Laclede Gas Company is one of the largest natural gas distribution companies in Missouri that provides valuable, reliable service to more than 600,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Missouri portion of the St. Louis metropolitan area and in several other counties in the southeastern area of the state. The company, formed in 1857 to light city streets, has evolved to meet the needs of its customers, moving from gas lighting to other domestic uses, primarily cooking and water heating and then to heating. Laclede Gas Company is a regulated public utility and a wholly owned subsidiary of The Laclede Group, an exempt public utility holding company that provides reliable natural gas service through its regulated core utility operations. Laclede Gas Company is located in St. Louis.