An Urban Loft In The Suburbs

Mississippi Landing, a new loft project outside St. Louis in Alton, Illinois, is putting the finishing touches on the conversion of the old Mississippi Lime Co. building into 10 new lofts. Three other lofts communities are already open in town, giving residents a "signature piece of the city-without-the-city experience".

"Lofts appeal to small and mid-sized city residents for the same reasons the units tend to be successful in big cities, said Phil Roggio, Alton's director of development and housing. They're built close to everything: shopping, restaurants and nightspots."

And, as one resident commented, there's no lawn maintainance.