St. James, Missouri

Saint James (more commonly St. James) is a city in eastern Phelps County, Missouri. It had a population of 4,216 at the 2010 census.

St. James, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Settled	1859
Population	4,216 (2010 census)
Area (sq mi)	4.28 mi²
Current mayor	Rick Krawiecki

It was founded to be a shipping point for the nearby Maramec Iron Works, which were the first commercial iron works west of the Mississippi River (the site is on the National Register of Historic Places). The city is currently in the heart of Missouri's wine country; several wineries are located in or around the city including the St. James Winery, which has won numerous awards and of which one family member has served as Missouri's Director of Agriculture.

History

The St. James region was first settled during the antebellum era, and was originally known as Big Prairie, due to the patch of natural grassland on which it was located. A town was first laid out in 1859, in anticipation of the arrival of the Pacific Railroad from St. Louis; as many of the early settlers were from Ohio, it was first named Scioto, after one of the cities in that state. The following year, however, it was renamed St. James, in an oblique reference not to the apostle Saint James, but to Thomas James, an Ohioan who operated the Meramec Iron Works nearby and intended to use the town as a shipping point for its products.

The city prospered during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thanks first to the activity of the iron works--though it eventually went into decline--and its proximity to the railroad, as well as the philanthropy of the James family, whose members (especially Thomas James' great-granddaughter, Lucy Wortham James) established a number of public institutions and parks, including Meramec Spring Park, giving it a rather bucolic appearance. For this reason, St. James is sometimes called "Forest City of the Ozarks." The city stood out in another way with the election of Mayme H. Ousley in 1921, the first woman to be elected mayor of a Missouri town. The city hall was named in her honor in 2013.

Beginning in the 1970s, a new development occurred in the area with the development of several wineries, most notably St. James Winery just north of town along Interstate 44. Especially in recent years, these award-winning and widely-known vineyards have drawn wine connoisseurs to the region, providing a significant boost to the city's economy.

Geography

St. James is located along Interstate 44 in eastern Phelps County, crossed by Missouri State Highway 8 (of which it is the western terminus) and Highway 68. It is about nine miles northeast of Rolla, and 12 miles southwest of Cuba. Its exact coordinates are 37°59’56”N 91°36’59”W.

The city lies along the northwestern edge of some rugged uplands that are part of the upper Meramec River valley; some of these slopes have been used in recent decades for its thriving wineries. The river itself, as well as the notable Meramec Spring and its accompanying park, flows just a few miles to the southeast. St. James has a total area of 4.28 square miles, and an average elevation of 1,093 feet.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, St. James had a total of 4,216 inhabitants, grouped into 1,632 households, with a population density of 985.0 people per square mile. This figure represented a significant increase from the 2000 census, when St. James had a population of 3,704. 96.11% of the inhabitants were White, 0.95% were African-American, 0.66% were Native American, 0.28% were Asian, 0.38% were from some other race, and 1.61% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 1.57% of the population.

The median age in St. James was 37 years, with 27.3% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 9.2% between 18 and 24 years old, 22.5% between 25 and 44, 22.3% between 45 and 64, and 18.7% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 49.2% male, 50.8% female.

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, St. James had a median household income of $44,417, and a median family income of $59,475. The unemployment rate was 6.7%. The per capita income was $20,843. About 18.3% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 14.0% of people under the age of 18 and 9.2% of people 65 years old or older.

Economy

During its early days, the railroad and the Meramec Iron Works provided the basis of the city's prosperity. Today, a significant economic pillar is the St. Louis-based Tacony Corporation, a manufacturing firm with a branch in St. James that produces vacuum cleaners. The local school district and various service businesses along Interstate 44 are another major source of employment, as is tourism to the regional wineries and the natural scenery.

Education

St. James and the surrounding area are served by the St. James R-I School District, a PK-12 public institution with a total enrollment of almost 1,900 students. Its mascot is the Tigers, and the school colors are red and white.

The Boys and Girls Town of Missouri School also operates in St. James, covering grades 1 through 12.

Community Life

St. James has several parks in and around the city, of which the most important is Maramec Spring Park just to the southeast, lying along its namesake river and including a natural spring, campgrounds, and two museums. Another is Tiger Shark Waterpark, located near the downtown section.

The main street in St. James was part of the former U.S. Route 66, from the 1920s until its later replacement by Interstate 44, and some of the historic buildings along the route are maintained and commemorated today.

The city and region are best known today for the local vineyards, especially St. James Winery, located on the north edge of town. Founded by Jim and Pat Hofherr in 1970, it is now considered the largest winery in the state, with about 180 acres under cultivation and a production of about 200,000 cases per year. It was named the Winery of the Year in the eastern United States by the Critics Challenge International Wine Competition in 2009.