The Central West End is one of the most iconic St. Louis neighborhoods. The neighborhood stretches from the western end of midtown to Forest Park—at 1326 acres, one of the largest urban parks in the United States. The park is home to an array of cultural institutions that the public can enjoy for free. These include one of the top-ranked zoos in the nation, an outdoor municipal opera theatre, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum, Shakespeare in the Park, and the St. Louis Science Center. Additionally, visitors can golf, walk or run trails, rent a canoe or paddle boat, play on sports fields, ice skate, and enjoy festivals and concerts at various times of the year. The Central West End is very walkable, inviting residents to outstanding restaurants, unique shops, coffeeshops and bookstores, a library, movies and theatre, musical venues, craft spaces, and medical care. It hosts a variety of festivals, arts events, and community gatherings throughout the year. Located between Washington University to its west and Saint Louis University to its east, the Central West End welcomes students from all over the world who seek their education in St. Louis. The Central West End is also known for its diverse and venerable religious institutions.

The Central West End is one of the most racially diverse neighborhoods in St. Louis; in 2020, its population was about 57% white, 21% black, 14% Asian, 5% Latinx, and 6% two or more races. At first glance, those numbers sound healthy and encouraging. However, Delmar Avenue (often called the infamous “Delmar Divide”), which runs east/west from downtown until well into the suburbs, is a stark demographic dividing line between wealth and poverty, between black and white. These dramatic differences are attributable to a long and painful history of segregation in St. Louis, one that is particularly intense in our neighborhood. Since the 1980s, gentrification in the Central West End has been particularly acute, pushing more and more vulnerable people to the edges or fully out of our neighborhood. Many feel displaced and disregarded. Making it worse, recent government cuts to housing and resources to the poor have hurt families north of the divide. As a result, more are turning to us. Despite the neighborhood’s challenges, we would prefer to be nowhere else. We love the Central West End, our home for nearly 90 years, and feel called to carry out God’s word through our work here, where we belong and will remain.