Chesterfield

History

Present-day Chesterfield is known to have been a site of Native American inhabitation for thousands of years. A site in western Chesterfield containing artwork and carvings has been dated as 4,000 years old. A Mississippian site, dated to around the year 1000, containing the remains of what have been identified as a market and ceremonial center, is also located in modern Chesterfield., including: * Bellefontaine (French for "beautiful spring"), or as the locals called it, "Hilltown", dates to about 1837 with the arrival of August Hill. The first post office was established as Bellemonte ("beautiful mountain") in 1851. Eighteen years later, in 1869, the town and post office name were both changed to Bellefontaine. Rinkel's Market was a familiar landmark for years, at the intersection of present-day Olive Boulevard and Chesterfield Parkway. * The town of Lake started out as "Hog Hollow," in about 1850. The post office was established as Hog Hollow in 1871, but a year later the town's name was changed to what some thought was the more suitable name of Lake. Zierenberg's General Merchandise and Saloon (built around 1880) was a well-known landmark at the 18-mile marker on Olive Street Road. The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1918. It was replaced by the existing structure on the same site (Olive Boulevard and Hog Hollow Road). * Gumbo is located in the valley at the present intersection of Chesterfield Airport Road and Long Road. A notable landmark (until it was razed in 1998) was the old Twenty Five Mile House - so named because of its distance from downtown St. Louis. Gumbo's name derived from its soil, which though very rich and silty, when wet became gumbo mud. A substance very similar to gravel was made from Gumbo mud and used for streets and sidewalks in…

Geography

Chesterfield is located approximately west of St. Louis. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Portions of Chesterfield are located in the floodplain of the Missouri River, now known as Chesterfield Valley, formerly as Gumbo Flats. Here several small creeks empty into the Missouri River (Caulks Creek and Bonhomme Creek). This area was submerged during the Great Flood of 1993; higher levees built since then have led to extensive commercial development in the valley. Chesterfield Valley is the location of Spirit of St. Louis Airport, used for corporate aviation, as well as the longest outdoor strip mall in America.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  43,502
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  31,051
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,193
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,030
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  28,815
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,745
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  26,433
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,878

Largest nearby schools

• MARQUETTE SR. HIGH
  High · CHESTERFIELD · 2,155 students · 15.8:1 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
• KIRKWOOD SR. HIGH
  High · KIRKWOOD · 1,775 students · 15:1 ratio
• LAFAYETTE SR. HIGH
  High · WILDWOOD · 1,682 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• SOUTH HIGH
  High · MANCHESTER · 1,598 students · 15.1:1 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

Most recent

• M 2.57 — 2024-09-19
  1 km S of Old Monroe, Missouri
• M 2.81 — 2024-03-28
  1 km NNE of Germantown, Illinois
• M 2.84 — 2022-04-29
  1 km SSW of Peerless Park, Missouri
• M 2.57 — 2019-09-11
  6 km NNE of Bonne Terre, Missouri
• M 2.58 — 2017-06-06
  8 km ENE of Bonne Terre, Missouri
• M 2.65 — 2015-09-05
  5 km SE of High Ridge, Missouri