Maplewood is an inner-ring suburb of
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
, located in
St. Louis County,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, United States.
History
Maplewood was established around the turn of the 20th century. Maplewood was one of the early suburbs of St. Louis. Located just outside the city limits, Maplewood was located at the end of one of
St. Louis's streetcar lines and was also located near major railroads.
It was built as a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
. Advertising suggested that people should get away from the city (in an era of common and sooty commercial, industrial, and domestic
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
burning) and enjoy the fresh air of less densely populated areas like Maplewood. Maplewood's historic residential areas were mostly built from 1900 to 1910 and a number of well-preserved homes remain. Several of these homes have remained in the same family for generations.
Maplewood is currently being revitalized by an influx of restaurants, businesses, and shops around Manchester Ave., Sutton Ave., and the
Greenwood Historic District.
Up until 2018, under a local
nuisance
Nuisance (from archaic ''nocence'', through Fr. ''noisance'', ''nuisance'', from Lat. ''nocere'', "to hurt") is a common law tort. It means something which causes offence, annoyance, trouble or injury. A nuisance can be either public (also "com ...
ordinance, a person who called the police for
domestic violence
Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
more than twice in 180 days could face
eviction
Eviction is the removal of a Tenement (law), tenant from leasehold estate, rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosure, foreclosed by a mortgagee (often ...
. In 2012, a woman was evicted from her home after she had called the police four times to request protection from physical assaults by her ex-boyfriend. She became homeless in the process. In 2017, the
ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million.
...
filed a lawsuit on behalf of the victim, claiming that the Maplewood nuisance ordinance violated the
First Amendment
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
right to petition the government for assistance, as well as the rights to travel, equal protection and due process. In 2018, the ordinance was revised to eliminate language that allowed officials to fine or evict people who were victims of crime.
In 2021, residents of Maplewood elected Nikylan Knapper as the city's first black mayor.
Geography
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 , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
The
2020 United States census counted 8,269 people, 4,345 households, and 1,762 families in Maplewood. The population density was 5,300.6 per square mile (2,041.7/km). There were 4,724 housing units at an average density of 3,028.2 per square mile (1,166.4/km). The racial makeup was 73.64% (6,089)
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 ...
, 13.19% (1,091)
black or African-American, 0.28% (23)
Native American, 3.3% (273)
Asian, 0.07% (6)
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 ...
, 1.21% (100) from
other races, and 8.31% (687) 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 was 2.6% (206) of the population.
Of the 4,345 households, 21.4% had children under the age of 18; 23.6% were married couples living together; 41.7% had a female householder with no husband present. Of all households, 51.2% consisted of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.9 and the average family size was 2.8.
19.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 36.2% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 81.6 males.
The 2016-2020 5-year
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
estimates show that the median household income was $49,833 (with a margin of error of +/- $6,469) and the median family income was $71,939 (+/- $4,544). Males had a median income of $40,494 (+/- $13,044) versus $38,790 (+/- $1,407) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $38,922 (+/- $1,549). Approximately, 10.4% of families and 11.3% 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 12.6% of those under the age of 18 and 18.6% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census
At the
2010 census there were 8,046 people, 4,269 households, and 1,769 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,889 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 74.1% White, 17.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.22%.
Of the 4,269 households 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 58.6% were non-families. 48.6% of households were one person and 6.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.88 and the average family size was 2.78.
The age distribution was 19.1% under the age of 20, 9.1% from 20 to 24, 37.0% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% 65 or older. The median age was 34.7 years. The city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.
2000 census
At the
2000 census there were 9,228 people, 4,815 households, and 2,041 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,266 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 76.16% White, 15.93% African American, 0.33% Native American, 4.23% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 2.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.22%.
Of the 4,815 households 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.1% were married couples living together, 81.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.6% were non-families. 4.5% of households were one person and 7.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.83.
The age distribution was 18.3% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 39.0% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
In 2000 The median household income was $29,151, and the median family income was $44,178. Males had a median income of $30,279 versus $24,025 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,087. About 10.6% of families and 14.1% 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 17.5% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Since 1978, Maplewood has utilized a charter form of government with a council-manager government structure. The mayor of Maplewood is elected at large by the community and serves a three-year term. As of April 2024, the current mayor is Barry Greenberg. The City Manager is the administrative head of the City, whereas the Mayor acts as a member of the City Council, but has no veto power.
Transportation
Public transportation
Maplewood is served by the
Blue Line of the St. Louis region's
MetroLink light rail
Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
system. The city has two stations,
Maplewood-Manchester and
Sunnen. Metro Transit also operates the Maplewood Transit Center located on Manchester Road. It connects the Maplewood-Manchester light rail station with
MetroBus routes and
paratransit
Paratransit (also community transport in the United Kingdom, or intermediate public transport) is a type of public transport service that supplements fixed-route mass transit by providing individualized rides without fixed routes or timetables. P ...
services.
Major roads and highways
Major arterial routes in Maplewood include Big Bend Boulevard, Hanley Road, and Manchester Road. Hanley Road turns into Laclede Station Road just before entering Shrewsbury to the south while
Interstate 44
Interstate 44 (I-44) is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, T ...
passes Maplewood just south of the city limits near Deer Creek.
Schools
Public education in Maplewood is administered by the
Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District, which operates
Maplewood Richmond Heights High School.
Maplewood has a lending library, the Maplewood Public Library.
Notable people
*
Mark Christman, baseball player
*
Paul Christman, Pro football
*
Ray Kennedy
Raymond Kennedy (28 July 1951 – 30 November 2021) was an English Association football, footballer who won every domestic honour in the game with Arsenal F.C., Arsenal and Liverpool F.C., Liverpool in the 1970s and early 1980s. Kennedy playe ...
, jazz pianist
*
Pee Wee Russell, jazz musician, was born in Maplewood
*
Tershawn Wharton, Defensive Tackle for the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
Established in 1959 ...
See also
*
1939 St. Louis smog, an example of what levels pollution could rise to in nearby St. Louis
*
Schlafly Bottleworks, Maplewood branch of the
Saint Louis Brewery and a restaurant
References
External links
City of Maplewood official websiteMaplewood Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control
Cities in St. Louis County, Missouri
Cities in Missouri