Pacific, Missouri
Encyclopedia : P : PA : PAC : Pacific, Missouri
Geography
Pacific is located at (38.481503, -90.750015)[Geographic references#1GR1]. The city stradles the Franklin/St. Louis County lines less than 6 feet (2 M) north of Jefferson County.Pacific is the only city in the 63069 ZIP code, which includes the faster growing communities directly south of Pacific which subsequently may have a mailing address of Pacific, and the city of Pacific maintains a fire house, as Eureka does, in Jefferson County. Several maps, including those distributed by SBC/AT&T in the local phone books, incorrectly show a small portion of Pacific, located on the south side of the Meramec river that adjoins the Franklin/Jefferson county line, as being in Jefferson county by not properly showing the Franklin/Jefferson county line south of the river. Jefferson County collects fees and taxes for fire, school, and ambulance for the city of Pacific. The 63069 ZIP code as of the 2000 census had a population of 15,145. Although the residents directly south of the city have rejected annexation several times and dislike being associated in any way with the city which resulted in the city's initial response to their request to aid them in stopping the proposed Trash Transfer Station that "they should become part of the city first before the city would spend money on legal resources", the city did end up fighting the proposed trash transfer station directly south of the city in Jefferson county in 2005-2006. In 2005 communities located in Franklin county south of the river requested the city to annex them and the communities directly west of the city also requested annexation due to this project and other projects in Eureka that effect them.
One-fifth of the city sits in St. Louis County, however the area located in St. Louis County is almost all commercial, hosting 1/3 of the city's department stores, 1/3 of the city's restaurants, and much of the city's retail and service business. The St. Louis County portion of the city has about twenty residents. The St. Louis / Franklin county line lies halfway on the blocks between Elm and Neosho streets. The historic Red Cedar Inn restaurant is located on the east end of the city along historic Route 66. Saint Louis is 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Pacific and the communities comprising the Missouri Rhineland are 20 miles (30 km) northwest of the city.
Pacific is bordered on the Southeast by the Pacific Palisades Conservation area. Meramec River access, through the Pacific Palisades conservation area, is located one mile east of the city next to Eureka on the north side although another access point is located on the south bank of the river also. The majority of the Pacific Pallisades area itself, south of the river, is accessed 1 mile south of the city in Jefferson County.
The Union Pacific railroad, Burlington Frisco Railroad, historic Route 66, Brush Creek, and Fox Creek run through the town. The Meramec river is located at the south of the city and large St. Peter Sandstone bluffs line the north end of the city. Fox and Brush creeks empty into the Meramec River east of Pacific just outside of Eureka. The historic Missouri Pacific train station, at the end of the First 38 mile division, is located in the old town center. Interstate 44 cuts through the northern section of the city while HWY 00, F, and N run through the eastern part of the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.1 km² (5.4 mi²). 14.0 km² (5.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.18% is water. 1.2 mi² of the city is located in St. Louis County. The city is located roughly one mile (2 km) west from Eureka and five miles (8 km) east of Gray Summit.
City layout
Pacific's layout has been influenced by its proximity to Franklin and St. Louis county borders. The city's sprawl has helped preserve original downtown buildings while preventing it from having a modern single downtown core.Commercial areas
Pacific has four commercial areas:
- Old Downtown,
- The Eastern Commerce area,
- The Central Business Loop 44 Commerce area, and
- The Western Commerce area.
The Eastern Commerce Area begins at Columbus Street and continues east into St. Louis County along Osage street. A series of strip malls built at various times and joined to each other forms a plaza area, which houses many businesses. Red Cedar Inn and Sheffield's restaurants are located in this area.
The Central Business Loop 44 Commerce area is located off of the Interstate 44 exit and entrance ramps and continues west along Osage street. Most of the city's fast food and gas stations are located in this area. This area also contains both of the city's hotels and the local bowling ally.
The Western Commerce Area is a series of small modern strip malls and plazas located from a vacant lot, which used to be Lazy Larry's Discount Store, ending at Pacific High School. The new city hall is located in this area as well as the new medical center. Most of the city's banks and car lots are located in this area. The city's other grocery store, Queens Market, and Pamida are located in the old Wal-Mart Plaza.
Industrial areas
Most of the city's 50 Manufacturing and Industrial business are located in 3 areas; Saint Louis County (Eastern side), A series of industrial parks in the South Central portion of the city located behind City Park between South Denton and Hwy N, and along the far west end of the city around the High School and Cedars subdivision.Residential areas
The city of Pacific has several subdivisions and residential areas most of which, except the old town areas, are separated geographically by wooded or commerce areas. Sidewalks do not connect most of the subdivisions or city areas. These areas include; North Old Town, South Old Town, The Hawthorne Subdivision, The Hogan subdivision, The Monroe Woods area, Osage Hills, Forest Glen Estates, Hidden Hills Estates, Silver Lake Estates, and the Thornton road area.The old town area is split by the railroad into a North and South division. The entire old town area is quite historic with most of the homes built in the mid to late 1800s into the early 1900s.
The northern area is rich in historic architecture mostly of residences of Folk Victorian, Victorian, Queen Anne Victorian, 1.5 - 2 story double pen houses with high style influences, and French vernacular designs many retaining their tin roofs. The northern area is lined with modern attached homes along its northernmost edge.
The homes in the south division are somewhat older and more modest than the north division. The south section includes German vernacular styles, one story double pen houses, upright and wing vernacular types, Folk Victorian, American Four Square, and the few Missouri shotgun houses are located in this area. Several trailer homes are located in the southern division.
The Cedars subdivision, built in the late 1960s - early 1970s, is mostly a double tear-shaped subdivision of modest single-family ranch style homes built on 0.5 to 1 acre (2,000 to 4,000 m²) lots. It is located adjacent to Pacific High School and Truman elementary school along the western edge of the city. A series of attached family homes were built across from the High School in the mid 1980s and a series of apartment complexes were built on Lisa Lane in the late 1990s.
Monroe Woods is an area north of Interstate 44 composed of many apartments, condos, townhouses, and attached homes built in the late 1980s and 1990s. The largest apartment complex being Monroe Woods.
Osage Hills and Forest Glen Estates are modern luxury homes built along the northeast edge of Pacific while Silver Lake and Hidden Hills are modern luxury homes built on the southwestern edge of the city.
Voting wards
Pacific has three voting wards.- Ward 1 is mostly the eastern portion of the city, including most of the old city area, Osage Hills, Glen Forest estates, and the Monroe woods area. 0
- Ward 2 is mostly the center part of the city, including the southwest portion of the old city, the Hawthorn subdivision, and Hogan subdivision, and the Thornton road residential area.
- Ward 3 includes the Silver Lake, Hidden Hills, and Cedars subdivisions.
Mayors
R. Peck 1882; W. Dunn 1882-1884; T. Seifert 1886-1887 (Resigned); H. Williams 1887-1888; L. Seaburn 1888-1890; A. Koppitz 1890-1892; W. Dunn 1892-1894; A. Koppitz 1894-1898; W. Dunn 1898-1899 (Died); F. Robinson 1899-1900 (President of the Board); L. Mauthe 1900-1903 (Resigned); A. Brown 1903-1904 President of the Board); A. Koppitz 1904-1906; L. Dougherty 1906-1908; S. Crews 1908-1910; A. Koppitz 1910-1916; H. Williams 1916-1932; C. Mayle 1932-1948; W. Ryan 1948-1950; C. Patton 1950-1954; W. Ryan 1954-1956; C. Olmstead 1956-1958; C. Whitlock 1958-1964; C. Olmstead 1964-1966; J. Shepard 1966-1968; A. Viehland 1968-1972; G. Detchmendy 1972-1973 (Resigned); R. Sansone 1973 (President of the Board); J. McKinney 1973-1976; N. Bay 1976-1978; D. Omer 1978-1982; Kenneth Quennoz Sr. 1982-1984; Ron Sansone 1984-1986; A.W. Wiest 1986-1992; Herbert Adams 1992-1998; Jill Pigg 1998-2002; Jeffrey Titter 2002-2006; Herbert Adams 2006-presentHistoric timeline
- 1820 First log cabin erected in what would eventually become Pacific by Leonard Reed. The cabin was located somewhere north of Osage Street and east of Columbus Street.
- 1838 A covered bridge over the Meramec River is constructed south of Pacific.
- 1840 Thomas Watson constructs a log cabin at what is today the intersection of Second and Osage Streets. Watson used his cabin to serve travelers heading west. It becomes known as "Buzzard's Roost"
- 1850 Thomas Watson who owns most of the land where Pacific would eventually be laid out sells 256 lots to a William Inks, the ultimate developer of Pacific.
- 1852 The city was platted as the town of Franklin. Although the written histories don't agree on the size of the town, or even if there was a town when platted, there were some structures in 1852.
- 1853 The Atlantic-Pacific Railroad laid tracks into the town of Franklin and opened on July 19. The railroad was having financial difficulties during this period and it appeared as if they would not be able to finish the tracks to the Pacific Ocean. The railroad stationed its bridge engineering office in the city.
- 1854 The Pacific post office opened.
- 1855 First school is constructed.
- 1859 The Town of Franklin changes its name to the City of Pacific in honor of the railroad and is incorporated as a city fourth class.
- 1861 the beginning of regular rail service between Pacific and Saint Louis.
- 1864 In October General Price invaded and held the town for the confederacy. Union troops dispatched from Saint Louis along the railroad to the nearby town of Allenton. The two forces engaged in battle between the hills of the two towns. The Union forces won the battle which stopped General Price's advance towards Saint Louis.
- 1871 First newspaper published in Pacific.
- 1871 Pacific Railroad shops move to Pacific.
- 1872 A roundhouse is constructed in Pacific.
- 1882 The new Railroad depot is opened in Pacific.
- 1891 Fire destroys all buildings located on St. Louis Street from First to Columbus.
- 1895 Meramec River floods destroying half of the covered bridge over the river.
- 1896 Mining of the St. Peter Sandstone begins in Pacific.
- 1912 Pacific Volunteer Fire Department Organized.
- 1915 Meramec River floods the southern part of Pacific.
- 1925 The Missouri Botanical Garden Acquires land directly west of the city to relocate living plants that were being destroyed due to pollution caused from coal burning in Saint Louis. Some of the collection is moved to the area, however the pollution problem cleared in 1926 reducing the need to move the entire collection.
- 1933 Route 66 is constructed through Pacific.
- 1959 The US Air force acquired land in the city to construct its Nike-Hercules Missile base.
- 1961 The end of regular rail service between Pacific and Saint Louis due to declining ridership.
- 1965 Interstate 44 is opened directly north of the city.
- 1969 The Nike Missile Base turned over to the city.
- 1970 Meramec Valley School district opens a school in the barracks of the old Nike Missile base.
- 1976 The Frisco railroad abandon the old historic train depot and it is demolished soon after.
- 1979 Missouri Eastern Correctional Center is built east of the city. the city of Pacific builds Lift Station NO. 1 and contracts to treat the waste from the prison.
- 1982 The south side of the city floods, flooding city hall. Many residents help the down river community of Times Beach evacuate during the floods. The flood of 1982 spread dioxin contamination into the Times Beach residents homes. The CDC recommends permanent relocation. Many Times Beach residents relocate to nearby Pacific.
- 1985 Kroger food markets exits the Saint Louis Market and sells most of its St. Louis stores to the National Food Market chain. National food markets decides to close the Pacific store due to the larger and more modern store located in Eureka. Local residents purchase the store and operate it under the Name of Pacific Foods.
- 1988 New City Hall and Police Station Dedicated
- 1994 The south side of the city floods in the flood of 1994.
- 1994 Pacific High School Volleyball team wins State Championship.
- 1995 The local Wal-Mart closed after opening Super Centers in the nearby cities of Eureka and Union.
- 1997 To replace the sales tax income lost from the closing of Wal-Mart the city issued a TIF for a parcel of property adjacent to the Wal-Mart site. They contacted developers to build a large Outlet Mall. Plans were submitted to build the mall but plans to build an Outlet Mall south of Six Flags in nearby Eureka, in the town of Allenton, quickly killed the Pacific Outlet Mall project. The city of Eureka ended up suing the developer of their project after they refused to upgrade the infrastructure and ended up as the owner of the property.
- 1998 The retailer known as Places leases the old Wal-Mart space. Places is soon bought out by Pamida.
- 2001 Three Union Pacific Coal Trains collided east of Downtown Pacific. Some cars and coal spill onto nearby Osage St (Route 66).
- 2002 A Union Pacific Coal train derails east of the Payne Street Crossing.
- 2002 Pacific Partnership is formed as a non-profit organization to restore the old downtown area. Plans include building a public plaza in the center of the old downtown area.
- 2002 Pacific voters overwhelmingly approve a half cent capital improvement tax that will help fund a new water softener and storm warning sirens.
- 2003 The State, refusing to add more businesses to the sewer line running to the prison for many years, offers to turn it over to Pacific provided that they upgrade and repair the line after the Eureka Fire Protection District builds a Fire Protection Training Center Directly west of the prison without the means to treat its sewage. House Bill 574, allowing the annexation of the line and the prison into the city of Pacific, is drafted by the state legislature and passed into law by the governor. The city of Eureka disputes the annex after it is discovered that the taxes from the prison amount to over $200,000 annually. Mediators are called in November to try to resolve the dispute, but no compromise could be reached.
- 2003 The Wild Canid Survival and Research Center acquires land directly south of Pacific after its lease with Tyson Research Center expires, with plans to move the Wolf Sanctuary to the new land.
- 2003 Pacific officials voice concerns over housing projects planned by the city of Eureka in what was Allenton. The town of Allenton, before being bought out and ultimately owned by city of Eureka through a series of litigations, was in a flood plain. The proposed project in Allenton and Wallach farms would require the developers to raise the level of the land and may increase the chances of areas upstream in eastern Pacific to flood. Public safety is cited as the reason for the objection.
- 2004 In January, after half a year of failed negotiations with the nearby city of Eureka, Pacific is allowed to annex the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center, the new Eureka Fire District training facility, and the sewer line connecting them both to Lift Station One located in Pacific. A previous act by the state legislature allowed the annexation, but the cities were told, by the governor when signing the bill, to come to an agreement over the annexation after the city of Eureka protested it, which they only voiced when they realized that whichever city annexed the prison would receive an additional $200,000 annually in tax revenue and could count the individuals detained at the prison, roughly 1500, as residents. As part of the compromise developed by the governor, after negotiations between the two city failed, the city of Pacific is only allowed to use the increase in tax revenues gained through the annexation in the Saint Louis County portion of the city.
- 2005 First railroad overpass opens with the construction of the Lamar Parkway extension.
- 2005 Pacific High School Boys Baseball takes Third Place at State Championship.
- 2005 Pamida and Red Cedar Inn close. A strip mall is built on Rose Lane that houses a Movie Gallery, a second Dollar General housed in a new building built in the old Wal-Mart plaza, Great Pacific Coffee Company (A coffee house located in the McHugh-Dailey building), a strip mall is built on Lamar Parkway east of the old Wal-Mart which the local launderymat moves into also a small furniture store plus a Mexican restaurant also open in this strip mall, and several car washes open.
- 2005 Jefferson County Planning Commission approves rezoning of an area directly south of the city for trah transfer station.
- 2005 The city of Eureka issues a residential TIF for property in what was Allenton. Half of the new residents will be in the Meramec Valley R-III (Pacific High School).
- 2005 The city remarks the eastearn and southern city limits by removing the old city signs along route 66 and county road N and posting new signs. The signs list the population after annexations as being 6,686.
- 2006 More apartments are opened north of the Cedars subdivision along Lisa Lane. Construction begins on even more apartments both here and west of the city near Gray Summit.
- 2006 The city of Eureka votes on 2/20/2006 a plan to use eminent domain to remove existing residents in Allenton who refuse to sell their property for use in a new neighborhood. The new plan involves building levies along the Meramec river as the area is located in a flood plain. The new levies would increase the flood risk for portions of Pacific.
- 2006 The thrift bread store closes and NAPA opens in the space within a week of it being vacated.
- 2006 Construction of new strip mall begins in the St. Louis county section begins.
- 2006 Jeferson County Judge Williams issues a summary judgement to return the property south of Pacific, slated for a trash transfer station, back to its original zoning due to administrative irregularities.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 5,482 people, 2,166 households, and 1,431 families residing in the city. The population density was 390.5/km² (1,011.0/mi²). There are 2,343 housing units at an average Value at $97,987.22 /km² (432.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.35% White, 2.92% African American, 0.38% Asian, 0.31% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.There were 2,166 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $39,554, and the median income for a family was $44,545. Males had a median income of $32,813 versus $22,529 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,865. About 8.8% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.
Schools and colleges
Pacific and its surrounding communities is served by the Meramec Valley R-III school system. The area is in the Saint Louis Community College district although many residents have preferred to attend the closer East Central College.Local newspapers
Surrounding towns, cities, and communities
City parks and attractions
- Historic Downtown Pacific
- Pacific City Park
- Blackburn Park
- Pacific Fairgrounds
Nearby attractions
Pacific is near a number of area attractions:- Route 66 State Park
- Robertsville State Park
- Greensfelder County Park
- Young Conservation Area
- Allenton Access
- Rockwoods Range
- Rockwoods Reservation
- Catawisa Conservation Area
- Forest 44 Conservation Area
- Engleman Woods Natural Area
- Pacific Palisades
- Shaw Nature Reserve
- Purina Farms
- Tyson Research Area
- Historic Downtown Washington
- Downtown Labadie
- Wineries of the Missouri Rhineland, including Adam Puchta Winery, Augusta Winery, Blumenhof Winery, Hermanhof Winery, Montelle Winery, Mount Pleasant Winery, Robller Vineyard, Stone Hill Winery, and Sugar Creek Winery
- Six Flags St. Louis
- Black Madonna Shrine
- Wabash Frisco & Pacific Steam Railroad
External links
- [Official city website]
- [Pacific Area Chamber of Commerce]
- [Pacific Partnership website]
- [St. Louis County Pacific Community]
- [Mermec Valley R-III School District]
- [Henry Shaw Ozark Corridor Foundation]
- [Meramec Valley Historical and Genealogical Society]
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