Chesterfield Live Cam

Located 25 minutes west of downtown St. Louis, along the high tech corridor of U.S. Highway 40/Interstate 64, there is a city built of vision and determination. It's a city where gleaming mid-level office buildings, beautiful neighborhoods, shopping malls and rustic horse farms have found a way to coexist harmoniously upon an earthen pallet of mature trees, rolling hills, scenic bluffs and sweeping valleys. A place where history, tradition, and progress come together as one. This city in eastern Missouri is called Chesterfield!

The City of Chesterfield incorporated June 1, 1988, and with 43,000 residents and 32.8-square-miles, it is now one of the largest St. Louis suburbs in terms of population and land area. Two of the area's AAA-rated school districts, Parkway and Rockwood, serve the public education needs of Chesterfield residents. Both districts boast some of the finest facilities and teaching staffs in metropolitan St. Louis. In addition, Chesterfield is home to a variety of outstanding private, parochial and non-sectarian schools. At the heart of Chesterfield's business community is the 1,500-acre Chesterfield Village, the high tech Class A office corridor along Interstate 64/Highway 40, and Chesterfield Valley with 3.1 million-square-feet of industrial and commercial development potential along the scenic Missouri River.

Bolstering Chesterfield's quality of life are numerous landmarks offering a wide range of goods and services:

Chesterfield Mall; Chesterfield Sports Complex; Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center; Logan College of Chiropractic; St. Luke's Hospital; Smoke House Market and Annie Gunn's Restaurant; Spirit of St. Louis Airport; West County YMCA and U.S. Ice Sports Complex.

With an average household income of more than $89,000, and the average home in 1994 selling for $261,089, it's no wonder Chesterfield residents enjoy a high standard of living and raise their families in some of the most sophisticated neighborhoods in the region. We invite you to come experience the world of Chesterfield for yourself!

Chesterfield, as a suburban community, is over 400 years old. Native Americans settled along the Missouri River bluffs, hunting, fishing, and farming the rich bottom land of the Chesterfield Valley. They were members of the Mississippian culture centered at Cahokia, Illinois. They built not only neighborhoods, but also burial and other mounds, and a temple center where River Bend Estates now stands. The earliest white settlers were the French. They came in the second half of the 18th century, and left by 1800.

The most notable of these explorers and trappers was probably Jean Baptiste Pointe de Sable, a black fur trader from Haiti. He lived and trapped in our area. His marriage to a Peoria woman was the first wedding recorded at St. Charles Borromeo Church in St. Charles, and he's buried in the church's cemetery. On the old French maps, Wild Horse Creek is labeled "Riviere du Sable" or du Sable's River. Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable eventually founded Chicago.

The first Americans didn't arrive until the 1790s. They came mainly from Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and settled on large land grants given to them by Spanish Governor Zenon Trudeau. Many of those first American families gave their names to Chesterfield roads: Long, Conway, Baxter, and Clarkson. They called their first community Bonhomme, and in 1815 established the Bonhomme Presbyterian Church --- the oldest Protestant church in the greater St. Louis area.

Bonhomme had no business district. The only documented commercial enterprise was Joseph Conway's Mill. Shopping was done in St. Charles, connected to Chesterfield by John Lewis' ferry below what is now Faust Park, and by Howell's Ferry where the Daniel Boone Bridge now spans the Missouri River. The actual town of Chesterfield was laid out in 1813 by Justus Post. It stood along the north side of Wild Horse Creek Road between Baxter and Wilson Roads. Post came from New England to build his fortune and a city. He named it after either Lord Chesterfield, a breed of hog, or a variety of potato. When the first railroad arrived in the 1880s, the town buildings were moved downhill to meet the tracks.

Chesterfield's best-known citizen, Fredrick Bates, came to St. Louis in 1809. He admired Chesterfield and steadily acquired land here for a great estate. In 1819, his dream home was finished. He moved in with his mother, sister, and new bride. Bates was a Virginian politician who came here to be Secretary of the new Louisiana Territory. He was also a member of the Land Commission, and often acting-governor. During the first half of the 19th century, new communities sprang up. In the western part of Chesterfield, the Colemans, Tylers, Stevens, Thompsons, and Fergusons built hemp farms and the Antioch Baptist Church.

The arrival of German settlers in the 1840s changed the area tremendously. They came with a different language, an evangelical way of worship, grape vines for producing wine, and a distrust of neighbors who owned slaves. They planted small farms, started small businesses, and thrived. They gave Chesterfield new place names: Stemme, Wardenberg, Queathem, Rombach, Seeger, Sellenrick, and Mertz. The Civil War divided the communities with hatred, fear, and tragedy. Neighbor really did fight neighbor. After 1865, ex-slaves, including some Union veterans, founded new churches like Mount Pleasant and Union Baptist, and new communities. Today, only the settlement on Church Road remains.

The area remained primarily rural in character, being little more than a collection of several small farming communities from the Civil War until the 1960s when Louis Sachs brought his vision for the future to Chesterfield. He laid out plans for a large shopping center surrounded by planned communities of condominiums, apartments, subdivisions, neighborhood shopping centers and industrial parks.

Chesterfield was suddenly a booming suburb. New hotels, office parks and shopping areas mushroomed. Monsanto brought its World Headquarters - Life Sciences Research Center - to the Chesterfield Parkway. With all these new developments, Chesterfield had a center and a reason to incorporate. It was a real town!

On June 1, 1988, the City of Chesterfield incorporated as a Third Class City. Chesterfield is today one of St. Louis County's most successful and fastest growing communities.

Over the years, this 32.8-square-mile suburb in West St. Louis County has grown to be the 14th most populous city in Missouri. And its well-educated, prosperous citizens have established a firm foundation for economic growth and quality of life for the future.

When Chesterfield Mall opened in 1976, Chesterfield was an unincorporated part of west St. Louis County, still dotted with farms amidst budding residential communities of affluent new homes. And just as Chesterfield the community has grown and matured over the years, so too has Chesterfield Mall. By the end of 1996, Chesterfield Mall will have completed its Phase III Expansion and include 1.5 million-square-feet of retail excitement. It will also be the only mall in west St. Louis County with all four of the market's major department stores: a new and expanded Famous Barr, an expanded Dillard's, a recently remodeled Sears, and a brand new JC Penney store.

When it comes to indoor soccer, inline hockey and outdoor sand volleyball, the completely remodeled Chesterfield Sports Complex is the place to play! Year-round classes and leagues are offered for all ages and levels of experience, and the popular Youth Sports Camp provides a unique alternative to day care for youngsters in first through sixth grade. After a hard game or a hard day at the office, you'll also enjoy making a pit stop at Barron's Upper Deck Pub & Grill located on the complex's second floor. Located off Chesterfield Airport Road near Spirit of St. Louis Airport, the Sports Complex is just minutes away from Chesterfield Mall.

J West - For 115 years, the Jewish Community Centers Association --- or the 'J' --- has continued the tradition of being one of the most dynamic forces uniting the St. Louis Jewish community. From early childhood development programs for pre-schoolers and their families to athletic, social, educational, and cultural programs for children, teens, young adults, and senior adults, the 'J' provides a multi-faceted array of programs for participants of all ages. Today, the scope and quality of facilities and activities offered by the JCCA are unsurpassed. (Although marketed most strongly to the Jewish community, membership and participation are open to all.) Because over 40% of Jewish families in the St. Louis area live west of I-270, the JCCA is planning to open a new satellite facility in Chesterfield by the end of 1997.

St. Louis County Enterprise Center - Construction is nearing completion on the 4-acre site of the newest St. Louis County Enterprise Center in Spirit 40 Park in Chesterfield Valley. This new facility is scheduled to open with 35 tenants in September. At the Center, emerging small businesses will be able to rent office and warehouse space for rates well below market. Secretarial services and shared office equipment are also provided by the County. The two-story, 43,000-square-foot facility will cost $3.9 million, with the federal government providing 75% of the funds. This will be the fourth small business incubator owned and operated by the St. Louis County Economic Council. The new Chesterfield site will also house a satellite office of the Clayton-based World Trade Center St. Louis.

U.S. Ice Sports Complex - Despite a snow and ice storm, more than 2,000 people attended the grand opening of the U.S. Ice Sports Complex in January 1996. Since then, the facility has quickly established itself as a landmark in Chesterfield Valley offering open skate times, lessons, classes, and a wide array of special events. The USISC also serves the ice needs of the St. Louis Blues, the University of Missouri Rivermen, the newly formed Chesterfield Hockey Association, and the St. Louis Sting --- a new Junior A franchise of the North American Hockey League.

The YMCA was founded in London, England in 1844 by George Williams in response to unhealthy social conditions arising in large cities at the end of the Industrial Revolution. The YMCA mission is "to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy body, mind and spirit for all." The St. Louis YMCA movement began in 1853, and now is the sixth largest in the United States with 17 branches, a resident camp and conference center. In 1992, more than 260,000 people --- or 1 in every 9 people in the metro area --- participated in the YMCA. Part of a worldwide movement, the YMCA strives to offer programs that promote good health, strong families, youth leadership and international understanding. The organization serves men, women, and children of all ages, abilities, races, and religions.

Chesterfield is known as a community of abundance. And whether you're in the mood for elegance or fast food, you'll find an impressive menu of dining establishments to choose from!

Chesterfield is privileged to be home to one of the regions premier hospitals, numerous long-term care facilities, a myriad of HMO offices and a comprehensive network of managed health-care providers and participating hospitals ensuring residents and employees cost effective coverage.

When it comes to offerings its citizens the finest in private, public, even university-level education, Chesterfield graduates with honors. The community is served by not one, but two of Missouri's most respected and successful AAA rated districts: Parkway and Rockwood. The quality of these two public school districts enables Chesterfield to have the "10th best schools education quotient in the nation," according to Expansion magazine.

With nearly 1,400 businesses and more than 22,000 employees working in the community, Chesterfield enjoys a ro bust economy and burgeoning commercial growth. It's a community where you'll find Fortune 500 Companies, research centers, modern medical center, and major manufacturing firms op erating side-by-side with small family businesses, retail shopping stores, and medium-sized firms. Inc. magazine ranks Chesterfield as having the best business climate for fast-growing small businesses of any city in Missouri, and having three of the country's top 143 fastest growing businesses. And more than 3.1 million-square-feet of land for light industrial and manufacturing operations exists in Chesterfield Valley to serve the community 's current and future business needs.

Chesterfield's economy is also bolstered by its accessible location and transportation infrastructure. Trucks delivering and exporting goo ds and materials have instant access to Highway 40/Interstate 64, the main St. Louis east-west corridor. The Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield Valley is the second busiest airport in a four-stat e region, and is home to the largest corporate jet fleet in the area. The St. Louis Southwestern Railroad, which runs through Chesterfield Valley, serves the rail needs of the community's industrial operation s. In addition to its healthy infrastructure, Chesterfield has established an entrepreneurial and highly educated work force. Over 35 percent of the population is college educated, exceeding the state average of 22 percent. Chesterfield's attractive location also draws quality employees from other communities in St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson, Franklin, and Warren counties.

Over the years, Chesterfield city planners and business leaders have been vigilant in developing a strong city infrastructure. In all essential areas --- housing, utilities, levees, railways, airport, office and industrial space --- Chesterfield has proved itself to be poised for growth.

Interstate 64/Highway 40 is a major national highway running east and west for nine miles through Chesterfield and connects the community to downtown St. Louis, only 20 minutes to the east. Fifteen miles to the west, I-64 joins Interstate 70 and continues to Kansas City. Meanwhile, Interstate 270 is six miles to the east providing quick access to Lambert International Airport. Numerous industrial firms in Chesterfield Valley and along the Class A office corridor have positioned themselves along Interstate 64/Highway 40 because of its easy commuter and trucking access. Currently, Interstate 64/Highway 40 has seven interchanges into Chesterfield, and in spring 1996, the City applied for four more from the State of Missouri to service the growing Chesterfield Valley area.

Chesterfield is served by the Bi-State Development Agency (Missouri/Illinois) which provides bus service and is proposing a future light rail extension to the community along the Interstate 64/Highway 40 Corridor.

The Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield Valley is the second busiest airport in its FAA region (Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska). Spirit has 7,000 and 3,800 feet runways, and the capacity to base 700 airplanes. Spirit and its FAA Flight Service Station, terminal service, and overhaul amenities is a major economic generator for the region's commerce and with proposals for future expansion, will continue to be a leader in Chesterfield's growth.

The St. Louis Southwestern Railroad runs through the heart of Chesterfield Valley and connects to all points in the United States. Direct rail spurs are available for local commercial and industrial users in the Valley.

The 100-year Monarch-Chesterfield Levee protects 4,200 of the 7,000 acres in Chesterfield Valley. Plans are in the works to construct an extensive drainage and pump system in the area as well as develop a 500-year levee.