O'Fallon, Missouri

O'Fallon, Missouri
City

Seal
Motto: Tradition with Vision

Location in the state of Missouri
Coordinates: 38°47′04″N 90°42′29″W / 38.78444°N 90.70806°W / 38.78444; -90.70806Coordinates: 38°47′04″N 90°42′29″W / 38.78444°N 90.70806°W / 38.78444; -90.70806
Country United States
State  Missouri
County St. Charles
Metro Greater St. Louis
First Settled 1856
Incorporated September 25, 1912
Government[1]
  Type Mayor-council government
  Mayor Bill Hennessy
  City Council
Area[2]
  City 29.20 sq mi (75.63 km2)
  Land 29.19 sq mi (75.60 km2)
  Water 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation[3] 541 ft (165 m)
Population (2010)[4]
  City 79,329
  Estimate (2013[5]) 82,809
  Density 2,717.7/sq mi (1,049.3/km2)
  Metro 2,810,056 (US: 19th)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
  Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 63366, 63368
Area code(s) 636
FIPS code 29-54074
GNIS feature ID 0756460[6]
Website http://www.ofallon.mo.us/

O'Fallon /ˈfælən/ is a city along Interstate 70 and Interstate 64 between Lake St. Louis and St. Peters in St. Charles County, Missouri. It is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census O'Fallon had a population of 79,329, making it the largest municipality in St. Charles County and seventh largest in the state of Missouri.[7] In 2006 Money Magazine named O'Fallon 39th in its "Best 100 Places to Live."[8] Money Magazine also ranked O'Fallon 68th out of 100 in 2008[9] and 26th out of 100 in 2010.[10]

O'Fallon's namesake in St. Clair County, Illinois is also part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. The two O'Fallons are one of the few pairs of same-named municipalities to be part of the same MSA.

History

After the War of 1812, there was a westward flow of migration through the present-day St. Charles County on the Booneslick Trail (later part of Interstate 70). During the 1830s, many German settlers came to the O'Fallon area inspired by Gottfried Duden's Republic of the Western States of North America. The report was based on his account of living in St. Charles.

O'Fallon's history as a city started in the 1850s. Arnold Krekel was a German immigrant who held a number of offices, including U.S. District Court Judge and Missouri state legislator. He founded a German-language newspaper and invested in the North Missouri Railroad, among other activities. Krekel's younger brother Nicholas built the first house in O'Fallon and is considered by many to be the city's founder. The younger Krekel was the town's first postmaster and station agent, and operated the first general merchandise store at his home. The city purchased this historic house in 2008 with plans for restoration after which it will be open to the public.

In 1854, Judge Krekel granted the North Missouri Railroad permission to build a depot on his property along with a right-of-way on his "Krekel Addition". In 1856, Judge Krekel named the depot O'Fallon Station after his friend John O'Fallon,[11] the railroad's president and a noted philanthropist. In 1860, the Krekel Addition was renamed O'Fallon, and in 1912, it was incorporated.

For many years, O'Fallon was a quiet, small community in central St. Charles County. In the early 1980s suburban development accelerated and a population boom began. O'Fallon's population rose to 18,698 by 1990, and to more than 70,000 by 2006.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.20 square miles (75.63 km2), of which, 29.19 square miles (75.60 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[2]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880295
1920588
19305941.0%
19406184.0%
195078927.7%
19603,770377.8%
19707,01886.2%
19808,67723.6%
199018,698115.5%
200046,169146.9%
201079,32971.8%
Est. 201585,040[12]7.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
2013 Estimate[14]

2010 census

As of the census[4] of 2010, there were 79,329 people, 28,234 households, and 21,436 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,717.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,049.3/km2). There were 29,376 housing units at an average density of 1,006.4 per square mile (388.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.9% White, 4.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.

There were 28,234 households of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.23.

The median age in the city was 34.3 years. 30% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; and 8.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

Economy

O'Fallon is home to MasterCard's Global Technology and Operations center, where MasterCard's credit-card transactions are settled. Attracting that center cost the city, county, and state:

Venture Stores[15] was headquartered and maintained a distribution center in O'Fallon, until its dissolution. The buildings are now occupied by True Manufacturing.

Shell Oil Company announced on February 27, 2012 it will close its regional distribution center here by the end of 2012, costing more than a dozen jobs.[16]

Lou Fusz Automotive Dealership in O'Fallon, won the 2012 State of Missouri Bid Contract for Police vehicles for the second year in a row.[17]

Sports

O'Fallon is the home of the River City Rascals independent Frontier League baseball team. The Rascals play at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, which was built in 1999. It is located on Tom Ginnever Boulevard and T.R. Hughes Boulevard near downtown.

Parks and recreation

Climate

Climate data for O'Fallon, Missouri
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 76
(24)
85
(29)
88
(31)
94
(34)
92
(33)
97
(36)
105
(41)
107
(42)
102
(39)
95
(35)
85
(29)
76
(24)
107
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 38
(3)
45
(7)
55
(13)
66
(19)
75
(24)
83
(28)
88
(31)
87
(31)
80
(27)
69
(21)
55
(13)
42
(6)
65.3
(18.6)
Average low °F (°C) 18
(−8)
24
(−4)
33
(1)
44
(7)
54
(12)
63
(17)
68
(20)
66
(19)
58
(14)
45
(7)
35
(2)
24
(−4)
44.3
(6.9)
Record low °F (°C) −23
(−31)
−14
(−26)
−11
(−24)
18
(−8)
26
(−3)
39
(4)
45
(7)
36
(2)
27
(−3)
19
(−7)
−5
(−21)
−28
(−33)
−28
(−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.79
(45.5)
2.26
(57.4)
3.38
(85.9)
3.58
(90.9)
4.34
(110.2)
3.62
(91.9)
4.18
(106.2)
3.13
(79.5)
3.29
(83.6)
3.10
(78.7)
3.56
(90.4)
2.41
(61.2)
38.64
(981.5)
Source: [18]

Government

O'Fallon operates under a charter form of government. In 2010, the current four wards were redistricted and a new, fifth ward was created. The current mayor is William "Bill" Hennessy. The current (February 2014) City Council members are: Bill Gardner, Rick Lucas, Rose Mack, Jim Pepper, John Haman, Rick Batelle, Jeff Schwentker, Bob Howell, and Mike Pheney. The City Administrator is Bonnie Therrien.

Laws

Proposition S

On April 5, 2011, 72% of O'Fallon voters approved of Proposition S, the "Smoke-Free O'Fallon" Ordinance. The ordinance became a law and went into effect on June 16, 2011. Under the new law, there is a ban on smoking in all places of employment and at indoor public events. Some examples of places of employment that are under the smoking ban include libraries, schools, bars, restaurants, stores, manufacturers and private clubs who either have employees or host public events. In addition to the smoking ban at places of employment, there should also be proper “No Smoking” signs posted at every entrance of places of employment, and no ashtray should be in the smoke-free areas at places of employment. There are some exclusions in the ordinance, including: private homes, 20% of hotel and motel rooms, outdoor events, and outdoor spaces more than 3 feet away from doorways, windows, and ventilation systems.[19]

Education

Satellite campuses of Webster University and Lindenwood University are located in O'Fallon. For public schools, O'Fallon is served mostly by the Fort Zumwalt School District, and the westernmost part is served by the Wentzville R-IV School District. The south to southeastern part of the city is served by the Francis Howell R-III School District. St. Dominic High School is a private Catholic school located in O'Fallon, as is Christian High School, a non-denominational Christian secondary school.

Infrastructure

Fire Protection is mostly provided by the O'Fallon Fire Protection District which in 2007 became the first Internationally Accredited Fire Agency in the State of Missouri. The award was made by the Center for Public Safety Excellence's Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). The CFAI has approved accreditation status for only 120 fire agencies worldwide.

The Southern portion of the City is served by the Wentzville Fire Protection District.

Notable people

References

  1. "O'Fallon Elected Officials". City of O'Fallon, Missouri. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  2. 1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  3. "Geographic Names Information System". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
  5. "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2014-06-15.
  6. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. "Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Missouri". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  8. "100 Best Places to Live". Money Magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  9. "100 Best Places to Live". Money Magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  10. "100 Best Places to Live". Money Magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  11. Eaton, David Wolfe (1918). How Missouri Counties, Towns and Streams Were Named. The State Historical Society of Missouri. p. 356.
  12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  13. United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  14. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013". Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  15. "Welcome to Venture." Venture Stores. January 11, 1998. Retrieved on August 14, 2009.
  16. Shell to close operations in Ill., Mo., St. Louis Post-Dispatch (February 27, 2012)
  17. Awarding of State of Missouri Police Vehicle Bid Contract
  18. "Average Weather for O'Fallon, MO - Temperature and Precipitation". Weather.com. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
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