Des Peres, Missouri

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Des Peres, Missouri


Country United States
State Missouri
Settled 1934
Population 8,373 (2010 census)
Area (sq mi) 4.32 mi²
Current mayor Douglas J. Harms

Des Peres is a fourth-class city in west-central St. Louis County, Missouri. It had a population of 8,373 at the 2010 census.

History

The name of Des Peres, which long predates the community itself, can be traced back to 1701, when French Jesuit missionaries traveling down the Mississippi River established a small settlement near the mouth of a small stream that emptied into the river, just south of the future city of St. Louis. They named this the River Des Peres, French for "of the fathers." Though the settlement laid down by the missionaries did not itself survive in the long run, the name of Des Peres endured, applied to the river and its watershed by later French fur trappers and settlers.[1]

The community that developed along Manchester Road in the 1830s and 1840s (though itself located some distance west of the river) became known as Des Peres in turn almost at once. Settled mostly by German immigrants and by pioneers from Virginia and other states of the Upper South, it boasted a number of flourishing farms, churches, and schools by the time of the Civil War; an orphanage operated by the Lutheran Church, in fact, an imposing two-story brick structure, would later serve as the Des Peres city hall.[2]

By the 1920s, with the outward growth of the St. Louis urban area and the business development taking place along U.S. Route 66 (following the route of Manchester Road), the population of the Des Peres area was rising significantly, and there were fears that it would be annexed by neighboring Kirkwood, which locals feared would lead to higher taxes. To forestall this move, locals approved its incorporation as a village in 1934. After two decades of additional expansion, residents voted to upgrade its status to that of a fourth-class city in 1953.[3]

The next and most significant stage of Des Peres' growth began in 1965, with the completion of Interstate 270, passing just to the west of the original city center and with a major exit onto Manchester Road. This quickly became a new focal point of business activity, demonstrated most clearly in 1969 with the opening of the West County Shopping Center (now West County Center), still one of the most popular retail outlets in the St. Louis area. Development of residential neighborhoods and office complexes followed, a trend which has continued to the present day. Commercial expansion (still concentrated along Manchester) remains an important part of the Des Peres community.

Geography

The original portion of Des Peres is located along Manchester Road (Missouri State Highway 100) just east of Interstate 270 in central St. Louis County. More recent annexations by the city lie mostly to the southwest, between Ballas and Barrett Station Roads. The more significant communities it borders on are Town and Country to the northwest and Kirkwood to the southeast. Its exact coordinates are 38°35′46″N 90°26′50″W.

The local terrain transitions from more rugged uplands in the southwest, near the Meramec River, to more level terrain farther northeast. Ironically, most of the city lies west of the watershed of the namesake River Des Peres, draining instead toward the Meramec. Des Peres has a total land area of 4.32 square miles, and an average elevation of 607 feet.[4]

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Des Peres had a total of 8,373 inhabitants, grouped into 3,051 households, with a population density of 1,938.2 people per square mile. This figure represented a slight decrease from the 2000 census, when Des Peres had a population of 8,592. 94.28% of the inhabitants were White, 0.94% were African-American, 0.17% were Native American, 3.13% were Asian, 0.02% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.26% were from some other race, and 1.19% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 1.34% of the population.

The median age in Des Peres was 45.9 years, with 26.2% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 4.9% between 18 and 24 years old, 17.6% between 25 and 44, 34.1% between 45 and 64, and 17.2% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 48.5% male, 51.5% female.[5]

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Des Peres had a median household income of $140,658, and a median family income of $154,559. The unemployment rate was 1.8%. The per capita income was $64,126. About 1.6% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under the age of 18 and 1.3% of those 65 years of age or older.[6]

Government

Since 1973, Des Peres has had a mayor/council/administrator form of government. This is similar to the mayor-council form of government, with an elected mayor and board of aldermen, but also with an expanded role for an appointed city administrator, who oversees the city's day-to-day operations and prepares its yearly budget. The current mayor of Des Peres is Mark Becker, first elected in 2018; the city administrator is Douglas J. Harms.

The city falls within the 89th District for the Missouri House of Representatives, which has been represented since 2015 by Dean Plocher (R-Ladue), who is currently Majority Floor Leader for the House. It is part of the 15th District for the Missouri State Senate, represented since 2017 by Andrew Koenig (R-Manchester), and of Missouri's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, represented since 2013 by Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin).

Economy

Since the 1960s, Des Peres has become a major target for business relocation, owing to its location alongside a major urban highway; relatively low local taxes, compared to some other municipalities in the county, contribute to its appeal in this regard. Numerous corporate headquarters and office complexes now exist within the city limits. These include the international headquarters for the North American financial services firm Edward Jones Investments (at the intersection of Ballas and Manchester Roads), the construction firm McCarthy Holdings, the Drury hotel chain, and the steel distributor company Redbird Engineering.

The city is also a magnet for retail trade. The largest and most-famous such outlet is West County Center, which first opened in 1969. Revitalized in the late 1990s and officially rededicated in 2002, it is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, Barnes & Noble, and Dick's Sporting Goods, in addition to housing many specialty shops, boutiques, and upscale restaurants.[7] Other shopping centers in Des Peres include the Olympic Oaks Shopping Center, the Des Peres Pointe Development, and the Shoppes at Tallbrook.[8]

References