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The town grew steadily during the 19th century, benefiting from a surge of German immigration to the area, though for many years it remained a small, farming-oriented settlement. Despite the importance of Manchester Road, the fact that it was bypassed by the railroads meant it lacked the rapid growth of many other towns. Activity in Ballwin picked up with the layout of U.S. Route 66 through the town in 1926, bringing more long-distance travelers, and the process of suburbanization in west St. Louis County gathered pace after [[World War II]]. To manage the accelerating growth, Ballwin finally incorporated as a village in December 1950, at which time it had a population of around 850. During the next decade, its size increased to over 5,700 residents, and this growth continued in subsequent years with the widening of Manchester Road into a major thoroughfare and the addition of shopping centers and more service businesses. By 2000, Ballwin had attained a population of roughly 30,000; since then, it has been more or less stabilized.<ref>[https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9780738534466 Images of America: Ballwin]. Arcadia Publishing: 2005.</ref>
The town grew steadily during the 19th century, benefiting from a surge of German immigration to the area, though for many years it remained a small, farming-oriented settlement. Despite the importance of Manchester Road, the fact that it was bypassed by the railroads meant it lacked the rapid growth of many other towns. Activity in Ballwin picked up with the layout of U.S. Route 66 through the town in 1926, bringing more long-distance travelers, and the process of suburbanization in west St. Louis County gathered pace after [[World War II]]. To manage the accelerating growth, Ballwin finally incorporated as a village in December 1950, at which time it had a population of around 850. During the next decade, its size increased to over 5,700 residents, and this growth continued in subsequent years with the widening of Manchester Road into a major thoroughfare and the addition of shopping centers and more service businesses. By 2000, Ballwin had attained a population of roughly 30,000; since then, it has been more or less stabilized.<ref>[https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9780738534466 Images of America: Ballwin]. Arcadia Publishing: 2005.</ref>
==Geography==
Ballwin is located in west-central St. Louis County, its central district about 18 miles west-southwest of downtown St. Louis. Missouri State Highway 100 (Manchester Road) is the main east-west axis, while Highways 141 and 340 mark its easternmost and westernmost limits, respectively. It is bordered by [[Manchester, Missouri|Manchester]] and [[Winchester, Missouri|Winchester]] to the east, [[Clarkson Valley, Missouri|Clarkson Valley]] and [[Ellisville, Missouri|Ellisville]] to the west, and [[Chesterfield, Missouri|Chesterfield]] to the north. The city's exact coordinates are 38°35′41″N 90°32′54″W.
Most of Ballwin sits on a fairly level, elevated plain separating the valleys of the [[Missouri River]] to the north and the Meramec River to the south. A few small streams drain the area, including Grande Glaize Creek, where the original settlement took place. The city has a total land area of 8.99 square miles, and an average elevation of 630 feet.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt</ref>
==References==
==References==