Wildwood, Missouri

Wildwood, Missouri
City
City of Wildwood
Bicycle event at Wildwood Municipal Building, October 2016
Motto(s):  “Planning Tomorrow Today”
Location of Wildwood, Missouri
Coordinates: 38°34′54″N 90°38′58″W / 38.58167°N 90.64944°W / 38.58167; -90.64944Coordinates: 38°34′54″N 90°38′58″W / 38.58167°N 90.64944°W / 38.58167; -90.64944
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	St. Louis
Government
• Mayor	Jim Bowlin
Area [1]
• Total	66.85 sq mi (173.14 km2)
• Land	66.64 sq mi (172.60 km2)
• Water	0.21 sq mi (0.55 km2)
Elevation	755 ft (230 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	35,517
• Estimate  (2019)[3]	35,432
• Density	531.69/sq mi (205.29/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
FIPS code	29-79820[4]
GNIS feature ID	1699796[5]
Website	www.cityofwildwood.com

Wildwood is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is located in the far western portion of the county. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,517. Wildwood is the home of the Al Foster Trail,^[6] and numerous other trails, parks, and reserves such as Rockwoods Reservation and Babler State Park.

Geography[]

Wildwood is located at

38°34′54″N 90°38′58″W / 38.58167°N 90.64944°W / 38.58167; -90.64944 (38.581653, -90.649427).^[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 67.08 square miles (173.74 km²), of which 66.42 square miles (172.03 km²) is land and 0.66 square miles (1.71 km²) is water.^[8]

Wildwood is bounded to the north by Chesterfield; on the east by Clarkson Valley and Ellisville; to the south by Eureka and Pacific; and on the west by Franklin County.^[9]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
2000	32,884		—
2010	35,517		8.0%
2019 (est.)	35,432	[3]	−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census[]

At the 2010 census there were 35,517 people, 12,112 households, and 10,153 families living in the city. The population density was 534.7 inhabitants per square mile (206.4/km²). There were 12,604 housing units at an average density of 189.8 per square mile (73.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.2% White, 6.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 4.0% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3%.^[2]

Of the 12,112 households 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.2% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 16.2% were non-families. 13.6% of households were one person and 5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.24.

The median age was 41.5 years. 30.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.3% were from 25 to 44; 34.8% were from 45 to 64; and 8.9% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2000 census[]

At the 2000 census there were 32,884 people, 10,837 households, and 9,243 families living in the city. The estimated median house/condo value in 2005 was $345,100. The population density was 498.0 people per square mile (192.3/km²). There were 11,229 housing units at an average density of 170.1 per square mile (65.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.74% White, 1.62% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38%.^[4]

Of the 10,837 households 51.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.0% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.7% were non-families. 12.4% of households were one person and 4.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.32.

The age distribution was 33.2% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

Estimated median household income in 2007:^[10] $113,270. Males had a median income of $75,849 versus $41,224 for females. The per capita income for the city was $38,485. About 1.6% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education[]

Wildwood is served by Rockwood School District, with one high school within the city limits, Lafayette High School.

St. Louis Community College–Wildwood is a local, two-year public community college located off routes 100 and 109.

Police[]

The City of Wildwood contracts for police service with the St. Louis County Police Department.

Notable people[]

• Albert Pujols,former member of St. Louis Cardinals, lived in Wildwood briefly.
• David Freese, former third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, grew up in Wildwood and went to Rockwood Valley Middle School, then graduated from Lafayette High School in 2001. Freese's clutch play in the postseason helped the Cardinals win the 2011 National League pennant over the Milwaukee Brewers and the World Series over the Texas Rangers. Freese was honored by being named the 2011 NL Championship Series MVP and the 2011 World Series MVP.
• Ryan Howard, former first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, grew up in Wildwood and went to Lafayette High School.
• Kelly Stables, actress, grew up in Wildwood and graduated from Lafayette High School in 1996.
• Luke Voit, current first baseman for the New York Yankees

Culture[]

The Big Chief Restaurant is all that remains of a tourist complex that opened on U.S. Route 66 in 1928. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in 2003.^[11]

References[]

External links[]

• City of Wildwood
• Wildwood Historical Society of Wildwood, Missouri