St. Louis County, Missouri
From Freepedia
| Image:Map of Missouri highlighting St. Louis County.png Location in the state of Missouri | |
| Formed | 1812 |
| Seat | Clayton |
| Area - Total - Water | 1,356 km² (524 mi²) 41 km² (16 mi²) 3.03% |
| Population - (2000) - Density | 1,016,315 773/km² |
St. Louis County is a county located in the state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population is 1,016,315. This county is notable for its 400+ private-street associations. Its county seat is Clayton6. St. Louis County borders, but does not include, the City of St. Louis.
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Origin of name
The county was organized in 1812 and was orignally a Spainsh colonial district, named for Saint Louis, King of France. In 1876, City of Saint Louis separated itself from the county, creating an independent city.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,356 km² (524 mi²). 1,315 km² (508 mi²) of it is land and 41 km² (16 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.03% water.
Natural boundaries
The Missouri River forms the northern border with Saint Charles County, exclusive of a few areas where the river has changed its course. The Meramec River forms most of its southern border with Jefferson County. To the east is the City of Saint Louis and the Mississippi River. The western boundary with Franklin County is the north-south line where the distance between the Meramec and Missouri Rivers is the shortest.
Topography
The Ozark Mountains begin in western Saint Louis County, with most of the rest of the county being a fairly level plateau. This western part of the county is the least developed, due to rugged topography. Bluffs along the Mississippi in the south of the county rise about 200-300 feet above the river. A major floodplain area is the Chesterfield Valley, in the western part of the county, along the Missouri River, formerly called "Gumbo Flats"; it was submerged by at least ten feet of water during the Great Flood of 1993, but recent development there is protected by a higher levee. The Columbia Bottom is a floodplain in the northeast of the county at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers; this is a conservation area open to the public. The Missouri Bottom area between the two other floodplains is largely agricultural, but is being increasingly developed. The River des Peres drains the interior of county before flowing underground into the City of St. Louis. Other streams include Coldwater Creek, Bonhomme Creek, Creve Coeur Creek, Keifer Creek, Maline Creek, and Grand Glaize Creek.
Geology
The bedrock is mainly limestone and dolomite, and much of the county near the rivers is Karst terrain, with numerous caves, sinkholes, and springs. No igneous or metamorphic rock is exposed on the surface. A major outcropping of the St. Peter Sandstone formation, a fine white sandstone used for making clear glass, is mined in the southwest corner of the county in Pacific. Brick clay mining was once a major industry in the county. The Charbonnier Bluff along the Missouri River is an outcropping of coal, and was used a fueling station for steamboats. The "St. Louis Anticline", an underground formation, has small petroleum deposits in north part of the county.
Flora and fauna
Before European settlement, the area was prairie and open parklike forest, maintained by Native Americans via burning. Trees are mainly oak, maple, and hickory, similar to the forests of the Ozarks. Riparian areas are heavily forested with mainly American sycamore. By the 1920s most of the timber in the county was harvested; since that time, large parks in the western and southern parts of the county have grown dense forest cover. Old pastures are usually colonized with Eastern redcedar. Most of the residential area of the county is planted with large native shade trees. In Autumn, the changing color of the trees is notable. Saint Louis County has the most recorded native species of plants in the state, but this is probably due to the intensive botanical research done in the area. Most species here are typical of the Eastern Woodland; but some southern species are found in swampland, and typical northern species survive in sheltered hollows.
Large mammals include growing populations of whitetail deer and coyotes, which are becoming increasingly urbanized. Large bird species include Wild Turkey, Canada goose, Mallard duck, various raptors like the Turkey Vulture, and Red-tailed Hawk, as well as shorebirds, including the Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. The county is on the Mississippi Flyway, used by migrating birds, and has a large variety of small bird species, common to the eastern U.S. The Eurasian Tree Sparrow, an introduced species, is limited in North American to the counties surrounding Saint Louis.
Climate
Saint Louis County has a continental climate, and has neither large mountains nor large bodies of water to moderate its temperature. The area is affected by both cold Canadian arctic air, and also hot, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico. The county has four distinct seasons. The average annual temperature for the years 1971-2000, recorded at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, is 56.3 deg. F., and average precipitation is 38.75 inches. The normal high temperature in July is 90 deg. F., and the normal low temperature in January is 21 deg. F., although these values are often exceeded. Temperatures of 100 degrees or more occur no more than five days per year, while temperatures of zero or below occur 2 or 3 days per year on average.
Other geography
The largest natural lake in the state is Creve Coeur Lake, and is a county park.
Manchester Road (State Route 100) follows an ancient path westward out of Saint Louis, following the boundary between the Missouri and Meramec watersheds, and is the only way to leave the area without crossing rivers.
Adjacent counties
- St. Charles County (north)
- Madison County, Illinois (northeast)
- City of St. Louis (east)
- St. Clair County, Illinois & Monroe County, Illinois (southeast)
- Jefferson County (south)
- Franklin County (southwest)
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,016,315 people, 404,312 households, and 270,889 families residing in the county. The population density is 773/km² (2,001/mi²). There are 423,749 housing units at an average density of 322/km² (834/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 76.83% White, 19.02% African American, 0.17% Native American, 2.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. 1.43% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 404,312 households out of which 31.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% are married couples living together, 12.70% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% are non-families. 28.00% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.47 and the average family size is 3.05.
In the county the population is spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 90.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $50,532, and the median income for a family is $61,680. Males have a median income of $45,714 versus $30,278 for females. The per capita income for the county is $27,595. 6.90% of the population and 5.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.30% of those under the age of 18 and 5.30% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Cities and towns
- for a listing by population, see: Greater St. Louis.
- † unincorporated, census-designated place.
- ‡ Times Beach was disincorporated in 1985, Peerless Park was disincorporated in 1999
Education
Unified school districts
Affton -- Bayless -- Brentwood -- Clayton -- Ferguson-Florissant -- Hancock Place -- Hazelwood -- Kirkwood -- Ladue -- Lindbergh -- Maplewood-Richmond Heights -- Mehlville -- Normandy -- Parkway -- Pattonville -- Ritenour -- Riverview -- Rockwood -- Special School District -- University City -- Valley Park -- Webster Groves -- Wellston
High schools
List of high schools in St. Louis County
County Parks
Affton White-Rodgers Community Center -- Albrecht -- Bee Tree -- Bella Fontaine -- Bissell House -- Black Forest -- Bohrer -- Bon Oak -- Buder (North and South of Interstate 44) -- Castlepoint -- Champ -- Cliff Cave -- Clydesdale -- Creve Coeur -- Endicott -- Faust -- Fort Bellefontaine -- Fort Bellefontaine West -- George Winter -- Greensfelder -- Jefferson Barracks -- Kennedy -- King -- Kinloch -- Larimore -- Laumeier Sculpture Park -- Lemay -- Lone Elk -- Love -- Lower Meramec River -- Mathilda-Welmering -- McDonnell -- Museum of Transportation -- Ohlendorf -- Ohlendorf West -- Queeny -- Robert Winter -- Simpson -- Sioux Passage -- Spanish Lake -- St. Vincent -- Suson -- Sylvan Springs -- Tilles -- Unger -- Veteran's Memorial -- West Tyson -- Widman
Undeveloped County Parks
Bright-Fowler -- Castlewood -- Fairmont -- Forrest Staley -- Grasso -- Linear Parks South -- Long Log Cabin -- Lower Meramec River -- MSD Union Road -- Packwood -- St. Stanislaus -- Winding Trails
Municipal Fire Departments
Berkeley -- Brentwood -- Clayton -- Crestwood -- Des Peres -- Ferguson -- Frontenac -- Glendale -- Hazelwood -- Jennings -- Kirkwood -- Ladue -- Maplewood -- Olivette -- Pacific -- Richmond Heights -- Rock Hill -- Shrewsbury -- University City -- Webster Groves
Fire Protection Districts
Affton -- Black Jack -- Community -- Creve Coeur -- Eureka -- Fenton -- Florissant Valley -- Kinloch -- Lemay -- Maryland Heights -- Mehlville -- Metro West -- Mid-County -- Moline -- Monarch -- Normandy -- Pattonville -- Riverview -- Robertson -- Spanish Lake -- Valley Park -- West County EMS -- West Overland
External links
- Saint Louis County Municipalties page, http://www.co.st-louis.mo.us/scripts/communities/
- Saint Louis County Government Website, http://www.stlouisco.com
- North County Photos website, http://northcountyphotos.com
