Champ

History

Champ was founded in 1959 by Bill Bangert, a former track and field athlete who was once mayor of Berkeley. Bangert purchased the land from local businessman Norman Champ, although he later said that the community is not named after the former landowner but after the abbreviation of the word "champion". The village was founded with the intention of building the world's largest domed stadium, seating 115,000 and potentially hosting a future Olympic Games, alongside a large indoor shopping center and other tourist attractions. The U.S. Olympic Committee gave some support to the idea, nominating Champ as its candidate to host the 1971 Pan American Games. Bangert believed that incorporating a small village whose only permanent residents were his close relatives and business partners would allow him to issue municipal bonds for his own project. However, these efforts were blocked by the state of Missouri, which also unsuccessfully attempted to dissolve the village. Bangert was elected as the mayor of Champ for 18 years. After accumulating millions of dollars in debts from his failed efforts to build the stadium complex, he left the area and moved to California. The majority of the land area of Champ is currently a landfill, which opened in 1974. The remainder encompasses the six households listed in the 2010 census and Grace Church.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  40,428
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  35,684
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  30,880
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,105
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  26,968
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  25,555
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  23,076
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,936

Largest nearby schools

• HAZELWOOD WEST HIGH
  High · HAZELWOOD · 2,042 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• EXTERNAL SITES
  Other · TOWN AND COUNTRY · 1,999 students · 1.2:1 ratio
• PATTONVILLE SR. HIGH
  High · MARYLAND HEIGHTS · 1,893 students · 15:1 ratio
• RITENOUR SR. HIGH
  High · ST LOUIS · 1,873 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• HAZELWOOD CENTRAL HIGH
  High · FLORISSANT · 1,628 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• WEST HIGH
  High · BALLWIN · 1,436 students · 16.3:1 ratio
• LADUE HORTON WATKINS HIGH
  High · ST LOUIS · 1,313 students · 14:1 ratio
• CENTRAL HIGH
  High · CHESTERFIELD · 1,244 students · 15.4:1 ratio