Patch Census Stories: What the Numbers Say About St. Charles

So far in the Patch "Census Stories" series, we've looked at several communities that have grown since 2000. Last month, the series focused on , losing about 1,500 residents.

This week, the focus is on . With a population of more than 65,000 the city remains a vital community that is becoming ever more diverse.

The big picture: a split personality?

As a recent transplant to the area, I can’t help but feel there is a split personality aspect to life in metro St. Louis. On the one hand, many St. Louisans seem to never have considered living anywhere else. They love their Cardinals, rave about Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, flock to the Saint Louis Zoo and happily brave Highway 40 and other roadways to commute for work, shopping, school, leisure and life in general.

On the other hand, many of  those same St. Louisans--when asked where they are from--will reply sheepishly, almost apologetically, about their hometown.

Another part of the area’s split personality disorder is the city vs. the county, which dates back to the big split of 1876. The city is the hub, featuring major cultural, educational, corporate, medical and recreational institutions, as well as resurgent neighborhoods that attract young professionals. Then you have the more than 90 municipalities that make up St. Louis County, many of which are also home to major organizations, educational entities and businesses of all shapes and sizes. Last fall, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch did an excellent series examining this fractured landscape and how it may be undermining economic progress for the region. There also seems to be more talk about reuniting the city and the county. 

Recently, I was part of a brainstorming session Innovate St. Louis organized. It's an organization with the following mission: “to better collaborate and help build the entrepreneurial eco-system necessary to make the greater St. Louis region an international hub of innovation and entrepreneurship.”

The people around the table represented businesses big and small, nonprofits, marketing and public relations, journalism, law, science, culture, education and more. As we talked about ideas and challenges related to making the region more attractive to creativity and entrepreneurship, the latest census data came up a few times.

The city itself is shrinking, although many cool neighborhoods there are blossoming (think Soulard, Tower Grove, and Shaw). St. Louis County is shrinking slightly. St. Charles County is growing a lot. (Again, I point to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which did a great “big picture” look at the numbers and trends after the census numbers for Missouri rolled out in February.)

Where do you live and why?

What do the census numbers say about life in the St. Louis metro area? Here at Patch, we decided to look at the data for many of our communities and ask local leaders and residents what they think, why they live where they live, and what challenges and opportunities arise when people move into town or leave.

, which  between 2000 and 2010. Next, . The , and saw an . On April 8, , which grew by an incredible 321 percent between the last two census counts.

Over the next few months, will be looking at life in Patch communities throughout Greater St. Louis. Be sure to follow Joe on Twitter (@STLPatch) to find out where our series will go next.

If you want a town-by-town look at Missouri population numbers, check out the U.S. Census Bureau's American FactFinder. Simply select your community, and the program does the rest.