Webster Groves, Missouri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Webster Groves is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. The city is named after New England politician Daniel Webster.
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[edit] Geography
Webster Groves is located at (38.587702, -90.354366)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.3 km² (5.9 mi²), all land.
Webster Groves is bounded on the east by Shrewsbury; on the north by Maplewood and Brentwood; on the west by Rock Hill, Glendale, Oakland, and Crestwood; and on the south by Affton and Marlborough.
[edit] History
Ten miles southwest of Saint Louis was an area known to Missouri, Osage Nation and Dakota Indians and fur trappers until 1802 as the "Dry Ridge." In the early 1800's, this region, once a part of the Louisiana Territory, was changing from Spanish to French ownership and a system of land grants was inaugurated to promote immigration. Remember that during the early period of Spanish rule, officials gave land to settlers as a check against the English.
As part of this program, in 1802 Gregorie Sarpy was granted 6,002 acres (24 km²) by Charles de Hautte Delassus, the last Spanish Lieutenant governor. The land grant covered the major area now known as Webster Groves.
Webster Groves' location on the Pacific Railroad line led to its development as a suburb. In the late 19th century, overcrowding, congestion, and unhealthy conditions in Saint Louis prompted urban residents to leave the city for quieter, safer surroundings. In 1892 the developers of Webster Park, an early housing subdivision, promoted the new community as the "Queen Of The Suburbs," offering residents superb housing options in a country-like atmosphere, as well as a swift commute to downtown Saint Louis jobs.
As a suburban municipality, Webster Groves has its origins as five separate communities along adjacent railroad lines. Webster, Old Orchard, Webster Park, Tuxedo Park, and Selma merged in 1896 in order to implement public services and develop a unified city government. Since that time, Webster Groves' tree-lined streets and abundance of single family homes have continued to attract people to the area as a "great place to live, work and play," not solely for the wealthy commuter suburb that early developers envisioned but for families that cut across all socioeconomic boundaries. The geographic and economic diversity of Webster Groves is evident in the variety of neighborhoods and its successes is rooted in the cooperation and willingness of community members from all walks of life to work together toward common goals.
In the 1960s Webster Groves was featured in the CBS documentary 16 In Webster Groves, and its high school has, more recently, been profiled in Time.[1] The Webster Groves High School Statesmen maintain the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi River with the Pioneers of Kirkwood High School.
Webster Groves is the former home of a number of notable people, including writer Jonathan Franzen, whose novels The Twenty-Seventh City and The Corrections draw on St. Louis (thinly disguised as St. Jude in the latter book) and Webster Groves settings. Webster Groves was also the setting for the short-lived NBC television series Lucas Tanner (1974-75), which starred David Hartman.
As of 2007, Gerry Welch is the mayor of Webster Groves, and the City Council consists of Councilmembers Kathy Hart, Edward Robinson, Randy Jotte, Kevin Gunn, Jeanne Kirkton, and Joan Esserman.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 23,230 people, 9,498 households, and 6,145 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,520.2/km² (3,937.5/mi²). There were 9,903 housing units at an average density of 648.1/km² (1,678.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.87% White, 6.38% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.25% of the population.
There were 9,498 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $60,524, and the median income for a family was $73,998. Males had a median income of $57,801 versus $38,506 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,327. 4.8% of the population and 2.0% of families were below the poverty line. 5.0% of those under the age of 18 and 3.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
[edit] Institutions and landmarks
Webster Groves is home to:
- Webster University
- Eden Theological Seminary
- Webster College-Eden Theological Seminary Collegiate District
- Central Webster Historic District
- Marshall Place Historic District
- Old Webster Historic District
- Charles W. Ferguson House
- Gorlock Building
- Hawken House
- Rock House, Edgewood Children's Center
- Tuxedo Park Station
- Nerinx Hall High School
[edit] Notable residents
Notable people who have lived in Webster Groves include:
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[edit] Further reading
- Marilynne Bradley. Arpens and Acres: A Brief History of Webster Groves, Missouri. Bradley, [1975].
- Marilynne Bradley. City of Century Homes: A Centennial History of Webster Groves, Missouri. Webster Groves Historic Preservation Commission, 1996.
- Ann Morris and Henrietta Ambrose. North Webster: A Photographic History of a Black Community (with photographic restorations by John Nagel). Indiana University Press, c1993.
- Clarissa Start. Webster Groves. City of Webster Groves, c1975.
- Wilda H. Swift and Cynthia S. Easterling. Webster Park: 1892-1992. Easterling, 2003 (1992).
- Ariadne Thompson. The Octagonal Heart. Bobbs-Merrill, 1956; and Webster Groves Bookshop, 1976.
[edit] References
- ^ Nancy Gibbs, et al., "A Week in the Life of a High School," Time, October 25, 1999, at pp. 67-103.
[edit] External links
- City of Webster Groves
- Virtual Community Slideshow
- Webster Historical Society
- Webster Kirkwood Times Newspaper
- Webster Community Links
- Webster Schools
- Webster History & Homes
- Webster Upcoming Events
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
