Kirkwood

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Hometown Living in the Heart of St. Louis

KIRKWOOD OVERVIEW

With large, beautiful stately old homes with broad, open lawns framed by mature trees and sidewalks lining its streets, Kirkwood is the picture of small town America. But while its lifestyle follows much of the stereotype of comfortable, small-town life where neighbors know each other, children walk to the business district to buy ice cream and trinkets and life is quiet and laid back, Kirkwood’s origins veer from the stereotype. Despite its appearance of a quiet, small midwestern town, Kirkwood is actually a suburb just 14 miles from downtown St. Louis just 14 miles from downtown St. Louis. (View all Kirkwood Listings)

The Kirkwood school district encompasses the communities of Kirkwood, Oakland, Des Peres, and portions of Warson Woods and Glendale, MO.  It is conveniently located along Interstate 44, with easy access to Interstate 65/Highway 40, and Interstate 270.  Because the area is a mere 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis, residents take advantage of some of the shortest commutes in St. Louis County.

Kirkwood offers the visitor a variety of experiences-from the excitement of live theatre at Stages, a professional theatrical company, to the titillation of the taste buds at a vibrant Farmers’ Market to the unending fun at the Magic House Children’s Museum to the quiet solitude of nature on hiking trails in the Powder Valley Conservation Area.

KIRKWOOD HISTORY

The city was formally established in 1853 and was named for James Pugh Kirkwood, the engineer who platted the city and surveyed the Pacific railroad route which passed through the area.

When trains first rolled into Kirkwood in 1853, they stopped at a building at the site of the present station. A stagecoach would then take passengers from the train station to Manchester, Missouri. A larger station replaced the original station 10 years later, and the current station, an outstanding example of Richardsonian architecture, was built in 1893.

The city's history is intertwined with the rails as early residents became the area's first suburbanites traveling by the train daily from Kirkwood to their offices downtown. Today Kirkwood Station is the only suburban AMTRAK stop in the St. Louis area and visitors can board the train there for a short hop downtown or for longer AMTRAK trips.

Kirkwood’s historic past is also one of the main reasons why it has remained one of St. Louisans favorite places to live as the rich and diverse historic architecture is simply too hard to resist. Take a drive down its streets and you will find examples of Victorian, Italian Villa, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, Tudor Revival, Vernacular, Eclectic, Victorian Country Classic, Victorian Italianate, Victorian Vernacular, Richardson Romanesque and Carpenter Gothic in the homes and churches of Kirkwood. The city even has a dog-trot log cabin.

There are also more than 80 Historic Kirkwood Landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places as well as two local historic districts, two national historic districts and several others districts currently under consideration.

KIRKWOOD SHOPPING & SPECIAL EVENTS

Each year more and more visitors come to Kirkwood for it’s unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences.   With its historic train station and vintage buildings, downtown Kirkwood has retained the charm and warmth of a town of an earlier era although it is a modern suburb.

Kirkwood Junction, another name for historic Downtown retains the charm and character of the past combined with abundant shopping, dining, and entertainment in a rare pedestrian friendly outdoor ambiance. Spanning sixteen square blocks, Kirkwood Junction is home to more than 100 specialty shops and restaurants whose owners and staff often welcome customers by name as they enter.

Located within Kirkwood Junction, the Kirkwood Public Library, Kirkwood Farmers' Market, Post Office, City Hall, YMCA, along with many shops, restaurants, and churches are within easy walking distance. Customers and employees of over 150 professional offices and service providers may never have reason to get back into their cars during the day.  Walkers, joggers, cyclists, students and strollers can be seen daily all sharing the tree lined sidewalks of the Junction and surrounding Kirkwood neighborhoods.

Numerous plantings and more than one hundred large flower pots that line the streets of Kirkwood Junction enhance the experience of walking, cycling or jogging throughout the area. These amenities along with the unique and historic storefronts in the district enhance the experience of passersby. 

In addition, annual special events such as the Halloween Walk, Summer Solstice Dinner and the Thursday night live entertainment at Station Plaza bring residents out in droves.  The two largest community events are undoubtably the annual July 4th fireworks extravaganza at Kirkwood Park, and the Greentree Festival held each September and hosting over 40,000 attendees.

The Greentree Festival provides an annual event that enhances community spirit and provides entertaining and educational activities that reflect the traditional values of community. It includes a craft show with over 200 exhibitors,  Civil War Re-enactors, hand dipped candle makers and the ever popular sheep herding event!

KIRKWOOD SCHOOLS

Kirkwood schools offer an educational experience that is unmatched. The Kirkwood School District has one of the highest graduation rates in the country. This is due not only to the high quality of education, but also to the spirit of cooperation and continued teamwork between parents', teachers', administrators' and residents' commitment to excellence.

The area is also home to several private and parochial primary schools, a private Catholic high school, numerous early childhood educational facilities and St. Louis Community College at Meramec.  View St Louis Area Schools

RECREATION

Residents also enjoy the fabulous Kirkwood Recreation Complex which offers an outdoor swimming experience, including a lazy river, a slide, a children's pool with a play center, and a diving/lap pool. The Complex also houses an indoor ice arena and a gymnasium where many expositions in addition to sporting events are held.  

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO VIEW ALL LISTINGS IN WEBSTER GROVES AND KIRKWOOD

Our specialty web site WEBSTERKIRKWOOD.COM provides even more in-depth information on all the communites in the Webster and Kirkwood area.  Here you will also find information on homes for sale, featured listings, virtual community tours and everything else you ever wanted to know about this charming area. 

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