Why did/would you leave the city?

If you were once a resident of St. Louis, but have since left, I want to hear from you. Why did you leave? What were the variables that played into your decision? Was it a final straw scenario, an "I've had it" moment? Or, was it a series of events that led you to leave? Was it a change of life situation, where you didn't want to leave but your job, family, etc made it impossible to stay?

And then for you city dwellers, what would make you leave?

I will warn you, I'm a homer. I stick up for STL almost to a fault. I have a theory that the main reasons people abandon the city can be whittled down to issues of race and class. I'm not trying to bait people, but rather understand the true core of the reasons for leaving the city.

I am especially interested in the lure of St. Louis County. So if you feel obliged, please tell your story.
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