Creve Coeur, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Creve Coeur, derived from French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 for "heartbreak" (Crève Cœur), is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in west St. Louis County, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The city derives its name from Creve Coeur Lake
Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park
Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park is a St. Louis County park located in Maryland Heights, Missouri, United States. The park is the largest in the St. Louis County Parks system and includes Creve Coeur Lake, an oxbow lake which is the largest natural lake in Missouri...

, which is shaped like a broken heart. The population was 17,833 at the 2010 census. Creve Coeur borders and shares a ZIP code with the neighboring city of Town and Country
Town and Country, Missouri
Town and Country is a wealthy inner ring suburb in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, with a population of 10,815 as of the 2010 census. Town and Country has the highest median household income of any city in Missouri with population over 10,000 and also has one of the highest median...

.

History

The name is also derived from the famous French-American philosopher Michel Guillaume Jean de Crèvecœur who hypothesized on what is the true American. Written accounts and archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 finds show that Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 inhabited the Creve Coeur area from 9500 B.C. to 1800 A.D. French explorers began farming and fishing in the area in the early 18th century, and fur trappers settled there in the early 19th century. When the area was acquired by the United States through the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...

 in 1803, the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...

 came through Creve Coeur. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, men from the area served on both sides of the conflict, but most residents were southern sympathizers.

Creve Coeur was incorporated by St. Louis in 1949. Although there are cabins that are more than 200 years old (including two still in Conway Park) in the community, it grew primarily as a stopping point along Olive Boulevard between University City
University City, Missouri
University City is an inner-ring suburb in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 35,371 in 2010 census. The city was shaped by Washington University in St. Louis, whose campus abuts the city to the southeast....

 and Creve Coeur Lake. It expanded faster following construction of Interstate 270 and U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...

.

The lake and its associated park, which was the first county park in St. Louis County, is now part of Maryland Heights
Maryland Heights, Missouri
Maryland Heights is a second-ring west-central suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 27,472 at the 2010 census. The city was incorporated in 1985. Edwin L. Dirck was elected the city's first mayor. Mark M. Levin has been City Administrator...

 to the west of Creve Coeur.

Geography

Creve Coeur is located at 38°40′2"N 90°26′33"W (38.667352, -90.442600). According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26.2 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 16,500 people, 6,988 households, and 4,465 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,628.9 people per square mile (628.9/km²). There were 7,496 housing units at an average density of 740.0 per square mile (285.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.79% White, 3.45% African American, 0.21% Native American, 6.02% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population.

There were 6,988 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% 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 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $75,032, and the median income for a family was $99,100. Males had a median income of $65,106 versus $39,102 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $47,905. About 1.4% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Isle of Capri Casinos
Isle of Capri Casinos
Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. is a gaming company headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri which operates casinos and associated entertainment and lodging facilities in the United States and abroad....

 moved its headquarters to Creve Coeur from Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....

, in 2006. The state of Missouri and the city of Creve Coeur had offered Isle of Capri more than $4.2 million in tax incentives. In addition, Correctional Medical Services
Correctional Medical Services
Correctional Medical Services, Inc. is a health care provider headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri,The Maine Department of Corrections selected CMS as a party to begin a contract with in early April 2003....

, Drury Hotels
Drury Hotels
Drury Hotels, LLC, or Drury Hotels is a St. Louis, Missouri based corporation that operates over 130 hotels in a 20 state area.The company employs approximately 4,000 people....

, and Monsanto
Monsanto
The Monsanto Company is a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed in the "Roundup" brand of herbicides, and in other brands...

 have their headquarters in Creve Coeur.

Public schools

The western half of Creve Coeur is part of the public Parkway School District
Parkway School District
Parkway School District is in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. Their central offices are located at 455 N. Woods Mill Rd., Chesterfield, Missouri.-Incidents on Parkway School District property:* Parkway South Junior High School shooting...

 and is home to Parkway North High School
Parkway North High School
Parkway North High School is a coeducational public secondary school in Unincorporated St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The school is one of five high schools in the Parkway School District and enrolls 1,445 students in grades 9-12. Its mascot is the Viking...

, Fern Ridge High School
Fern Ridge High School
Fern Ridge High School is a non-traditional high school in Unincorporated St. Louis County, St. Louis County, Missouri. The school's motto is "Because it matters." Chiseled down to basics, this school is meant for people who have difficulty with the class sizes or that are on the 'just barely...

, Parkway Northeast Middle School, and Bellerive, Craig, McKelvey, and Ross elementary schools. The eastern half is served by the Ladue School District
Ladue School District
The Ladue School District is a public school district in Ladue, Missouri, with four elementary, one middle, and one high school. The district serves over 3,000 total students and employs nearly 300 full-time teachers...

 with Spoede Elementary School within its city limits. A small section attends the Pattonville School District
Pattonville School District
Pattonville School District is a district in the suburbs of west-central St. Louis County. Pattonville consists of and it encompasses parts of the municipalities of Bridgeton, Maryland Heights, and St. Ann. Other portions are in unincorporated St. Louis County . The district is located near...

.

Private schools

Private schools include Saint Louis Priory School
Saint Louis Priory School
The Saint Louis Priory School, a Roman Catholic secondary day school for boys, is located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, within the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The school is run by the Benedictine monks of Saint Louis Abbey as part of their religious ministry.- History :The school was...

, De Smet Jesuit High School
De Smet Jesuit High School
De Smet Jesuit High School is a Jesuit Catholic, college preparatory high school Creve Coeur, Missouri in western St. Louis County. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.The school began classes in the fall of 1967...

, Chaminade College Preparatory School
Chaminade College Preparatory School (Missouri)
Founded in 1910, Chaminade College Preparatory School is an independent Catholic Marianist school for boys in grades six through twelve. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The school is located in west St. Louis County, Missouri. Chaminade offers 7-day, 5-day, and...

, Whitfield School
Whitfield School
Whitfield School was founded in 1952 and has grown immensely since 1952, most particularly under the leadership of Dr. Mary Leyhe Burke, who was succeeded by Mark J. Anderson in 2002...

, Visitation Academy
Visitation Academy of St. Louis
Visitation Academy of St. Louis is a private, all-girls, Roman Catholic high school in St. Louis, Missouri. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.-History:...

 and Westminster Christian Academy
Westminster Christian Academy (Missouri)
Westminster Christian Academy is a private, Christian school, and is one of the biggest Christian schools in the country. It is a 7-12 grade secondary school with its main campus located in Town and Country, St. Louis County, Missouri, United States....

.

External links

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