UNIVERSITY CITY, MISSOURI

'University City' is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 36,847^[1] as of 2006. The main campus of Washington University is located at the southeast corner of University City between Skinker and Big Bend Boulevards. The university has had a profound effect on the development of the southern portion of the city, which is considered one of the most liberal communities in the
St. Louis area. The Delmar Loop, an entertainment, cultural and restaurant district, is located along Delmar Boulevard, parallel with and six blocks north of the northern boundary of the university. It's also home to the U. City Olive Link, an area known for the diverse cultures represented in its businesses, as well as its high concentration of restaurants and grocery stores offering East Asian items. The city has had a historically large middle-class Jewish presence, which it maintains today, despite white flight and a growing African American population. Jewish cemeteries and religious centers dot the city, serving both the residents of the area and those of nearby Clayton, which also has a high concentration of Jewish residents. The city is one of the older suburbs in the St. Louis area, having been a streetcar suburb in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Much of this legacy is reflected in the historic architecture in the southern, older portion of the city, particularly along Delmar Boulevard. The northern portions of the city, in contrast, were mostly developed after World War II and include many shopping centers and other automobile-centered development.
University City has an admirable focus on open space, dominated by 85-acre Heman Park (which includes recreation and community centers and public pool facilities) and Ruth Park (a public golf course and nature trails). Six elementary schools are located throughout the city, however the city population currently justifies only a single middle school and a single high school. The University City school district is separately managed from other school districts in the area, providing a local focus to secondary education. A number of graduates of University City High School have gone on to noteworthy careers. The school district is being aided by Project Appleseed in a $15-$20 Million capital campaign to vastly improve the high school facilities and position the school as the major recreation center for a large portion of St. Louis County.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

History

Politics

See also

External links

References

Geography

University City is located at (38.663901, -90.328165). The southern border is approximated by Forest Park Parkway to Pershing. The eastern border is approximated by Skinker Boulevard. The western border is approximated by old McKnight (some of which is now Interstate 170).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.2 km² (5.9 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 37,428 people, 16,453 households, and 9,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,457.7/km² (6,363.1/mi²). There were 17,485 housing units at an average density of 1,148.1/km² (2,972.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.26% White, 45.35% African American, 0.16% Native American, 2.85% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 1.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population. The city is considered (by inhabitants) to be divided roughly into three zones from north to south. North of Olive is predominantly Black or African American, from Olive to Delmar is mixed, and south of Delmar is predominantly White. Because of the city's racial composition, it has not been part of the integration busing program between the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.
There were 16,453 households out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.6% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,902, and the median income for a family was $52,539. Males had a median income of $41,588 versus $30,440 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,901. About 9.5% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

History

University City was founded by publisher Edward Gardner Lewis, who began developing the location in 1903 around his publishing complex. In 1906 the city incorporated and Lewis served as its first mayor.
The current mayor, Joseph "Joe" Adams, who has served since 1996 as the city's thirteenth mayor, and 1974–1995 as a city councilmember, was reelected mayor on April 4, 2006.

Politics

Mayor:

★ Joseph "Joe" Adams
City Council:

★ 1st Ward-Robert Wagner

★ 1st Ward-Stefany Brot

★ 2nd Ward-Lynn Ricci

★ 2nd Ward-L. Michael Glickert

★ 3rd Ward-Arthur Sharpe Jr.

★ 3rd Ward-Byron Price

See also

★ Washington University

★ Forest Park

★ Delmar Loop

★ Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 St. Louis World's Fair)

★ St. Louis, Missouri

External links

★ University City Website

★ Mayor Adams's personal Web site

★ [1]

References

1. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US29&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-T1-R&-ds_name=PEP_2006_EST&-_lang=en&-format=ST-9S&-_sse=on United States Census Estimates 2006