St. Louis County, MO
| Saint Louis County, Missouri | ||
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| County | ||
| St. Louis County | ||
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 Location in the U.S. state of Missouri |
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 Missouri's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | October 1, 1812 | |
| Seat | Clayton | |
| Largest city | Florissant | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 523 sq mi (1,355 km2) | |
| • Land | 508 sq mi (1,316 km2) | |
| • Water | 15 sq mi (39 km2), 2.9% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 1,003,362 | |
| • Density | 1,975/sq mi (763/km²) | |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 2nd | |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 | |
| Website | www |
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St. Louis County is a county located in the far eastern portion of Missouri. It is bounded by the City of St. Louis and the Mississippi River to the east, the Missouri River to the north, and the Meramec River to the south. As of the 2015 Census Bureau population estimate, the population was 1,003,362, making it the most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton.
St. Louis County borders, but does not include, the city of St. Louis, which is an independent city. It is included in the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
During the 18th century, several European colonial settlements were established in the area that would become St. Louis County. French colonists moved from east of the Mississippi River after France ceded those territories to Spain after losing the Seven Years' War.
The earliest of these, Saint Louis, was founded by Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau on February 14, 1764, who became major fur traders in the city. Founded in about 1767 was Carondelet, which was at the southern end of what is now the city of St. Louis (annexation of Carondelet took place in 1871).Florissant, then known as St. Ferdinand, was established in 1785 about twelve miles northwest of St. Louis on a tributary of the Missouri River. During the 1790s, very small settlements known as Creve Coeur and Point Labadie were built north and west of St. Louis.
Upon the sale and transfer of French Louisiana to the United States on October 1, 1804, President Thomas Jefferson suggested that the territory retain the districts drawn by Spanish officials during their decades-long rule of the territory after an arrangement with the French. During this time, the first governing body of St. Louis County was established (following the earlier Spanish governors).
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