Fenton, Missouri

Fenton, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Settled	1874
Population	4,022 (2010 census)
Area (sq mi)	6.37 mi²
Current mayor	Bob Brasses

Fenton is a city in southwestern St. Louis County, Missouri. It had a population of 4,022 at the 2010 census.

American charismatic teacher Joyce Meyer maintains her headquarters in Fenton.

History

Archaeological excavations in the Fenton area have determined that it was inhabited by Native American tribes for several centuries before the European explorations of the Americas. Earthen mounds for a long time existed near the Meramec River, and pottery shards have been discovered consistent with the Mississippian culture (AD 1200-1400). Like the later American pioneers, the Mississippian tribes were likely attracted by the fertile land in the narrow Meramec floodplain.

Farmers of European origin began settling along the Meramec in the 1770s, first French-Canadians and later English-speaking Americans. An actual community was established in 1818 by William Lindsay Long, who named it “Fenton” for his Welsh grandmother, Elizabeth Fenton Bennett. The original town center was eight square blocks in area, which today is known as “Olde Towne Fenton.”

The new community prospered from its position on the Meramec and its proximity to St. Louis. A ferry service began in 1833, and the first bridge across the river was constructed in 1854. Gravois Road (later Missouri State Highway 30) was eventually extended southwestward through the town, giving Fenton direct access to St. Louis. The town was first incorporated in 1874, then later disincorporated, and finally re-incorporated in 1948, with Garrett Hitzert serving as its first mayor.

During the 1950s, Fenton’s population rose dramatically, from about 200 residents in 1950 to just over 1,000 in 1960. This was largely a result of the opening of a Chrysler assembly plant in 1959, which would be the foundation of the local economy for the next half-century and lead to many of the new streets being named for Chrysler models—Fury, Imperial, Valiant, etc. In 2008-09, the factory shut down operations, causing a brief stagnation in the city's growth and general prosperity; the site has since been refurbished for occupation by other businesses, though, and the Gravois Bluffs Shopping Center in the south part of town has made Fenton a significant retail hub.

Geography

Fenton lies along the southern edge of St. Louis County, with its original center and much of its business district lying near the intersection of Missouri State Highways 30 and 141. Its more recent northward extensions include a portion of Interstate 44, around which a second economic hub has developed. The city's exact coordinates are 38°31′41″N 90°26′39″W.

Fenton is the only city in the county to lie entirely south of the Meramec River, which forms all of its northern and eastern boundary. Though most of the community rests on rolling hills set back from the river, there is also a fertile strip of bottomland occasionally subject to flooding. The city has a total area of 6.37 square miles, and an average elevation of 433 feet.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Fenton had a total of 4,022 inhabitants, grouped into 1,549 households, with a population density of 664.8 people per square mile. This figure represented a slight decrease from the 2000 census, when Fenton had a population of 4,195. 95.50% of the inhabitants were White, 0.37% were African-American, 0.20% were Native American, 2.09% were Asian, 0.17% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.32% were from some other race, and 1.34% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 1.89% of the population.

The median age in Fenton was 39.2 years, with 21.5% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 6.5% between 18 and 24 years old, 19.0% between 25 and 44, 37.3% between 45 and 64, and 16.0% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 48.8% male, 51.2% female.

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Fenton had a median household income of $92,544, and a median family income of $109,094. The unemployment rate was 2.8%. The per capita income was $46,080. About 1.6% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 1.4% of people under the age of 18 and 5.9% of people 65 years old or older.

Government

Fenton is a fourth-class city with a mayor-council form of government, consisting of a mayor and a board of aldermen. The mayor and the board members (two from each of the city's four wards) are elected for two-year terms in alternating years. The mayor and the board appoint a city administrator as well as members of various boards and commissions. The current mayor of Fenton is Bob Brasses.

Fenton is part of the 96th District in the Missouri House of Representatives (represented by Republican David Gregory since 2016) and the 15th District in the Missouri Senate (represented by Republican Andrew Koenig since 2016). It belongs to Missouri's 2nd Congressional District (represented by Republican Ann Wagner since 2012).

Economy

Though in its early days Fenton was primarily a farming village, it flourished in the 20th century thanks to the Chrysler automotive plants in operation there. Though the closure of these plants in the early 2000s caused a brief economic slump, this has been eased by the town's transformation into a retail hub, due to the growing importance of Highway 141 as a major transportation route in the outer St. Louis suburbs. The Gravois Bluffs shopping area in the far south of town, with a number of chain stores, specialty shops, and restaurants, has been a major source of economic development in Fenton during the last decade or so. Construction and light manufacturing also provide an important business pillar.

Education

Fenton is mostly divided between two public school districts (a small portion is included within the Jefferson County-based Northwest School District). The older (central and southern) sections are part of the Lindbergh Schools, based in the nearby community of Sappington and serving much of south St. Louis County, while the newer (northern) sections fall within the Rockwood R-VI School District, based in Eureka and serving most of the western part of the county. Unlike Lindbergh, it has multiple schools within Fenton itself: five elementary schools (Bowles, George Guffey, Kellison, Stanton, and Uthoff Valley); Rockwood South Middle School, for grades 6-8, and Rockwood Summit High School, serving grades 9-12 and with an enrollment of about 1,300 as of 2020. The student body at Rockwood Summit is traditionally very conservative, some of its members launching an underground newspaper in the 2000s to oppose abortion. In December 2021, meanwhile, scores of students participated in a protest against recently imposed mask mandates, which led to the school being reported to the Missouri Attorney General's Office.

The city is also home to a PK-8 school run by the Roman Catholic church, St. Paul Catholic School, with an enrollment of just over 400 students. Our Savior Lutheran School and Heritage Classical Christian Academy are also located in the immediate vicinity.

Notable People

Arguably the most famous individual associated with Fenton is charismatic Christian writer and speaker Joyce Meyer (born 1943), whose organization Joyce Meyer Ministries is headquartered there. She was an associate pastor at Fenton's Life Christian Center during the early 1980s before going on to start an independent ministry.

Democratic politician Nicole Galloway (born 1982), current Missouri state auditor and failed candidate for governor in the 2020 election, spent most of her early life in Fenton, though most of her political career has been in the Columbia area.

Two professional race-car drivers, Kenneth Schrader (born 1955) and Mike Wallace (born 1959) were born in Fenton.