Lake St. Louis, Missouri
| Lake St. Louis, Missouri | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location in the state of Missouri |
|
| Coordinates: 38°47′8″N 90°47′1″W / 38.78556°N 90.78361°WCoordinates: 38°47′8″N 90°47′1″W / 38.78556°N 90.78361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| County | St. Charles |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kathy Schweikert |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.72 sq mi (22.58 km2) |
| • Land | 7.91 sq mi (20.49 km2) |
| • Water | 0.81 sq mi (2.10 km2) |
| Elevation | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 14,545 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 14,687 |
| • Density | 1,838.8/sq mi (710.0/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 63367 |
| Area code(s) | 636 |
| FIPS code | 29-40043 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1669602 |
| Website | http://www.lakesaintlouis.com/ |
The City of Lake St. Louis is a planned community situated around two lakes between Interstate 70 and Interstate 64 in western St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 14,545 as of the 2010 US Census. Lake St. Louis is a suburb of St. Louis.
In January 1961, Ellis Ellerman and Ira Nathan begin developing plans for a private resort community, a popular concept in the 1960s in the St. Louis region. The vision was for a weekend resort with a lake large enough for recreation and a location close to St. Louis. Ellerman and Nathan hired engineers to begin the initial planning of the lake and community, and Nathan named the project "Lake St. Louis" in 1961.
Ellerman and Nathan formed Trails Lake Development Corp. in 1962, and by August 31 of that year, 10 lots had already been sold in the project, which was to feature a 625 lake (PD article 8-25-63). Ellerman and Nathan lacked adequate financing and business experience, and they soon found themselves in over their heads on the project. Ellerman and Nathan were soon joined by several other investors to keep the project afloat, including R. T. Crow. The financial troubles continued for Ellerman and Nathan, and The Healey Discount Corp., owned by Crow and the three other investors, foreclosed on Ellerman and Nathan's Trails Lake Development Corp. in June 1966.
R. T. Crow felt the location of "Lake St. Louis" (indicating a change of ownership and the "planned community" concept), between two major highways, I-70 and Rt. 61, and the westward growth of St. Louis justified building a new town, rather than just the weekend community envisioned by Ellerman and Nathan. He investigated the idea of new towns, including visiting many others in the east. In the end, Crow bought out the other three investors who were part of The Healey Discount Corp., and he became the sole developer of the Lake St. Louis development. St. Charles County approved the preliminary plan for Lake St. Louis in April 1967. People who had purchased lots from the first developers were given credits for lots in the new Lake St. Louis project.
The first residents of Lake St. Louis were the Neal family, who moved to an existing home on the property in January, 1968. Gene Neal later became a vice president of one of Crow's companies, his wife Hazel managed the Lake St. Louis Country Club. Son Mike played the "boy" of various mythical families in the development's television and print advertising, and later was a founding member of the community's water ski club.
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