Photo by Cheryl Baehr.
Earlier this month, Buzzfeed rounded up the most hipster neighborhoods in every state with the assistance of the "Where is Williamsburg?" app. The app directs users to each state's hipster hub through
mysterious algorithm that promises to ID the neighborhood using "data curated by other people exactly like you."
Not surprisingly, Missouri's most hipster neighborhood is located right here in St. Louis. But what may be surprising is which neighborhood it is.
Cherokee Street? Nah.
The Grove? Nope.
The app determined that Missouri's center for artisanal coffee, creative facial hair and artfully distressed skinny jeans is none other than Botanical Heights.
"Union Loafers Cafe & Bread has the minimal, industrial decor thing down," the post explains. "It serves fancy sandwiches, like smoked beets served on house-made sourdough, and stocks St. Louis' own Blue Print coffee. If you want iced coffee, you can get nitro brew on tap."
And.... that's it. Apparently Union Loafers is so hipster, it's a reflection of the entire neighborhood. Never mind that we have yet to meet a single hipster who can afford the $300,000-plus homes in the neighborhood, much less has regular reservations at Elaia and Olio, the terrific sister restaurants that made the place a destination.
In our opinion, Cherokee Street was robbed. But enough about us and our attempts at data curation — what do you think? While you're at it, check out the other hipster neighborhoods across the land. Whether you want to seek them out or steer completely clear of them on your next road trip is up to you (and your feelings toward street art, faux-industrial decor ... you get the idea).
