Manchester Avenue runs through The Grove, the commercial district at the center of St. Louis's LGBTQ+ community and a hub of alternative culture for decades. The neighborhood — officially called Forest Park Southeast — spent much of the late 20th century in significant economic distress. Like many inner-city neighborhoods, it experienced disinvestment, population loss, and the closure of neighborhood businesses as residents moved to the suburbs.
Beginning in the 1990s, LGBTQ+-owned bars, restaurants, and businesses began clustering along Manchester Avenue, drawn by low rents and a tolerant atmosphere. Community investment followed community identity, and The Grove gradually became one of the most economically vibrant corridors in the city. The neighborhood hosts PrideFest, one of the Midwest's largest LGBTQ+ pride celebrations, drawing tens of thousands of people each summer.
It's also known for a growing restaurant scene, with James Beard Award-nominated chefs opening restaurants in neighborhood storefronts. The Grove's story — of a marginalized community claiming and reinventing a disinvested urban space — is a model that has played out in cities across America, with complex implications about community, gentrification, and belonging.