Kirkwood

Kirkwood is a St. Louis County city covering 9.20 square miles and includes a population, at the time of the 2010 census, of 27,540 residents.

Kirkwood owes its very existence to the railroads. Around the 1800s, the land that would eventually become Kirkwood was the very first suburb to be developed west of the Mississippi River and it was also one of the earliest railroad commuter suburbs.

When the area was platted in 1852, it was named Kirkwood in honor of lead engineer James Pugh Kirkwood who maintained the surveying and building of the railroad. In 1893, the beautiful landmark of the Kirkwood Train Station was built right in the heart of the city further cementing Kirkwood’s deep affection for all things train and transportation.

During the summer of 2002, Amtrak was incredibly close to shutting down the Train Station for good due to cost-cutting initiatives. Not one to let a landmark be forgotten, Kirkwood residents fought to negotiate to purchase and staff the entire station themselves. To this day, its currently staffed and maintained by a truly dedicated group of volunteers.

The station is a symbol of the town and it’s the only stop Amtrak makes within the St. Louis metropolitan area outside of the central city. Kirkwood was placed in the National Register of Historic Places as both the Kirkwood Train Station and the Downtown Business District were inducted in 2001 and 2009 respectively.

Residents of Kirkwood with children are served by the Kirkwood School District, one of the oldest districts in St. Louis county with history dating back to 1865.

Kirkwood Official Website

Traditions

Since its grand opening in 1979, the The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museumreceives over 500,000 visitors annually and delights children with providing a hands-on learning experience that stimulates creativity and experimentation through the development of problem-solving skills.

A popular spot located in the Downtown Business District of Kirkwood is the Farmers’ Market which provides a wide variety of homegrown vegetables and fruits for the community to shop and enjoy from local vendors. The Farmers’ Market also hosts special events to enrich the community and provide wellness and nutritional education. Some of the more popular seasonal events include the Pumpkin Patch Harvest Market that runs during the fall and the winter Christmas Market that lights up the holiday season with a fully light Christmas tree and wide array of holiday décor.

Every year in September, the Greentree Festival is held in Kirkwood Park at the corner of Adams Avenue and Geyer Road.