I'm not offended. I'm well aware of the perception and reputation of places like St. Louis. You're absolutely right about perception. What I'm arguing is that t

I'm not offended. I'm well aware of the perception and reputation of places like St. Louis. You're absolutely right about perception. What I'm arguing is that the perception is erroneous and based on a very limited understanding of what's really going on in the Rust Belt. The fact that you think "Proof: Ferguson" is a complete thought demonstrates this beyond doubt. But you're definitely right about the weather. It sucks. Edit: Just one thing I wanted to point out, not so much for you, but for anyone else reading this. Saying that, "And the crime rate there is known to be very high" about St. Louis is equivalent to suggesting that the South Bay isn't safe because the crime rate is very high in Oakland. The only difference is that nobody measures the safety of the South Bay against Oakland. But in St. Louis, the whole region is referred to as "St. Louis" even though only the inner core -- St. Louis City -- is included in those crime stats. You're right about one thing: that's a huge perception problem. The crime rate is "known" to be high here due to ignorance about how the region draws its political borders (which affects how crime stats are collected) and wildly mistaken impressions about Ferguson. But, I guess as long as you "know" it to be true, it's not worth trying to better understand it.