O'Fallon, Missouri
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| O'Fallon, Missouri | |||
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| Motto: Tradition With Vision | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Missouri |
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| County | St. Charles | ||
| Metro | Greater St. Louis | ||
| First Settled | 1856 | ||
| Incorporated | September 25, 1912 | ||
| Government [1] | |||
| - Type | Mayor-council government | ||
| - Mayor | Donna Morrow | ||
| - City Council |
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| Area [2] | |||
| - Total | 22.47 sq mi (58.2 km²) | ||
| - Land | 22.47 sq mi (58.2 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.01 sq mi (0 km²) | ||
| Elevation [3] | 541 ft (165 m) | ||
| Population (2006)[4] | |||
| - Total | 72,477 | ||
| - Density | 2,982.15/sq mi (1,151.56/km²) | ||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
| ZIP code | 63366, 63368 | ||
| Area code(s) | 636 | ||
| FIPS code | 29-54074[2] | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0756460[5] | ||
| Website: http://www.ofallon.mo.us/ | |||
O'Fallon (pronounced /o: fælən/) is a suburban city along Interstate 70 between Lake St. Louis and St. Peters in Saint Charles County, Missouri. It is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. With a 2006 the population of 72,477, it is the eighth largest city in the state.[4][2]
In 2006 Money Magazine named O'Fallon as one of its "Best 100 Places to Live."[6] Of the 100 cities selected, Money winnowed out a "Top 10" list. In O'Fallon, jobs grew 25.32% from 2000-2005, versus an average of 10.97% for the Top 10 communities. In fact, of the 100 "Best Places" cities, O'Fallon ranked second in the nation for job growth. In O'Fallon, the risk of becoming a crime victim was one-third less than the average risk in Top 10 communities.
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[edit] History
After the War of 1812, there was a westward flow of migration through the present-day St. Charles County on the Booneslick Trail, which would later have parts of the trail become modern-day 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 starts 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 he invested in the North Missouri Railroad along with many other things. Krekel never lived in O'Fallon, however, his younger brother, Nicholas, built the first home which still stands. 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, 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, until the early 1980s, when the population boom began. The population for O'Fallon rose to 18,698 by 1990, and is over 70,000 residents as of 2006.[2]
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there are 46,169 people in the city, organized into 15,389 households and 12,603 families. The population density is 2,054.9 people per square mile (793.3/km2). There are 15,920 housing units at an average density of 708.6/sq mi (273.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city is 95.32% Caucasian, 2.24% African American, 0.74% Asian, 0.23% Native American, 00.03% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 1.45% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 15,389 households out of which 50.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% are married couples living together, 8.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 18.1% are non-families. 14.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.98 and the average family size is 3.30.
In the city the population is spread out with 33.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 38.8% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $60,179, and the median income for a family is $64,627. Males have a median income of $45,295 versus $29,129 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,774. 3.3% of the population and 2.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
[edit] Economy
O'Fallon is home to MasterCard's headquarters for Global Technology and Operations center, where MasterCard's credit-card transactions from around the world are settled. Attracting that center cost the city, county, and state:
- $27.4 million in highway improvements;
- $10 million in tax credits funded through the state and an additional $1.2 million in business facility tax credits;
- $3 million in state job training programs for its employees;
- Refinanced loans and community development grants worth more than $1.6 million; and
- A $785,000 rate discount on electricity service from Ameren.
O'Fallon was the former headquarters of Venture Stores.
O'Fallon is also home to CitiMortgage Headquarters, which employs over 4,700 people.
[edit] Sports
O'Fallon is also home of the River City Rascals independent Frontier League team. The Rascals play at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, which was built in 1999, and is located on Tom Ginnever Boulevard and T.R. Hughes Boulevard, near the downtown sector.
[edit] Parks and Recreation
- Civic Park - A 20 acres (8.1 ha) park featuring Alligator's Creek Aquatic Center and Civic Hall.
- Dames Park - A 59 acres (24 ha) sports park withthree football fields and a fitness course.
- Fort Zumwalt Park - A 47.5 acres (19.2 ha) park featuring a fishing lake, playgrounds and historic Fort Zumwalt.
- Knaust Park - A 6 acres (2.4 ha) park with a playgound and walking path.
- O'Fallon Sports Park - A 95 acres (38 ha) soccer complex with 12 fields playgounds and concessions. Also home to the Renaud Spirit Center.
- Ozzie Smith Sports Complex - A 76 acres (31 ha) baseball/softball complex with seven diamonds and the St. Charles Co. Amateur Sports Hall of Fame. Adjacent to the T.R. Hughes Ballpark.
- Westhoff Park - A 65 acres (26 ha) park featuring baseball diamonds, sand vollyball courts, horseshow pits, basketball courts, tennis and handball courts, and a skate park.
[edit] Government
Mayor
Donna Morrow
Ward 1 Councilmen
Bill Gardner
Mark Perkins
Ward 2 Councilmen
Pierce Conley
Rick Lucas
Ward 3 Councilmen
Dan Haney
Jeff Yelich
Ward 4 Councilmen
Bill Hennessy
Jeff Schwentker
[edit] Education
O'Fallon is home to satellite campuses of Webster University and Lindenwood University. The private Catholic school St. Dominic is located in O'Fallon, as is Christian High School, a non-denominational Christian secondary school. 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.
[edit] Infrastructure
Fire Protection is 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 world wide.
[edit] See also
- The Megan Meier suicide controversy involves residents of O'Fallon and nearby Dardenne Prairie.
[edit] References
- ^ O'Fallon Elected Officials. City of O'Fallon, Missouri. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
- ^ a b c d e American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Missouri. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-06-09.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ 100 Best Places to Live. Money Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-06-10.
[edit] External links
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