Pagedale, Missouri

Pagedale, Missouri
City
St. Charles Rock Road, Pagedale, Missouri, February 2013
Location within St. Louis County and Missouri
Coordinates: 38°40′49″N90°18′29″W / 38.68028°N 90.30806°W / 38.68028; -90.30806 Coordinates: 38°40′49″N90°18′29″W / 38.68028°N 90.30806°W / 38.68028; -90.30806
Country	United States
State	Missouri
County	St. Louis
Area [1]
• Total	1.20 sq mi (3.12 km2)
• Land	1.20 sq mi (3.12 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	581 ft (177 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,554
• Density	2,121.26/sq mi (819.26/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	314
FIPS code	29-55964 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2396126 [2]
Website	https://www.cityofpagedalemo.gov/

Baerveldt Park

Pagedale is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,310 at the 2010 census. ^[4]

History

The area originally was farmland, but it did have an interesting history with several pockets of significant Greek and African-American residents. Because St. Vincent's mental hospital was located just north of St. Charles Rock Road, a streetcar line was constructed in the late 1800s from just south of Olive Street Road in University City north on the east side of Ferguson Avenue through what is now Pagedale to meet the electric interurban line to Saint Charles at the Rock Road. The south end of the line eventually joined with the Creve Coeur Lake streetcar line which ran on Vernon Avenue (but later was relocated a block further south to run behind a new subdivision). That transportation opened up the area to housing.^{[ citation needed ]}

South of Pagedale, at Page and Ferguson, was Hazel Hill, which eventually became the reason for the Lincoln School which became part of the Normandy School District. Though long forgotten as a name, the Hazel Hill community still exists and the Lincoln building is still standing. When Pagedale was incorporated, the northern end went beyond the Rock Road up Hoke Avenue, which later was renamed Ferguson though it didn't line up with Ferguson. In 1954 a new housing subdivision was built at Ferguson and North Market Street. That subdivision, named Engelholm Gardens, a long forgotten name also, still stands, looking exactly as it did in 1954. ^{[5] [ citation needed ]}

In 2001, a new $1 million Pagedale City Hall and Police Facility was built. It included an 8,000-square-foot space to house a local court facility. ^[6]

In November 2015, some residents filed a civil rights class action lawsuit against the city of Pagedale for overly aggressive ticketing of residential code enforcement as a "revenue generating machine". ^{[7] [8] [9] [10]}

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.19 square miles (3.08 km²), all land. ^{[11] [12]}

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1950	3,866		—
1960	5,106		32.1%
1970	5,044		−1.2%
1980	4,590		−9.0%
1990	3,771		−17.8%
2000	3,616		−4.1%
2010	3,310		−8.5%
2020	2,554		−22.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [13]

2010 census

As of the census ^[14] of 2010, there were 3,304 people, 1,179 households, and 829 families living in the city. The population density was 2,776.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,072.0/km²). There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 1,227.7 per square mile (474.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 3.4% White, 93.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 1,179 households, of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.5% were married couples living together, 39.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.33.

The median age in the city was 32.7 years. 30.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.1% male and 53.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census ^[3] of 2000, there were 3,616 people, 1,213 households, and 891 families living in the city. The population density was 3,003.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,159.8/km²). There were 1,408 housing units at an average density of 1,169.6 per square mile (451.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 5.67% White, 92.09% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 1,213 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.4% were married couples living together, 39.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.40.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,873, and the median income for a family was $25,917. Males had a median income of $31,875 versus $24,423 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,005. About 25.7% of families and 29.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.5% of those under age 18 and 29.6% of those age 65 or over.

Municipal Fines and City Settlement

In response to excessive municipal fines, Missouri passed legislation limiting St. Louis county cities to obtain a maximum of 12.5% of their total budget from traffic fines. ^[15] The city saw an increase of 495% in non traffic cases, writing a total of 2,255 non-traffic citations in 2014. ^[16]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a series of articles covering St. Louis County and Pagedale and the substantial increase in city revenue from non-traffic violations. ^{[16] [17] [18]} According to the 2015 city code in Pagedale, the residents were not allowed to have "a basketball hoop, volleyball net, swimming or wading pool or other recreational equipment shall be utilized on or permitted on any portion of residential property in front of the front line of any dwelling". ^[19] Other infractions of the code include having hedges over three feet in the front yard, ^[20] having any antenna dish device in the front of the yard, ^[21] any front street facing window or doors shall have proper treatments in a neat presentable matter, ^[22] and if a person in the city has their pants low enough to show his skin or underwear, the person can receive a fine up to $100. ^[23]

On November 4, 2015 Institute for Justice filed a class action civil rights complaint against the city on behalf of three Pagedale residents. ^[24] The complaint claimed residents of Pagedale were stripped of their rights to due process. ^[25] It also sought an injunction against the city non-traffic fines. ^[26]

On May 18, 2018, the city settled and agreed to stop its practice of earning money from ticketing residents for minor crimes. ^{[27] [28]}

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pagedale, Missouri
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Pagedale city, Missouri". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved October 24, 2011.
5. Wayne Brasler, Normandy area historian, whose family was one of those who bought the new houses at Engleholm Gardens
6. Pagedale Municipal Center; Kwame Building Group; 2001.
7. Lawsuit; United States District Court; November 4, 2015.
8. Lawsuit Accuses Missouri City of Fining Homeowners to Raise Revenue; New York Times; November 4, 2015.
9. City’s ‘nitpicky’ fines for tree stumps, blinds trigger civil rights lawsuit; Fox News; December 28, 2015
10. Nanny State of the Week: City fines residents for chipped paint, mismatched curtains; Missouri Watchdog; December 21, 2015
11. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
12. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved July 8, 2012.
15. Rivas, Rebecca (July 9, 2015). "Gov. Nixon signs municipal court reform bill". ST, Louis American. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
16. Mann, Jennifer S. "Municipalities ticket for trees and toys, as traffic revenue declines". STLtoday.com. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
17. Pistor, Nicholas J. C. "St. Louis municipal court will consider violator's ability to pay when ordering fines". STLtoday.com. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
18. Mann, Jennifer S. "Muni court reform law takes effect Friday; many warrants, fines are being canceled early". STLtoday.com. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
19. "City code". City of Pagedale, MO. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
20. "405.190". City of Pagedale, MO. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
21. "405.270F Location". City of Pagedale,MO. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
22. "Section 515.060 3A/B". Citoy of Pagedale,MO. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
23. "210.770 Unlawful to wear pants below the waist in public". City of Pagesdale,MO. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
24. "Pagedale Municipal Fines". ij.org. ij.org. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
25. Will, George (December 12, 2015). "A Missouri Town Demands Protection from Arbitrary Government Power". National Review. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
26. Davey, Monica (November 4, 2015). "Lawsuit Accuses Missouri City of Fining Homeowners to Raise Revenue". Ny Times. NY Times. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
27. Wilson, J. "Federal Court Approves Historic Consent Decree Ending "Policing for Profit" in Pagedale, Mo". Institute for Justice. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
28. American, Jessica Karins For The St Louis. "Pagedale agrees to consent decree to stop frivolously and illegally ticketing residents". St. Louis American.