Kirkwood, Missouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kirkwood
City
City of Kirkwood
Downtown Kirkwood in December 2014
Location of Kirkwood, Missouri
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	St. Louis
Incorporated	1865, 1899 (as a 4th-class city), 1930 (as a 3rd-class city), 1984 (as a home rule city)
Area
• Total	9.22 sq mi (23.87 km2)
• Land	9.18 sq mi (23.76 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)
Elevation	659 ft (201 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	27,540
• Estimate  (2019)	27,807
• Density	3,030.74/sq mi (1,170.17/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
FIPS code	29-39044
GNIS feature ID	0756252
Website	www.kirkwoodmo.org

Kirkwood is an inner-ring western suburb of St. Louis located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named after James P. Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad through that city. It was the first planned suburb located west of the Mississippi River.

History

Plans for a new community close to St. Louis began following the St. Louis Fire (1849) and the 1849 cholera outbreak that killed a tenth of the residents of downtown St. Louis. Kirkwood was the first suburban municipality built outside of the St. Louis City boundaries.

Hiram W. Leffingwell and Richard Smith Elliott bought land 14 miles (23 km) from downtown in 1850 at about the same time James P. Kirkwood was laying out a route for the Pacific Railroad. Kirkwood was platted in 1852, and named for James P. Kirkwood, chief engineer of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. When the railroad reached the community in 1853, the developers sold lots for the Kirkwood Association. Other Leffingwell developments were to include the construction of Grand Avenue and the establishment of Forest Park.

The original town plat including quarter section blocks and families could be a block estate of 5 acres (20,000 m²). Deed restrictions prohibited industrial development.

The train station of Richardsonian Romanesque style was built in 1893. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), it has become a symbol of the town. It is the only station stop that Amtrak makes in the St. Louis metropolitan area outside the central city. Among the four other buildings in Kirkwood listed on the NRHP is a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Ebsworth Park Foundation.

In 1895 the Meramec Highlands resort was built on the bluffs above the Meramec River.

Traditions

The Greentree Festival is held every September. The Greentree Festival has many things to do such as arts and crafts for kids and many different foods from many different cultures. Greentree has been a tradition for over 50 years. Since 1961, it has been held in Kirkwood Park. The festival consists of a parade and a fair held in Kirkwood park. The festival was originally created to replace the drought-stricken trees in the park.

The Kirkwood High School Pioneers and Webster Groves Statesmen alternate as hosts of the annual Turkey Day Game, the longest-running football high school Thanksgiving Day rivalry west of the Mississippi. The 100th anniversary game was in 2007. The winner of the Turkey Day Game receives the Frisco Bell, while the loser gets the Little Brown Jug.

The Kirkwood Farmers' Market was founded in 1976. It is an outdoor market that has a variety of homegrown vegetables and fruits. There are more than 300 local businesses that contribute to the market.

The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum in Kirkwood has become a popular family attraction for the region. Originally opened in 1979, the Museum receives over 500,000 visitors annually and has been visited by more than 10 million people since its opening. The Museum's original house was built in 1901 and has undergone several renovations and expansions. The Magic House was ranked by Zagat as America's top travel destination based on child appeal.

Geography

Kirkwood is located at 38°34′50″N 90°24′51″W / 38.58056°N 90.41417°W / 38.58056; -90.41417 (38.580652, -90.414289).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.20 square miles (23.83 km²), of which, 9.16 square miles (23.72 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 27,540 people in Kirkwood, 11,894 households, and 7,327 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,006.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,160.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.4% White, 7.0% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.42% another race.

There were 11,894 households, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the city was 42.6 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 29.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.0% male and 54.0% female.

Transportation

Kirkwood Amtrak station, circa 2009

Rail

Kirkwood sits along the Jefferson City Subdivision of the Union Pacific Railroad. Passenger rail service is provided by Amtrak. Kirkwood Station is located near the center of downtown Kirkwood and is a stop for Amtrak's Missouri River Runner.

Bus

Bus service in Kirkwood is provided by MetroBus. Service connects Kirkwood to other suburban communities and downtown St. Louis.

Road

Interstate Highway 270 runs along the western edge of Kirkwood. Interstate 44 passes through the community along the southern portions of the city limits. Major surface streets include Manchester Road (Missouri Route 100) bordering the city to the north, and US 61/67 (Lindbergh Boulevard) which runs north–south through downtown Kirkwood as Kirkwood Road.

Awards

• America in Bloom 2007 Community Involvement Criteria Award.
• Arbor Day 1993, 1997, 2003, and 2004 Growth Award.
• Missouri Community Forestry Council 1997 Communitree Award.
• International Society of Arboriculture-Midwest Chapter 2004 Missouri Arbor Award of Excellence Award.
• Choose Environmental Excellence-Gateway Region 2000 Environmental Excellence Award.

• Historic maps of Kirkwood in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri

Economy

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public education in Kirkwood falls under the Kirkwood R-7 School District. The district covers all of Kirkwood as well as all or parts of the neighboring smaller communities of Des Peres, Frontenac, Glendale, Huntleigh, Oakland, and Warson Woods.

The district includes five elementary schools (Tillman Elementary, North Glendale Elementary, Keysor Elementary, Robinson Elementary, and Westchester Elementary); two middle schools (Nipher Middle School and North Kirkwood Middle school); and one high school, Kirkwood High School. (The high school was established in 1865 and was originally located in the building that houses Nipher Middle School.) Upon graduation from elementary school, students from North Glendale, Robinson, and half of Tillman go to Nipher Middle School, and students from Keysor, Westchester, and the other half of Tillman go to North Kirkwood Middle School.

St. John Vianney High School, a private Catholic school, is also located in Kirkwood.

Colleges and universities

St. Louis Community College (STLCC) operates a 78-acre (320,000 m²) campus in Kirkwood, STLCC-Meramec. It is the largest community college in Missouri, with over 12,000 undergraduate and transfer students.

Public library

Kirkwood has a lending library, the Kirkwood Public Library.

Notable people

• Scott Bakula, actor
• Mel Bay, author
• Alan Bovik, Primetime Emmy-winning engineering professor
• Jack Buechner (1940–2020), in former member, U.S. House of Representatives (1987 to 1991)
• Edgar W. Denison, naturalist and author
• Nikki Glaser, comedian
• Trent Green, NFL player
• Geoffrey C. Hazard Jr., law professor
• Jeremy Maclin, NFL player
• Claire McCaskill, NBC News/MSNBC political analyst, former U.S. Senator from Missouri (2007 to 2019) and former State Auditor (1999 to 2007)
• Marianne Moore (1887–1972), poet and writer
• Bill Pleis, Major League Baseball player
• Rodger O. Riney, broker and business executive
• David Sanborn, musician
• Rick Stream, former Missouri state representative
• Brandon Williams, NFL player
• Mike Wood, NFL player
• Slayyyter, singer
• Dylan Brady, musician

Images for kids

• 

  Kirkwood Historic District

See also

In Spanish: Kirkwood (Misuri) para niños