Rock Hill

History

James Collier Marshall settled what became Rock Hill around 1832. He and his brother John Marshall purchased 800 acres along Manchester Road where he and his brother built a log building that operated as a home and store. The post office was closed in 1863, only to reopen a year later until 1897, whereupon mail service was moved to Webster Groves. Rock Hill was a stop near present-day Creve Coeur Drive on the Missouri Pacific spur from Creve Coeur, Missouri to downtown St. Louis. Trains ran twice daily. In 1954 Walter F. Hellmich purchased 15 acres to develop an "Industrial Court." In 1969 Rock Hill notified Missouri Pacific it would condemn its station. Rock Hill remained largely undeveloped until the 1920s when much of the area was parceled for the construction of houses. In April 1929 Rock Hill was incorporated as a village. The village switched to a mayor–aldermanic form of government in 1941. In April 1947 the Village of Rock Hill voted to incorporate as a fourth class city. On 10 February 1959 a powerful tornado struck Rock Hill north of Manchester, destroying Mackle Florist (1913–1965) and continued onward into St. Louis. The city flag was presented by the Citizens of Rock Hill Improvement Association in May 1965. In 2006 Rock Hill began transitioning from a residential city to a point-of-sale city with a retail development project on Manchester. With city financial reserves at critical levels, city administrator George Liyeos told the Post-Dispatch "our entire future hinges on the success of that project." The 30th annual Rock Hill Fall Festival was held in 2013.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Rock Hill is bounded by cities Ladue, Brentwood, Webster Groves, Glendale and Warson Woods. Voters passed a $3 million bond issue to repair roads in 2000. By 2005 the fund was nearly depleted with considerable work left to be done. Voters passed a proposition in 2011 to extend the street bond issue, allowing the city to raise an additional $3.5 million. In October 2019, the board of aldermen voted to lower the speed limit on most streets to 20 miles per hour.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• LINDBERGH SR. HIGH
  High · ST. LOUIS · 2,235 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• EXTERNAL SITES
  Other · TOWN AND COUNTRY · 1,999 students · 1.2:1 ratio
• RITENOUR SR. HIGH
  High · ST LOUIS · 1,873 students · 19.1:1 ratio
• OAKVILLE SR. HIGH
  High · ST LOUIS · 1,780 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• KIRKWOOD SR. HIGH
  High · KIRKWOOD · 1,775 students · 15:1 ratio
• SOUTH HIGH
  High · MANCHESTER · 1,598 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• MEHLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ST LOUIS · 1,440 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• WEST HIGH
  High · BALLWIN · 1,436 students · 16.3:1 ratio