As a St. Louisan I am sad that our city has such a poor reputation. I think people forget that actually 1 million + people live in St. Louis and it is, in itself, a city. There is dancing, a free world-class zoo and museums in Forest Park, sports, a 10x+ World Series champion baseball team, music, craft beer, festivals, startups, foot races, casinos, Monsanto and Pfizer both have offices here, a full symphony orchestra, a broadway-style theatre house, comedy, shopping, proximity to hiking and biking... lots to do. I wouldn't be anxious to discount cities that aren't on the East Coast or in California.
Midwesterners often feel that people who live on the coast think less of them- people on the coasts may think less of the midwest even if they have never been there. To be very honest the more I read on SDN the more I feel this is really how people feel.
TLDR Wash U is a great school and it is needed here.