Fenton, Missouri
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Fenton is a city in
St. Louis County, Missouri St. Louis County is located in eastern Missouri. It is bounded by the City of St. Louis and the Mississippi River to the east, the Missouri River to the north, and the Meramec River to the south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1, ...
, United States, and a suburb of St. Louis County. The population was 3,989 at the 2020 census.


History

Due to its proximity to fertile land and the
Meramec River The Meramec River (), sometimes spelled Maramec River (the original US mapping spelled it Maramec but later changed it to Meramec), is one of the longest free-flowing waterways in the U.S. state of Missouri, draining Blanc, Caldwell, and Hawk. ...
, the Fenton area has been inhabited for over 900 years. The earliest proof of ancient dwellers was excavated from the "Fenton Mounds", two conical earthen burial mounds located near the southwestern border of Fenton. Diagnostic pottery shards from the mounds indicate they date from the Mississippian times, A.D. 1050 - 1400. In 2001, the mounds were leveled for construction of a
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
Supercenter. The Fenton territory was occupied by Native Americans and early settlers in the 1770s. William Lindsay Long founded the city of Fenton on March 23, 1818. The original eight-square-block area is now referred to as "Old Towne Fenton". The city remained unincorporated for the next 130 years. Garrett Hitzert was the city's first mayor after incorporation in 1948, and his leadership helped build the foundation that much of the city's ongoing prosperity has been based on. He conceived of Fenton's expansive commercial business and industrial district that is a centerpiece of the city's fiscal success.


Geography

Fenton is located approximately two miles south of I-44 along the west bank of the
Meramec River The Meramec River (), sometimes spelled Maramec River (the original US mapping spelled it Maramec but later changed it to Meramec), is one of the longest free-flowing waterways in the U.S. state of Missouri, draining Blanc, Caldwell, and Hawk. ...
. The intersection of Missouri routes 30 and 141 lies just to the west. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 4,022 people, 1,549 households, and 1,176 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 1,611 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.5%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.4%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.2%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.3% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 1,549 households, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 46.7 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19% were from 25 to 44; 37.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 4,360 people, 1,587 households, and 1,239 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.98%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.39%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.16% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.34% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. There were 1,587 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.7% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.11. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $74,708, and the median income for a family was $80,536. Males had a median income of $56,425 versus $34,514 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $29,658. About 0.6% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Major corporations in the city include Tacony Corporation and Nooter Eriksen Corporation (makers of industrial equipment), Sachs Electric, UniGroup (owners of United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit, Wolff Shoe, Fabick Caterpillar, and Retail Technology Group, a major national point-of-sale supplier, is based in Fenton. Fenton contains a large
industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...
and a newly developed logistics park located on the former Chrysler Assembly site.


Chrysler

The former
Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...
North and South assembly plants were located on North Highway Drive in Fenton. Opened in 1959 and easily visible from Interstate 44, the Chrysler plant was a cornerstone of the Fenton economy for decades. A residential area was even built near the plant with street names like Fury, Imperial, Dart, and Valiant. In its later years, the South plant assembled Chrysler minivans such as the Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan, while the North plant assembled the Dodge Ram truck. The South plant ceased operations in 2008, while the North plant shut down for good in July 2009. In 2013 the site was considered as a possible location for a new stadium for the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
if renovations to the Edward Jones Dome did not materialize. In 2014 a local St. Louis real estate developer purchased the empty 300-acre lot to develop 240 acres of offices, businesses, and industrial buildings, with the remaining 60 acres primarily designated for retail use.


Athletics

The immediate Fenton area is home to some of the most prestigious youth soccer clubs in the nation. The St. Louis Soccer Park abuts the Fenton city limits. It hosts multiple professional and semi-professional soccer matches. St. Louis Soccer Park has hosted several United States qualifier games for both the
1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...
and the
1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second ...
. The Saint Louis FC of the
USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...
play their home games at St. Louis Soccer Park. St. Louis Soccer Park is home to SLSG, a soccer academy founded and coached by Scott Gallagher. In 2012, the U18 team from SLSG played a match against the US Soccer U18 team. Fenton itself is home to the Fenton Athletic Association.
Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
is also a popular sport in Fenton. The Fenton Forum is home to the Rockwood Summit Falcons ice hockey team as well as the Affton Americans youth and Tier II ice hockey clubs for many home games. Every year, the Missouri Fall Face-Off
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...
competition takes place in Fenton.


Parks

Fenton is called the "City of Parks" owing to its extensive park and recreation system. The City has seven fully developed parks on 350-plus acres, including soccer fields, ball diamonds, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, tennis courts, playgrounds, fishing ponds, and approximately three miles of bike/pedestrian paths through the City. The parks include: Fenton City Park, Bud Weil Memorial Park, Fenton Meramec Greenway, Olde Towne Plaza Riverside Park, Valiant Park, and Westside Park. Plans are being developed for the former Fabick property in the heart of the City. These plans include trails and some passive uses.


Heroes Memorial

In the spring of 2004 the Mayor of Fenton, Dennis J. Hancock, and the members of the Park Board (Board Chair Glen Scholle and members Jeff Bodi, Charles Jahneke, Mike Lucas, Steve Covault, Gregg Cleveland, Diana Biras and Nannette Clark) determined that their city should build a memorial to the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It was also determined that the memorial would honor police, firefighters, EMS personnel, and all veterans.


Education

The City of Fenton is served by the Rockwood,
Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...
, and Lindbergh school districts. Rockwood Summit High School is located in Fenton and is the primary high school for area students. One private school, St. Paul Catholic School, is located in Fenton. Two others, Our Savior Lutheran School and Heritage Classical Christian Academy, are located adjacent to the city limits. The Meramec Valley Branch of the St. Louis County Library system is in Fenton, although a new, larger facility is open just outside the city limits.


Notable people

* Josh Arnold, host on The Bob & Tom Show * Brian Boehringer, former pitcher for the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
and
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
*
Nicole Galloway Nicole Marie Galloway (née Rogge; born June 13, 1982) is an American accountant and politician who served as the state auditor of Missouri from 2015 to 2023. She was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Missouri in the 2020 election, losin ...
, State Auditor of Missouri *
Joyce Meyer Pauline Joyce Meyer (née Hutchison; June 4, 1943) is an American Charismatic Movement, Charismatic Christian author, speaker, and president of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Joyce and her husband, Dave, have four grown children and live outside St. L ...
, Christian author and speaker * Jackson Rutledge, pitcher for the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
*
Ken Schrader Kenneth William Schrader (born May 29, 1955) is an American professional racing driver. He currently races on local dirt and asphalt tracks around the country while also competing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 11 Ford Motor ...
, NASCAR driver *
Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...
, stock car racing driver * Brandon Williams, NFL defensive lineman


References


External links


City of Fenton official website

Fenton Historical Society

Fenton-Missouri

Fenton Area Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in St. Louis County, Missouri Cities in Missouri