Webster Groves 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 ...

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. The population was 24,010 at the 2020 census. The city is home to the main campus of Webster University.

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. Webster Groves is bounded to the east by

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, on the north by Maplewood, Brentwood and Rock Hill, to the west by Glendale,

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

, and Crestwood, and on the south by Affton and

Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...

History

Webster Groves is approximately west of the

city limits, and southwest of downtown St. Louis, in an area known to fur trappers and

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 ...

, Osage and Dakota indigenous people, until 1802, as the Dry Ridge. In the early 19th century, this region, once a part of the

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of t ...

, was changing from Spanish to French ownership, and a system of land grants was inaugurated to promote immigration. During the early period of Spanish rule, officials gave land to settlers as a check against the English. As part of this program, in 1802, Grégoire Sarpy was granted by Charles de Hault Delassus, the last Spanish lieutenant governor of the

Illinois Country The Illinois Country ( ; ; ), also referred to as Upper Louisiana ( ; ), was a vast region of New France claimed in the 1600s that later fell under Spanish and British control before becoming what is now part of the Midwestern United States. Whi ...

. The land grant covered the major area now known as Webster Groves. Webster Groves' location on the

Pacific Railroad The Pacific Railroad (not to be confused with Union Pacific Railroad) was a railroad based in Missouri. It was a predecessor of both the Missouri Pacific Railroad and St. Louis-San Francisco Railway. The Pacific was chartered by Missouri in 184 ...

line led to its development as a suburb. In 1892 the developers of Webster Park, an early housing subdivision, promoted the new community as the "Queen of the Suburbs", offering residents superb housing options in a country-like atmosphere, as well as a swift commute to downtown St. Louis jobs. The first public school in the community was Douglass Elementary School, founded as a

separate but equal Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law, according to which racial segregation did not necessarily violate the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which nominally guaranteed "equal protectio ...

school for African-American children in the post-Civil War black community in North Webster. In the 1920s, the school grew into Douglass High School, the only high school in St. Louis County for black students. The school operated until 1956, when the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

required desegregation. As a suburban municipality, Webster Groves has its origins as five separate communities along adjacent railroad lines. Webster, Old Orchard, Webster Park, Tuxedo Park, and Selma merged in 1896 to implement public services and develop a unified city government. Since then, Webster Groves' tree-lined streets and abundance of single family homes have continued to attract people to the area as a "great place to live, work and play", not solely for the wealthy commuter suburb that early developers envisioned but for families that cut across all socioeconomic lines. The geographic and economic diversity of Webster Groves is evident in its variety of neighborhoods. In the 1960s, Webster Groves was featured in '' 16 In Webster Groves'', a televised documentary that writer Jonathan Franzen, a native of Webster Groves, described in his memoir '' The Discomfort Zone'' as an "early experiment in hour-long prime-time sociology". According to Franzen, it depicted Webster Groves High School, which he attended only a few years after the documentary's broadcast, as being "ruled by a tiny elite of 'soshies' who made life gray and marginal for the great majority of students who weren't 'football captains,' 'cheerleaders' or 'dance queens'"; the school was depicted as having a "student body obsessed with grades, cars and money." Franzen thought "the Webster Groves depicted in it bears minimal resemblance to the friendly, unpretentious town I knew when I was growing up." Webster Groves was the setting for the 1974–75

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

television series '' Lucas Tanner''. In the wake of the 1999

Columbine High School massacre A school shooting and attempted bombing occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 13 students and one teach ...

, Webster Groves High School was again profiled, this time in ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', which described Webster Groves as a "pretty town of old elms and deep porches" and a "mix of $90,000 cottages and $750,000 homes, young marrieds and old-line families and transient middle managers assigned to a stint in the St. Louis office who are looking for a comfortable place to settle and keep their kids on the track toward prosperity." The Webster Groves High School Statesmen maintain one of the oldest high school football rivalries west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

with the Pioneers of Kirkwood High School. The two teams typically play each other in the Missouri Turkey Day Game each

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

, if their playoff schedules permit it; they also have faced each other in the state playoff tournaments several times in recent years.

Government

As of 2018, Gerry Welch was the mayor of Webster Groves. The Webster Groves City Council consisted of council members Matt Armstrong, Frank Janoski, Bud Bellomo, Laura Arnold, Pamela Bliss, and David Franklin. The City Council works with 19 boards and commissions (16 active, three inactive). Citizens and businesspeople in the area volunteer for these boards and commissions to advise the City Council on community issues. A full list of these boards and commissions with links to pages describing the purpose and application procedures can be found on the official website of Webster Groves. The Municipal Court is conducted on the second Wednesday of the month at 5:30 pm and the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm in the City Council Chambers at the City Hall. The Prosecuting Attorney is Deborah LeMoine and the Municipal Judge is James Whitney.

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 United States census counted 24,010 people, 9,239 households, and 5,858 families in Webster Groves. The population density was . There were 9,738 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 86.94% (20,874)

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 ...

, 4.84% (1,161) black or African-American, 0.14% (34) Native American or

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, 1.65% (397) Asian, 0.01% (3)

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 ...

, 0.76% (183) from other races, and 5.66% (1,358) 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 2.7% (618) of the population. Of the 9,239 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18; 56.2% were married couples living together; 28.6% had a female householder with no husband present. Of all households, 31.2% consisted of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.0. 21.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 79.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 77.3 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 $94,479 (with a margin of error of +/- $9,681) and the median family income was $133,010 (+/- $12,359). Males had a median income of $70,625 (+/- $5,023) versus $46,405 (+/- $9,714) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $58,823 (+/- $5,413). Approximately, 2.3% of families and 3.9% 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 3.4% of those under the age of 18 and 3.6% of those ages 65 or over.

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 22,995 people, 9,156 households, and 6,024 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 9,756 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.9%

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 ...

, 6.6%

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, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 9,156 households, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 40.8 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 23,230 people, 9,498 households, and 6,145 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 9,903 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.87%

, 6.38%

, 1.21% Asian, 0.17% Native American, 0.01%

, 0.31% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.25% of the population. There were 9,498 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.03. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.4 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household was $60,524, and the median income for a family was $73,998. Males had a median income of $57,801 versus $38,506 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 $31,327. 4.8% of the population and 2.0% of families were below the

. 5.0% of those under the age of 18 and 3.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Education

The Webster Groves School District serves the city. Webster Groves High School is in the city. Webster University is in the city. Across from Webster University is Eden Theological Seminary, a theological seminary of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

. Private schools in Webster Groves: * Christ Community Lutheran School * Queen of Holy Rosary School * Holy Cross Academy, a Catholic middle school located at Annunciation Catholic Church. The school serves several inner-ring suburb Catholic parishes. * Holy Redeemer, located on Lockwood, has had a Catholic elementary school since 1898. * Mary Queen of Peace, also on Lockwood, serves Catholics of Webster Groves and adjoining Glendale. The parish was founded in 1922; the Sisters of Loretto formed the first kindergarten class in 1944. * Nerinx Hall High School, an all-girls Catholic high school, was founded by the Sisters of Loretto in 1924. It adjoins the campus of Webster University, which the sisters founded in 1915. The University is now run by a lay board, while Nerinx remains Catholic. The St. Louis Japanese School, a weekend supplementary Japanese school, holds its classes at the Sverdrup Business/Technology Complex at Webster University. Webster Groves has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, the City Of Webster Groves Municipal Library.

Landmarks and historic places

Webster Groves is home to: * Eden Theological Seminary * Charles W. Ferguson House * Gorlock Building * Hawken House * Nerinx Hall High School *

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is an American summer opera festival held in St. Louis, Missouri. Typically four operas, all sung in English, are presented each season, which runs from late May to late June. Performances are accompanied by the ...

* The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis * Rock House, Edgewood Children's Center * Rockwood Court Apartments * Tuxedo Park Christian Church * Tuxedo Park Station * Webster Groves High School * Webster University Registered historic districts in Webster Groves include: * Webster College-Eden Theological Seminary Collegiate District * Central Webster Historic District *

Marshall Place Historic District Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

* Old Webster Historic District * Webster Park Residential Historic District

Notable people

Notable people who have lived in Webster Groves include: ''(Dates in parentheses indicate lifespan, not years of residence.)'' * Bruce Alger (1918–2015), Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Dallas, Texas, 1955–1965 *

Herbert Blumer Herbert George Blumer (March 7, 1900 – April 13, 1987) was an American sociologist whose main scholarly interests were symbolic interactionism and methods of social research. Believing that individuals create social reality through collective ...

(1900–1987), sociologist * Matt Bomer (born 1977), actor * Oscar Brockmeyer (1883–1954), soccer player and 1904 Olympian * Bud Byerly (1920–2012), Major League Baseball pitcher * George H. Cannon (1915–1941),

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient *

Harry Caray Harry Christopher Caray (; March 1, 1914 – February 18, 1998) was an American radio and television Sports commentator, sportscaster. During his career he called the play-by-play for five Major League Baseball teams, beginning with 25 years of ...

(1914–1998), baseball broadcaster * Skip Caray (1939–2008), baseball broadcaster * Bob Cassilly (1949–2011), artist and founder of the

City Museum City Museum is a museum whose exhibits consist largely of Repurposing, repurposed architectural and industrial objects, housed in the former International Shoe building in the Washington Avenue Loft District of St. Louis, Missouri, United Stat ...

* Adrian Clayborn (born 1988), college and professional football player * David Clewell (1955–2020), Poet Laureate of Missouri 2010–2012 * John J. Cochran (1880–1947), Democratic U.S. Representative from Missouri, 1926–1947 * Ivory Crockett (born 1948), 100-yard dash world-record holder * Chris Culver, ''The New York Times'' bestselling author * Thomas Bradford Curtis (1911–1993), Republican U.S. Representative from Missouri, 1951–1969 *

Michael J. Devlin Michael John Devlin (born November 19, 1965)Phyllis Diller Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, Actor, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric stage persona, Self-deprecation, se ...

(1917–2012), comedian *

Forrest C. Donnell Forrest Carl Donnell (August 20, 1884March 3, 1980) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator and the List of governors of Missouri, 40th governor of Missouri. Early life Donnell was bor ...

(1884–1980), governor of Missouri, 1941–1945 * Bob Dotson (born 1946), NBC news journalist * Tim Dunigan (born 1955), actor * Mary Engelbreit (born 1952), artist and illustrator *

Clay Felker Clay Schuette Felker (October 2, 1925 – July 1, 2008) was an American magazine editor and journalist who co-founded '' New York'' magazine in 1968 and ''California'' magazine (first known as ''New West'') in 1976. He was known for bringing nume ...

(1925–2008), co-founder of ''New York'' magazine * Lois Florreich (1927–1991), pitcher in the

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...

, 1943–1950 * Jonathan Franzen (born 1959),

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

-winning novelist * Edward T. Hall (1914–2009), anthropologist * Robert A. Holekamp (1848–1922), businessman and

apiarist A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees, a profession known as beekeeping. The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees in beehives, boxes, or other receptacles. The beekeeper does not control the creatures. The beekeeper o ...

* Alan Hunter (born 1957), original

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

VJ, radio host, and film and TV producer * Gordon Jenkins (1910–1984), music arranger * Josephine Johnson (1910–1990),

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning novelist * John Keene (born 1965), writer, translator, artist, academic * Matt Kindt (born 1973), comic book artist and graphic designer *

Karlie Kloss Karlie Elizabeth Kloss (born August 3, 1992) is an American model. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2013 until 2015, when she resigned to study at New York University. By 2019, Kloss had appeared on 40 international ''Vogue (magazine), V ...

(born 1992), model * Jim Krebs (1935–1965), NBA basketball player, Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers * Frederick Kreismann (1869–1944), mayor of St. Louis, 1909–1913 *

Hank Kuhlmann Henry N. Kuhlmann (born October 6, 1937) is a former American football coach, and was the interim head coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s Phoenix Cardinals for part of the 1989 season. He assumed the position after Gene Stallings ann ...

(born 1937), college and professional football coach * Laura Les (born 1994), member of hyperpop band 100 gecs * Jack Lorenz (1939–2009), environmental activist *

John Lutz John Michael Lutz (born April 23, 1973) is an American actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing J. D. Lutz on the NBC sitcom ''30 Rock'', and for his work as a writer on the NBC series ''Saturday Night Live'' for seven ...

(1939–2021), mystery writer * Susan Louise Marsh (1867–1946), activist and children's advocate * Marguerite Martyn (1878–1948), reporter and artist"Marguerite Martyn Dies; Artist, Writer," ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch,'' April 17, 1948, page 5A
/ref> * Scott Mayfield (born 1992), ice hockey player * Kathleen Mazzarella, Chairman, President and CEO of Graybar * Danny McCarthy, actor * Louis Metcalf (1905–1981), jazz cornetist * Russ Mitchell (born 1960), news anchor of ''

The Early Show ''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999, to January 7, 2012, replacing the original incarnation of '' CBS This Morning'', and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the n ...

'' on CBS * Keith W. Nolan (1964–2009), military historian * Scott Phillips (born 1961), writer * Edward M. Rice (born 1960),

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis, Dec. 2010–present * Drew Sarich (born 1975), actor, musical theater * George Schlatter (born 1929), American television comedy producer and director *

Jane Smiley Jane Smiley (born September 26, 1949) is an American novelist. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 for her novel ''A Thousand Acres'' (1991). Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a subu ...

(born 1949),

-winning novelist * Phoebe Snetsinger (1931–1999), birdwatcher * William H. Webster (born 1924),

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

and

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

director

References

General references: *

External links

City of Webster Groves official website

Webster Historical Society
* Historic maps of Webster Groves in th

at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

{{Authority control Cities in St. Louis County, Missouri Cities in Missouri