Difference between revisions of "Ellisville, Missouri"

Revision as of 03:10, February 1, 2022

Ellisville is a city in West St. Louis County, Missouri, about 20 miles west of the city of St. Louis. It had a population of 9,133 at the 2010 census.

History

The first permanent settlement in the future community of Ellisville was made by Captain James Ferris, a Kentucky native who arrived around 1835.^[1] The brick house he constructed (which stood until it was torn down in 1969) was located west of what is now Kiefer Creek Road. A few years later, Ferris sold the house to Vespasian Ellis, a St. Louis newspaper editor who, upon becoming American consul to Venezuela in 1842, sold it in turn to William A. Hereford, who had previously operated the post office in the town of Ellisville in Virginia. Hereford opened a post office (possibly in Ferris' former house itself) in 1843, and from that time the location became known as Ellisville. (It is not known if the name was taken from Vespasian Ellis, the Virginia town of Ellisville, or possibly both.)^[2] The land afterward changed hands several more times; after the Civil War, the then-owner, Captain Benjamin Hutchinson of Kentucky, divided the property into lots, enabling more families to settle in the area.

Though it remained a small rural community for the next several decades, local residents eventually decided to incorporate, in order to provide a public school for their children. To that end, Ellisville was organized as a village in 1932; at the 1940 census, it still had a population of less than 300. After World War II, however, the population of west St. Louis County expanded rapidly, thanks to suburban development and the movement of middle-class families out of St. Louis itself. During the 1950s alone, Ellisville more than quadrupled in size, permanently establishing itself as a significant outer-ring suburb. In November 1957, the village voted to incorporate as a 4th-class city; it was upgraded to "Home Rule" status in 1993. During the 1990s, growth leveled off, and since 2000 Ellisville has been relatively stable at just over 9,000 residents.

Geography

Ellisville is located in west-central St. Louis County, about 20 miles west of downtown St. Louis. Missouri State Highway 100 (Manchester Road) is the main east-west axis, with Missouri State Highway 340 (Clarkson Road) beginning at Ellisville and continuing north towards Chesterfield. The city shares a border with the cities of Ballwin to the east, Clarkson Valley to the north, and Wildwood to the west. Its exact coordinates are 38°35′38″N 90°35′15″W.

Most of Ellisville lies on relatively flat, elevated ground between the watersheds of the Missouri River to the north and the Meramec River to the south. The city has a total land area of 4.40 square miles, and an average elevation of 732 feet.^[3]

Demographics

At the 2010 census, Ellisville had a total of 9,133 inhabitants, grouped into 3,621 households, with a population density of 2,080.4 people per square mile. This figure was essentially unchanged from the 2000 census, when Ellisville had a population of 9,104. 91.66% of the inhabitants were White, 1.89% were African-American, 0.13% were Native American, 4.29% were Asian, 0.62% were from some other race, and 1.40% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.44% of the population.

The median age in Ellisville was 44.7 years, with 23.7% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 5.7% between 18 and 24 years old, 21.1% between 25 and 44, 29.7% between 45 and 64, and 19.8% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 46.7% male, 53.3% female.^[4]

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Ellisville had a median household income of $75,017, and a median family income of $95,956. The unemployment rate was 3.3%. The per capita income was $43,960. About 5.4% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under the age of 18 and 1.1% of those 65 years of age or older.^[5]

Government

Ellisville is a Home Rule city with a mayor-council form of government. Its elected officials consist of the mayor, elected at-large, and six council members, two representing each of the city's three wards, elected in alternating years. Both mayor and councilmen are limited to two consecutive four-year terms. The current mayor of Ellisville is Mike Roemerman, elected in April 2018.^[6]

Ellisville is divided between three legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives. Most of the northern half of the city is part of the 101st, represented since 2016 by Bruce DeGroot (R-Ellisville); the southern half is split between the 98th, represented since 2014 by Shamed Dogan (R-Ballwin), and the 110th, represented since 2018 by Dottie Bailey (R-Eureka). With regard to the State Senate, the city is likewise divided between the 15th District, represented since 2016 by Andrew Koenig (R-Manchester), and the 26th District, represented since 2014 by Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan). Like most of western St. Louis County, the entirety of Ellisville is part of Missouri's 2nd Congressional District, represented since 2012 by Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin).

Economy

Having been a suburban community for most of its existence, Ellisville has relatively little in terms of major industry. Its economy is primarily "service-based," with a large retail component including restaurants, shopping centers, convenience stores, and similar shops. The largest individual employers include Kohl's, The Home Depot, and Walgreens. In addition, there is a prominent professional sector, including banking, real estate, and health care. Cooper Bussmann Industries, a manufacturer of electrical components and tools, has a major facility in Ellisville; the city's one major industrial presence. At last count, Ellisville had close to 600 individual businesses within its boundaries.^[7]

Education

Ellisville is one of several communities belonging to the Rockwood R-VI School District, which covers most of western St. Louis County. District schools serving Ellisville students include Ellisville and Ridge Meadows Elementary Schools (grades K-5), Crestview Middle School (grades 6-8), and Lafayette and Marquette High Schools (grades 9-12). Ellisville, Ridge Meadows, and Crestview are within the city itself, and have been recognized in the past for their educational achievements (Ridge Meadows in particular, the first institution in Missouri to receive a National Professional Development Award).^[8]

Ellisville is also served by two private schools, both PK-8: St. Clare of Assisi School (Roman Catholic) and St. John Lutheran (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod). St. John Lutheran has been especially distinctive for the quality of its education, including receiving the Blue Ribbon Award.^[9]

The city is also home to the Daniel Boone branch of the St. Louis County Library system.

References