Wildwood, Missouri

Wildwood, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Settled	1803
Population	35,517 (2010 census)
Area (sq mi)	67.08 mi²
Current mayor	Jim Bowlin

Wildwood is a city in the far western portion of St. Louis County, Missouri. It had a population of 35,517 at the 2010 census, making it one of the larger municipalities in the county.

History

Organizationally speaking, Wildwood is among the "youngest" cities in Missouri, though it has a long history of settlement. American pioneers may have settled in the area as early as the 1790s, taking advantage of land grants by the Spanish colonial authorities, though few records from this period survive. The oldest of the local communities, Glencoe, can trace its origins back to 1803, with most of the others coming into existence during the mid- to late 19th century.

By the mid-20th century, eleven distinct communities could be identified in the hills of western St. Louis County, between Eureka and the Missouri River: Centaur, Fox Creek, Glencoe, Grover, Hollow, Kelpe, Melrose, Monarch, Orrville, Pond, and Westland Acres. For a long time mostly rural in character, the surge in local population as suburbanization increased drove community leaders to discuss a merger. In 1995, the eleven towns chose to consolidate, selecting as their new name "Wildwood."

Since incorporation, the city has striven to strike a balance between urban and rural features, maintaining large tracts of woodlands and other natural preserves while also working to improve public works and other services.

Geography

By land area, Wildwood is one of the largest municipalities in the state of Missouri, and the largest in St. Louis County by a significant margin. This is due to the consolidation of multiple smaller communities, as well as the land in-between. Its boundaries are formed on the north by the Missouri River and the city of Chesterfield, on the west by the border with Franklin County, and on the south and east by the cities of Eureka, Ellisville, and Clarkson Valley, as well as some rural unincorporated areas. The city's official coordinates are 38°34′54″N 90°38′58″W.

Most of Wildwood's terrain is fairly rugged in nature, being within the northeastern edge of the Ozarks; the exception to this is a section of fairly level ground in the east around the old Grover settlement, where many of the larger businesses and much of the population are located, as well as some of the narrow valleys separating the ridges. Much of the city is given over to large wilderness preserves, most notably Rockwoods Reservation and Edmund A. Babler State Park. Wildwood has a total area of 67.08 square miles, and an average elevation of 755 feet.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Wildwood had a total of 35,517 inhabitants, grouped into 12,112 households, with a population density of 534.7 people per square mile. This figure represented a moderate increase from the 2000 census, when Wildwood had a population of 32,884. 92.18% of the inhabitants were White, 1.66% were African-American, 0.19% were Native American, 4.04% were Asian, 0.03% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.40% were from some other race, and 1.51% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.34% of the population.

The median age in Wildwood was 41.5 years, with 30.3% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 5.9% between 18 and 24 years old, 20.3% between 25 and 44, 34.7% between 45 and 64, and 8.9% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 49.5% male, 50.5% female.

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Wildwood had a median household income of $132,221, and a median family income of $144,554. The unemployment rate was 2.8%. The per capita income was $59,398. About 2.6% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 2.2% of people under the age of 18 and 3.7% of people 65 years old or older.

Government

Since its incorporation, Wildwood has had a mayor-council form of government, with a mayor elected by the city at large for a four-year term, who signs legislation and appoints members of the local executive agencies, and a 16-member city council, two members drawn from each of the eight wards, which has primary responsibility for initiating and voting on laws and policies. Council members are elected for two-year terms in alternating years. The current mayor of Wildwood is Jim Bowlin, who was elected to his second term in 2020.

Wildwood is divided between three legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives: the 98th, represented since 2014 by Shamed Dogan (R-Ballwin); the 101st, represented since 2016 by Bruce DeGroot (R-Ellisville); and the 110th, represented since 2018 by Dottie Bailey (R-Eureka). In the State Senate, the eastern part of the city falls within the 15th District, represented since 2016 by Andrew Koenig (R-Manchester), while the rest is part of the 26th District, represented since 2014 by Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan). Like most of western St. Louis County, the entirety of Wildwood is part of Missouri's 2nd Congressional District, represented since 2012 by Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin).

Education

Wildwood lies within the Rockwood R-VI School District that covers the far western portion of St. Louis County. Since the district covers multiple municipalities, students are sometimes bused to schools outside city limits; however, Wildwood itself is home to three elementary schools (Babler, Fairway, and Pond); three middle schools (LaSalle Springs, Rockwood Valley, and Wildwood); and one high school (Lafayette). One of the older schools in the District, Lafayette High School has been in operation since 1960, with a current enrollment of around 1,800 students in grades 9-12. Its mascot is the Lancers, and the school colors are black, white, and gold. The school has achieved distinction for its athletic achievements as well as its marching band, which performs in many regional events.

Wildwood also has one private school, Living Water Academy, which is nondenominational Christian and serves students in kindergarten through 8th grade.

Since 2007, St. Louis Community College has operated a campus in Wildwood, its fourth and newest branch, near the intersection of Highways 100 and 109, with an enrollment of about 2,000 students.

Community Life

Given its location in the Ozark foothills and at the outer edge of the St. Louis metropolitan area, Wildwood is especially distinctive for the numerous parks and opportunities for outdoor recreation within its boundaries. In addition to six city parks and a number of trails (the best-known being the Al Foster Memorial Trail, paralleling the Meramec River to the south), there is also Greensfelder Park, maintained by the county, the state-managed Rockwoods Range and Rockwoods Reservation, and Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park, developed in the 1930s and named for a St. Louis surgeon. It features extensive stretches of old-growth forest, along with camping, hiking, and equestrian facilities.

The community has a variety of popular local activities year-round; some of these include the maintenance of a 30,000 square-foot community garden, a "Music on Main" concert series during the summer, and a large outdoor art festival, typically held in early autumn. In 2018, work began on the development of a "Town Center Public Space" near City Hall, to serve as a "village green" of sorts.

Notable People

In recent years, Wildwood has gained distinction as the birthplace or boyhood home of a number of current or recently-retired professional baseball players. Some of the more famous include:

• David Freese (born 1983), MLB third baseman from 2009 to 2019; famous for his role in the St. Louis Cardinals victory in the 2011 World Series
• Ryan Howard (born 1979), MLB first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2004 to 2016
• Louis Linwood "Luke" Voit (born 1991), currently first baseman for the New York Yankees and previously the St. Louis Cardinals

Other MLB players from Wildwood include Matt Buschmann, John Dettmer, Jeff Gray, and Scarborough Green.