Soulard, St. Louis

Soulard is a historic neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the home of Soulard Farmers Market, the oldest farmers' market west of the Mississippi River. Soulard is one of ten certified local historic districts in the city of St. Louis.

History
It is named for Antoine Soulard and Julia Cérre Soulard. Antoine Soulard first began to develop the land given to him by his father-in-law, Jean-Gabriel Cerré. Soulard was a surveyor for the Spanish government and a refugee from the French Revolution in the 1790s. It is home to several nineteenth century church buildings, including Trinity Lutheran.

Present
One of the oldest communities in the city, Soulard is today a largely residential neighborhood whose many businesses include restaurants, bars, and the North American headquarters of Anheuser-Busch, which houses the St. Louis Brewery. The neighborhood is divided roughly by Lynch Street; north of which is mostly row homes and small apartments, and south of which is largely the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and headquarters. Many of its houses date to the mid- to late-19th century. Soulard also has several historic churches.

Many of its bars host live music, especially the blues and jazz bands for which the city is known. The barrelhouse blues piano player James Crutchfield lived in the neighborhood from 1984 until his death in 2001 and performed in many of the nightclubs. The district hosts regular pub crawls.

Various neighborhood groups, including the Soulard Restoration Group and the Soulard Business Association, organize events, keep the neighborhood clean and safe, and publish a newspaper, The Soulard Renaissance.

It is home to Soulard Farmers Market, the oldest farmers' market west of the Mississippi. More than a hundred vendors include farmers, produce vendors, meat shops, spice shops, florist shops, and food.

Soulard Market is featured in the opening scene of Alan Schroeder's picture book Ragtime Tumpie.

Events
Soulard hosts many events throughout the year, including celebrations of Mardi Gras and Oktoberfest.

Demographics
In 2020, Soulard's population was 75.2% White, 15.8% Black, 0.2% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from some other race, and 6.0% from two or more races. 4.3% of the population was of Hispanic origin.