Editing Wellston, Missouri

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Wellston, Missouri
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Wellston, Missouri - 1.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Dr Martin Luther King Drive in Wellston
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map = St._Louis_County_Missouri_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Wellston_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250x200px
|map_caption              = Location of Wellston, Missouri
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Missouri]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Missouri|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[St. Louis County, Missouri|St. Louis]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title1       = Incorporated
|established_date1        = 1909
|established_title2       = Dissolved
|established_date2        = 1912
|established_title3       = Re-incorporated
|established_date3        = 1949

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=August 28, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 2.41
|area_land_km2            = 2.41
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.93
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.93
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1537
|population_density_km2   = 636.54
|population_density_sq_mi = 1649.14

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 548
|coordinates              = {{coord|38|40|30|N|90|17|39|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = 
|postal_code              = 
|area_code                = 
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 29-78370<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2397251<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2397251}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
}}
'''Wellston''' is a [[Municipalities of St. Louis County, Missouri|city]] in [[St. Louis County, Missouri|St. Louis County]], [[Missouri]], United States, along the northwest border of the city of [[St. Louis]]. The population was 2,313 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://www.census.gov| title=Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Wellston city, Missouri| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=October 25, 2011}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Industry in Wellston, Missouri.jpg|thumb|right|Industrial area in Wellston]]
Wellston was incorporated as a city in 1909. Due to "government difficulties" the city was dissolved three years later, becoming an unincorporated place in Central Township,<ref>[https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/3408062 Wellston, Central Township]. Residence of Estelle Krebs in the 1930 United States Federal Census. Accessed via ancestry.com subscription site, 3 April 2025.</ref> only to be reestablished as a city in 1949.<ref name="thesis">{{cite thesis| title= A case study of brownfield redevelopment in Wellston, MO| work= [[Thesis]] | publisher=[[Kansas State University]] | year=2009 | author=Ashley Williams |hdl = 2097/1340| type= Thesis }}</ref> The city was named for [[Erastus Wells]].<ref>http://stlouis.missouri.org/neighborhoods/history/arlington/text1.htm Neighborhood Histories--Arlington accessed 8/29/2010</ref>

During the early 1900s, the [[Wagner Electric|Wagner Electric Company]], a manufacturer of small motors for [[Small appliance|appliances]] and [[transformer]]s, began development along Plymouth Avenue in Wellston, growing to occupy the entire block and providing 4,500 jobs during [[World War I]].<ref name="thesis"/> North of the Wagner site, ABEX Corporation built a steel foundry that began operation in 1923.<ref name="thesis"/>

In 1982 ABEX moved out of its Wellston location; the next year, the Wagner Electric Company closed its doors.<ref name="thesis"/>  After closure, it took 22 years, and millions of dollars in tax credits and development grants, for the St. Louis County Economic Council to demolish five buildings and clean up {{convert|15|acre}} of the Wagner [[brownfield land]] along the MetroLink so that it could be made marketable as the Plymouth Industrial Park.<ref>{{cite news| title= Wellston industrial park prepped for construction | url= http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2005/01/31/focus12.html?t=printable | publisher=[[St. Louis Business Journal]] | date= January 28, 2005 | access-date=2010-04-20 | first=Leigh | last=O'Keefe}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|0.93|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-07-08}}</ref>

==Transportation==
Wellston has a few major roads within its boundaries, including [[Missouri Route 180]], [[Missouri Route 340]], and SR-D.

[[Wellston (St. Louis MetroLink)|Wellston]] station is the main [[St. Louis MetroLink]] station for Wellston, featuring 243 [[park and ride]] spaces.  It is located at 6402 Plymouth Avenue and serves an average of 1,569 passengers daily.  [[Rock Road (St. Louis MetroLink)|Rock Road]] station is a MetroLink station on the edge of Wellston, featuring 183 park and ride spaces and averaging 2,408 passengers daily.  Rock Road Station is located at 7019 [[St. Charles Rock Road]], a major connecting highway between St. Louis City and northwest St. Louis County.

==Education==
Public education is provided by the [[Normandy Schools Collaborative]].

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 7312
|1950= 9396
|1960= 7979
|1970= 7050
|1980= 4495
|1990= 3612
|2000= 2460
|2010= 2313
|2020= 1537
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

Wellston is one of the [[Missouri locations by per capita income|10 poorest cities in Missouri]] (2010).{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Wellston, Missouri – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Wellston city, Missouri |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US2978370&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wellston city, Missouri |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2978370&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wellston city, Missouri |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2978370&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|155
|54
|style='background: #ffffe6; |35
|6.30%
|2.33%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.28%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|2,245
|2,200
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,430
|91.26%
|95.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |93.04%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|11
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5
|0.45%
|0.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.33%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|4
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.16%
|0.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|1
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.04%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|3
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10
|0.12%
|0.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.65%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|15
|39
|style='background: #ffffe6; |31
|0.61%
|1.69%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.02%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|26
|9
|style='background: #ffffe6; |25
|1.06%
|0.39%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.63%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''2,460'''
|'''2,313'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''1,537'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-07-08}}</ref> of 2010, there were 2,313 people, 785 households, and 540 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|2487.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 999 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1074.2|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 2.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 95.4% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.4% of the population.

There were 785 households, of which 47.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 14.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 47.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.62.

The median age in the city was 26.2 years. 37% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 19.6% were from 45 to 64; and 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.9% male and 55.1% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 2,460 people, 779 households, and 578 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|2,732.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 961 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,067.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 92.07% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 6.30% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.45% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.16% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.37% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.61% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.06% of the population.

There were 779 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 44.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.64.

In the city the population was spread out, with 35.7% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $18,596, and the median income for a family was $20,625. Males had a median income of $21,264 versus $18,917 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $6,262. About 59.2% of families and 68.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 70.1% of those under age 18 and 78.6% of those age 65 or over.

== Notable people ==
[[Ben McLemore]] (born 1993), [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player

Eugene Deal (born 1963)
Public Figure
Published Author

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{St. Louis County, Missouri}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in St. Louis County, Missouri]]
[[Category:Cities in Missouri]]