Ballwin, Missouri

Country | United States
State | Missouri

Settled | 1837

Population | 30,404 (2010 census)
Area (sq mi) | 8.99 mi²

Current mayor | Tim Pogue

Ballwin is a 4th-class city located in West St. Louis County, Missouri. With a population of 30,404 at the 2010 census, it is one of the major outer-ring suburbs in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 3 Demographics
* 4 Government
* 5 Economy
* 6 Education
* 7 Community Life
* 8 Notable People
* 9 References

## History[edit]

Ballwin was founded and named for John Ball (1779-1859), the son of an Irish immigrant who fought in a Virginia regiment during the Revolutionary War and afterwards moved to Kentucky, where he may have been an associate of Daniel Boone. John Ball moved from Kentucky to Missouri in the late 1790s, possibly accompanying Boone's migration party, and in February 1800 obtained from the Spanish colonial government a 400-acre land grant along Grande Glaize Creek. This estate remained rural and isolated until the shift of Missouri's capital to Jefferson City in 1826, after which work began on an overland mail route connecting St. Louis with the new seat of government. This route, the future Manchester Road (Missouri Route 100), passed by Ball's property, and Ball decided to lay out a new town to take advantage of the business opportunities it would provide. The new community was laid out and officially recorded as "Ballwin" in 1837 (though some early documents spelled it as "Baldwin").[1]

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.[2]

## Geography[edit]

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 and Winchester to the east, Clarkson Valley and Ellisville to the west, and 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.[3]

## Demographics[edit]

At the 2010 census, Ballwin had a total of 30,404 inhabitants, grouped into 11,874 households, with a population density of 3,382.0 people per square mile. This figure represented a slight decrease from the 2000 census, when Ballwin had a population of 31,283. 89.34% of the inhabitants were White, 2.46% were African-American, 0.22% were Native American, 5.60% were Asian, 0.03% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.63% were from some other race, and 1.72% were from two or more races. Hispanics of any race were 2.41% of the population.

The median age in Ballwin was 41.2 years, with 24.9% of inhabitants under the age of 18, 6.8% between 18 and 24 years old, 23.7% between 25 and 44, 29.5% between 45 and 64, and 15.1% 65 years old or older. The sex ratio was 48.2% male, 51.8% female.[4]

According to the 2018 American Community Survey, Ballwin had a median household income of $91,886, and a median family income of $108,302. The unemployment rate was 3.5%. The per capita income was $46,068. About 2.6% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.3% of those 65 years of age or older.[5]

## Government[edit]

Ballwin has a mayor-council form of government, its elected officials consisting of a mayor and an eight-member board of aldermen, two of whom are elected in alternating years from each of the city's four wards. Both the mayor and the aldermen serve two-year terms. The current mayor of Ballwin is Tim Pogue, who has served in that post since April 2009.[6]

In the Missouri House of Representatives, most of Ballwin falls into the 100th District, though a small southwestern portion belongs to the 98th District. These are respectively represented by Derek Grier (R-Chesterfield) and Shamed Dogan (R-Ballwin), who were elected in November 2016 and November 2014. It is part of the 15th District in the Missouri State Senate, represented since November 2016 by Andrew Koenig (R-Manchester). The city also belongs to Missouri's 2nd Congressional District, represented by Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin) since 2013.

## Economy[edit]

Due to its origins, Ballwin's economy has always been in large part a service-oriented one, catering first to the needs of travelers along Manchester Road and then later to the growing needs of suburban dwellers. Various trades such as carpentry, cabinetmaking, and bricklaying were prominent as well through much of the 19th and 20th centuries, and a major dairy operation (Calla Lily Dairy Farm) flourished through the 1940s. Various forms of retail trade, however, have always been a major economic pillar, especially since the wave of suburbanization beginning in the 1950s. Today Ballwin has some 400-500 individual businesses, most of them devoted to retail, light manufacturing, and various professional occupations. Rockwood and Parkway School Districts are also major employers.[7]

The fast-food chain Lion's Choice, specializing in roast beef sandwiches, was founded in Ballwin (originally as Red Lion Beef) by Marv Gibbs in 1967.[8]

## Education[edit]

The Ballwin area is divided between two public school districts. Roughly speaking, the western half is part of the Rockwood R-VI School District, headquartered in Eureka and covering most of western St. Louis County. District schools to which Ballwin students are sent include Ballwin, Westridge, and Woerther Elementary Schools (grades K-5); Selvidge Middle School (grades 6-8); and Marquette Senior High School (grades 9-12), this last actually located in neighboring Chesterfield. The eastern half, meanwhile, falls within the Parkway C-2 School District (also sometimes known as Parkway Schools), covering a large portion of west-central St. Louis County. Ballwin students in this district attend Claymont, Henry, Oak Brook, Sorrento Springs, and Wren Hollow Elementary Schools (grades K-5); West and Southwest Middle Schools (grades 6-8); and Parkway West High School (grades 9-12), which is also located in Chesterfield.[9]

Ballwin is also home to two private elementary institutions: Ballwin Christian Academy (grades K-4), nondenominational, and Holy Infant Elementary School (grades PK-8), operated by the Roman Catholic Church. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1956, it is one of the largest parochial elementary schools in the county, with an enrollment of close to 700 students. Its most famous student is Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, who graduated from Holy Infant in 1964.[10]

## Community Life[edit]

The city of Ballwin operates five public parks, the largest being Vlasis Park (31 acres) with tennis courts, two ponds, and a walking trail. There is also a large indoor recreation center, The Pointe at Ballwin Commons, which opened in 1996 and which includes a gymnasium, pickleball court, and a 2,000-square-foot leisure pool; the facility serves approximately 170,000 visitors per year.[11] Other popular attractions include the 9-hole Ballwin Golf Course and Events Center, which hosts the Gateway PGA Nine-Hole Junior Championship, and the North Pointe Aquatic Center, in Holloway Park.

The city hosts a "Ballwin Days" celebration each August, usually over the course of a weekend, in Vlasis Park, with live entertainment, sporting events, and a variety of games. The festival typically draws more than 60,000 visitors each year.

## Notable People[edit]

* Timothy M. Dolan (born 1950), Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York and member of the College of Cardinals; grew up in Ballwin and attended Holy Infant Elementary School
* Ann Wagner (born 1962), Republican politician representing Missouri's 2nd Congressional District; lives in Ballwin

## References[edit]

1. ↑ https://www.ballwin.mo.us/History-of-Ballwin/
2. ↑ Images of America: Ballwin. Arcadia Publishing: 2005.
3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt
4. ↑ https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/census2010/report.php?g=16000US2903160|04000US29
5. ↑ https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0400000US29_1600000US2903160&d=ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles&tid=ACSDP5Y2018.DP03
6. ↑ https://www.ballwin.mo.us/Mayor-and-Board-of-Aldermen/
7. ↑ https://www.ballwin.mo.us/About-Ballwin/
8. ↑ https://lionschoice.com/our-story
9. ↑ https://www.parkwayschools.net/Page/1
10. ↑ https://www.holyinfantschool.org/history-of-holy-infant-school
11. ↑ https://www.ballwin.mo.us/About-The-Pointe/