Memphis and St. Louis: River Trade Hubs

Memphis, TN and St. Louis, MO became major trade centers due to their Mississippi River locations.

• Memphis: Bluff-top site above floodplain; cotton, hardwood, soybeans shipped via barge/rail. FedEx global hub (air) added later. Five Class I railroads converge.
• St. Louis: Confluence of Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois Rivers. Historic gateway for westward expansion. Major rail, highway (I-70, I-55, I-64, I-44), and air (STL) hub. Grain, coal, chemicals, manufacturing.

Both cities' riverfronts drove 19th-century commerce; multimodal networks sustain their logistics dominance today.