Town And Country, Missouri

Town and Country, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Settled	1886
Population	11,640 (2020 census)
Area (sq mi)	11.68 mi²
Current mayor	Charles H. Rehm, Jr.

Town and Country is a city in west-central St. Louis County, Missouri, and a significant suburb within the St. Louis metropolitan area. It had a population of 10,815 at the 2010 census, rising to 11,640 at the 2020 census.

History[edit]

Initially settled by French and later American pioneers in the late 18th and 19th centuries, the future area of Town and Country took shape as the community of Altheim by 1886, when it first received a post office. Centered on the modern intersection of Clayton and Mason Roads, it was named for John Alt of Clayton, an early promoter of the new town.^[1] During the early stages of its existence, Altheim was primarily a market and social center for local farmers, though by the mid-20th century, it was gradually transitioning to a suburb of St. Louis.

By the late 1940s, local residents had become concerned about the possibility of neighboring cities, such as Des Peres and Frontenac, annexing the still-unincorporated area. In response, they worked to create their own village, incorporating as Town and Country in 1950. With a population of only 162 at that year's census, it steadily grew through a series of annexations of its own, plus the trend of rapid population movement into western St. Louis County. Originally planned to have large residential lots, with many open green spaces to preserve the pastoral atmosphere of previous generations, Town and Country's rapid expansion rendered this impracticable, and it soon came to resemble neighboring suburban communities. Following a 1974 vote, the village was upgraded to a fourth-class city, enabling it to provide more local services. Another series of annexations, completed in 1992, expanded Town and Country to its present boundaries.^[2]

Geography[edit]

Town and Country is located near the geographic center of St. Louis County, lying about 15 miles west of downtown St. Louis. The city has a very irregular shape, due to the periodic annexations since its incorporation; most of it lies south of Interstate 64/U.S. Route 40 and west of Interstate 270. Other important roads within the city are Missouri State Highway 141, Clayton Road, and Ladue Road. Its exact coordinates are 38°37′52″N 90°28′18″W.

The city lies within a transition zone geographically, the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in the southern part of the county giving way to the flatter and low-lying Missouri River bottomland farther north. The neighborhoods north of Interstate 64 especially demonstrate this. Town and Country has a total land area of 11.68 square miles, and an average elevation of 590 feet.^[3]

Demographics[edit]

At the 2010 census, Town and Country had a total of 10,815 inhabitants, grouped into 3,591 households, with a population density of 926.1 people per square mile. This figure was virtually unchanged from the 2000 census, when Town and Country had a population of 10,894. 87.79% of the inhabitants were White, 2.59% were African-American, 0.11% were Native American, 7.51% were Asian, 0.09% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.35% were from some other race, and 1.56% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 1.75% of the population.

The median age in Town and Country was 48.6 years, with 21.9% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 10.2% between 18 and 24 years old, 12.4% between 25 and 44, 32.5% between 45 and 64, and 23.1% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 46.5% male, 53.5% female.^[4]

Figures from the 2020 census indicated that Town and Country's population had risen to 11,640.

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Town and Country had a median household income of $178,000, and a median family income of $215,972. The unemployment rate was 2.7%. The per capita income was $92,664. About 5.0% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 years of age or older.^[5]

Government[edit]

Town and Country has a mayor-council form of government, the elected officials consisting of a mayor and an eight-member board of aldermen, two representing each of the city's four wards. The mayor is elected for a four-year term, while aldermen are elected for two years; municipal elections are held the first Tuesday in April on even-numbered years. The current mayor of Town and Country is Charles H. Rehm, Jr.^[6]

The city is part of the 89th District in the Missouri House of Representatives; its current representative is Dean Plocher (R-Ladue), first elected in November 2015 and now acting as Majority Floor Leader. In the State Senate, it belongs to the 24th District, represented since 2014 by Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur; it is also part of Missouri's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, represented since 2013 by Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin).

Education[edit]

Public Schools

Nearly all of Town and Country is part of the Parkway C-2 School District (excepting small portions in the extreme east that fall within the Kirkwood and Ladue School Districts). Most students in the city attend Mason Ridge Elementary for grades K-5; most of those north of Interstate 64 attend Parkway Central Middle (6-8) and High (9-12) Schools, while those to the south go to Parkway West Middle and High Schools.^[7]

Private Schools

Two Roman Catholic high schools are located within city limits: the all-boys Christian Brothers College High School, established in 1850 and with a current (2017) enrollment of about 840 students, and the all-girls Visitation Academy of St. Louis, established in 1833 with a current (2015) enrollment of about 300 students. Other notable private schools include Westminster Christian Academy (grades 7-12), which adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith. With an enrollment of about 1,000 students, it is among the most prestigious Calvinist private schools in the St. Louis area.^[8] In addition, the Christian Scientists operate The Principia, founded in 1898 with a current enrollment of about 480 students.

Colleges and Universities

One institution of higher education is located within Town and Country, Maryville University of St. Louis (commonly "Maryville University"). Founded in 1872 by the Catholic Society of the Sacred Heart and originally admitting only women, it has existed on its present campus, just off Interstate 64, since 1961, and is now co-educational. It currently has about 11,000 students and 300-400 staff, with multiple satellite campuses in the St. Louis metropolitan area.^[9]

Economy[edit]

Though largely residential in nature at the time of its incorporation, Town and Country's proximity to two major interstate highways, and the presence of numerous regional arterial roads, has made it more important commercially in recent years, as a number of corporations have purchased office space for their headquarters or distribution centers. These include the battery manufacturer Energizer, the information services company Savvis, and the chemical producer Solutia, a subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company.

The area's largest single employer (with a workforce of some 3,000) is the Missouri Baptist Medical Center (locally MoBap), located on Ballas Road and dating back to 1886, when it was founded as the Missouri Baptist Sanitarium. It is now one of the largest medical facilities in St. Louis County.^[10]

Local Attractions[edit]

The city government maintains three public parks in Town and Country: Drace Park, Longview Farm Park, and Preservation Park. Of these, Longview Farm Park is the most distinctive, with horseback riding, walking trails, and extensive outdoor gardens, in addition to hosting children's summer camps and many holiday events. In 2017, the city began development of a "Town Square," located near the community's original Altheim nucleus, to feature restaurants, public pavilions, and other meeting spaces. Work on the Square is still ongoing.^[11]

Town and Country includes within its boundaries the Bellerive Country Club, an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones and completed in 1960. It has hosted a number of PGA events over the years, including the 1965 U.S. Open, the 2004 U.S. Senior Open, and the PGA Championship in 1992 and again in 2018.^[12]

Notable People[edit]

• Dan Dierdorf (born 1949), former NFL offensive tackle and later sportscaster
• Rodger O. Riney (born 1945), founder and former CEO of stock brokerage firm Scottrade
• Michael Roarty (1928-2013), award-winning advertiser and marketing executive for Anheuser-Busch brewing company
• "Red" Schoendienst (1923-2018), MLB player, coach, and manager for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Patrick Stokes (born 1942), former chairman and CEO of Anheuser-Busch
• "Ozzie" Smith (born 1954), acclaimed shortstop for St. Louis Cardinals (1982-96)
• Todd Worrell (born 1959), former pitcher for St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers

References[edit]