“Compare and contrasts between Saint Louis and Greeley.”
English 121
March 1, 2013
It is not easy to imagine that large, new, small, or old cities could be similar at all. However, anyone who has seen Saint Louis and Greeley knows that this is possible. I lived in Saint Louis for 30 years and Greeley for 4 years. The two cites contrast in climates and major industries, but they share a few similarities. Between these two cities, the contrasts are very slight. The climate in Saint Louis is humid. In Greeley it is dry. I can remember when I first moved to Greeley. It was in the late summer of 2008. The air here was so dry, I did not sweat. I had totally forgotten that it was not humid in Colorado unlike Missouri, which is always humid. In Saint Louis in the summertime the heat is almost unbearable. People die of heat stroke. The thermometer can read 90 degrees but it feels like it is 105 degrees outside. I remember the day that I had moved out here. My brother and I moved our belongings into the moving truck. We had to do it by ourselves with my mom and son helping as much as they could. It felt like a sauna outside in Saint Louis. Sweat was pouring off of my body like I was in the shower. By the time we were finished, my brother and I felt horrible and we were totally worn out from the heat and humidity. It is also very humid in the winters in Saint Louis. In Saint Louis, ice storms are prevalent. One year we had an ice storm so bad that the power was knocked out for a week. High humidity seems to associate with ice instead of snow. In Greeley, we get snow. Snow is a lot better than ice, and dry is a lot better than humid.
Another contrast in the cities is the industrial core. Saint Louis has numerous industries including Anheuser-Bush, Monsanto Company, General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford. Anheuser-Bush makes beer, all kinds of beer including Michelob, Budweiser, Bud Light, Bush, and Shock Top. That is only naming a few. They are worldwide and a major sports entity. Their super bowl commercials are legendary. They are one of Saint Louis’ major employers. Monsanto Company is an agricultural bio technical firm that produces seed for farmers. They also sell "Roundup" weed killer. They do a lot of research with all types of agricultural products. One year my Grandpa, who was a farmer, agreed to plant a field with an experimental corn they were working on. It was successful and this seed is now commonly used. Monsanto was trying to create a seed that would be more weed resistant. They are also continually at work with weed preventers which are safe for the environment.
As most people know, General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford are top name auto makers. The auto industry has made a huge comeback in recent years. Boeing is also a large employer in Saint Louis. They build airplanes for the military and foreign countries. My former stepdad was a machinist there. They had some days where the families could come and check out and climb in the planes. It was so much fun. All of these companies are major employers in Saint Louis. Part of problem with these large industries is pollution. The air in the East Saint Louis area is sometimes so stinky that a driver has to roll up the windows while driving through the area. This pollution is from Monsanto which has a huge plant in Sauget, Ill.
In contrast, Greeley only has a few large industries which include JBS, LePrino, and Agriculture. JBS is a world’s leader in animal protein. In Greeley they slaughter cows, pigs, and lamb. LePrino is the world's largest mozzarella cheese producer. This company is new to Greeley. The agriculture in Greeley is basically farming. Farming foods, raising cow, pigs, and lamb. There is very little pollution in Greeley. But is stinks like cow manure all of the time. This is a huge contrast to the Saint Louis area. The air always seems to be breathable in Greeley.
Although these important contrasts exist, the cities are also strikingly
