Difference between revisions of "Chesterfield, Missouri"

Revision as of 02:58, February 22, 2022

Chesterfield is a major suburb in the St. Louis metropolitan area, located in the western part of St. Louis County, Missouri. At the 2010 census, it had a population of 47,494, making it the second-largest city in the county and the 14th-largest in the state of Missouri overall. It was formed in 1988 through the consolidation of several older communities in what is known as the Chesterfield Valley.

History

European settlement of the Chesterfield area began in the late 18th century, when a small number of French pioneers were given land grants by the Spanish colonial government along the Missouri River and several small streams that fed into it, such as Bonhomme and Caulks Creeks. They and the American settlers who followed after the Louisiana Purchase took advantage of the rich soil in the Missouri River floodplain, and by the mid-19th century several small farming communities had sprung up in the region, including Bellefontaine, Bonhomme, Gumbo, Lake, and Monarch. Another such was Drew's Station, laid out in the 1810s; at some point thereafter, its name was altered to "Chesterfield," apparently for an English town of the same name in Derbyshire, though precisely how this came about is unclear.^[1]

The towns in the floodplain area remained relatively obscure and rural in nature until the mid-20th century, when rapid suburbanization of west St. Louis County led to a population surge and commercial development. By the 1970s, numerous shopping establishments and other business complexes had appeared, and the desire to take advantage of potential tax revenue and establish suitable local services for the region--now coming to be collectively known as "Chesterfield"--led many community leaders to push for incorporation. After several years of campaigning for voters' support, they succeeded in having the city of Chesterfield established in 1988. At the 1990 census, Chesterfield had a population of about 38,000; since then, it has grown to approach the 50,000 mark.

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Chesterfield had a total of 47,484 inhabitants, grouped into 19,224 households, with a population density of 1,494.1 people per square mile. This figure represented a slight increase from the 2000 census, when Chesterfield had a population of 46,802. 86.51% of the inhabitants were White, 2.65% were African-American, 0.16% were Native American, 8.62% were Asian, 0.03% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.69% were from some other race, and 1.35% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.79% of the population.

The median age in Chesterfield was 46.6 years, with 22.3% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 5.7% between 18 and 24 years old, 19.5% between 25 and 44, 32.5% between 45 and 64, and 20.1% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 47.8% male, 52.2% female.^[2]

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Chesterfield had a median household income of $106,250, and a median family income of $137,974. The unemployment rate was 2.2%. The per capita income was $58,935. About 4.7% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under the age of 18 and 4.3% of those 65 years of age or older.^[3]

References