Wentzville, Missouri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wentzville, Missouri
City
City of Wentzville
Old Downtown Wentzville
Flag Logo
Location of Wentzville
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	St. Charles County
Founded	1855
Area
• Total	20.94 sq mi (54.24 km2)
• Land	20.93 sq mi (54.20 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation	623 ft (190 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	44,372
• Density	2,120.22/sq mi (818.60/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	63385
Area code(s)	636
FIPS code	29-78442
GNIS feature ID	0756888

Wentzville is a city in Missouri, United States. It's located in the western part of St. Charles County. It's considered an "exurb" of St. Louis, which means it's a community outside the main city area but still connected to it.

In 2023, about 47,497 people lived in Wentzville, making it the 15th largest city in Missouri. Wentzville has grown very quickly. From 2000 to 2020, it was the fastest-growing city in Missouri based on how much its population increased.

Wentzville is also known for hosting two fun events at Rotary Park: the St. Charles County Fair and the St. Louis Renaissance Festival.

History of Wentzville

Wentzville was first planned out in 1855. The city is named after Erasmus Livingston Wentz. He was the chief engineer for the Northern Missouri Railroad. A post office opened in Wentzville in 1859.

Wentzville is home to a special memorial for Vietnam War veterans. It was the first memorial of its kind in the United States. It started in 1967 as a "tree of lights" to help raise money. This money was used to send gifts to soldiers serving overseas. By 1984, it became a carved eagle on top of a granite pillar. Many veterans visit this memorial during their national "Run for the Wall" trip.

Mural posted on the side of a downtown building.

A famous musician named George Thorogood wrote a song called "Back to Wentzville." This song was on his 1982 album Bad to the Bone. He wrote it for the rock and roll legend Chuck Berry, who had a home in the Wentzville area.

Wentzville's Geography

Wentzville covers a total area of about 19.98 square miles (51.75 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 19.96 square miles (51.70 square kilometers). A very small part, about 0.02 square miles (0.05 square kilometers), is water.

Wentzville's Population Growth

How Many People Live in Wentzville?

The 2020 United States census counted 44,372 people living in Wentzville. There were 13,458 households and 10,406 families. The population density was about 2,120 people per square mile.

• About 84.92% of the people were white.
• About 5.86% were black or African-American.
• About 1.49% were Asian.
• About 6.45% were from two or more races.
• About 2.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Many households in Wentzville have children. About 45.4% of households had children under 18. The average household had 3 people, and the average family had 3.4 people. The median age in the city was 33.5 years old.

Wentzville's Population in 2010

In 2010, the census counted 29,070 people living in Wentzville. There were 9,767 households and 7,852 families. The population density was about 1,456 people per square mile.

• About 89.9% of the people were White.
• About 6.0% were African American.
• About 1.2% were Asian.
• About 2.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 51.5% of households had children under 18. The median age was 31.2 years. About 33.7% of residents were under 18 years old.

Wentzville's Economy

The biggest employer in Wentzville is General Motors. They have a large factory there called Wentzville Assembly. This factory builds full-size vans and small trucks.

Another large employer for a few years was Serco. This company had a facility in Wentzville that processed applications for the Affordable Care Act. At its busiest, Serco employed about 1,500 people. In 2018, Serco closed its Wentzville center, which meant about 850 jobs were lost.

Top Employers in Wentzville

Here are some of the top employers in Wentzville, based on a 2020 report:

Education in Wentzville

The Wentzville R-IV School District serves Wentzville and nearby areas like Lake St. Louis and O'Fallon. There are four public high schools in this district:

• Wentzville Holt High School
• Timberland High School
• North Point High School
• Liberty High School (located in Lake St. Louis)

There are also private schools in Wentzville:

• St. Patrick School (a Catholic school for preschool through eighth grade)
• Immanuel Lutheran School (a private Christian school for preschool through eighth grade)

For older students, Wentzville has several universities:

• Lindenwood University has a campus here.
• Midwest University offers college degrees.
• Urshan University and Urshan Graduate School of Theology also offer college degrees.

Wentzville also has a public library, which is part of the St. Charles City-County Library system.

Notable People from Wentzville

Many interesting people have connections to Wentzville:

• Dan Alexander – a former American football player.
• Ellene Alice Bailey – a designer and inventor from the 1800s.
• Montee Ball – a former American football running back for the Denver Broncos.
• Chuck Berry – a very famous rock and roll singer and guitarist. He was one of the first people inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He owned property in Wentzville and lived there until he passed away in 2017.

Chuck Berry owned Wentzville property since 1957 and died there in 2017

• Ross Detwiler – a Major League Baseball pitcher.
• Ron Hunt – a former Major League Baseball player.
• Tim Melville – a Major League Baseball pitcher.
• Nathan Orf – a baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers.
• Emil John Raddatz – an immigrant who became a miner, politician, and businessman.
• Justin Skaggs – a former American football player.
• Bryan Spencer – a former member of the Missouri House of Representatives.
• Clayton Weatherman – a racing car driver.
• Kyle Weatherman – a NASCAR driver.

See also

In Spanish: Wentzville (Misuri) para niños