exotic blend of tastes and products. Chinese and Japanese festivals are held annually at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Chinese New Year is celebrated in the South Grand neighborhood.

St. Louis was part of Spain’s New World territory when the city was founded by French fur traders in 1764, although the area’s first Spanish governor didn’t arrive in the settlement until 1770. Spain ceded its claim on the territory to France in 1800, but today St. Louisans from many nations claim Hispanic descent. Areas of south St. Louis, notably along Cherokee Street west of Jefferson Avenue, bustle with Hispanic-American culture.

For information on St. Louis’ multi-cultural events, click on the interactive Calendar of Events. For more information on new immigrant communities, contact the International Institute of St. Louis at (314) 773-9090.