Pagedale, Missouri Explained

Pagedale, Missouri
Settlement Type:City
Mapsize:250x200px
Coordinates:38.6803°N -90.3081°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Missouri
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:St. Louis
Established Date:February 15, 1950
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Sq Mi:1.20
Area Land Sq Mi:1.20
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Area Total Km2:3.12
Area Land Km2:3.12
Area Water Km2:0.00
Unit Pref:Imperial
Elevation Ft:581
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:2554
Population Density Sq Mi:2121.26
Population Density Km2:819.26
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:314
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info: [2]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2396126
Website:https://www.cityofpagedalemo.gov/

Pagedale is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,554 as of the 2020 census.[3]

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.

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.[4]

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.[5]

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".[6] [7] [8] [9]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.19sqmi, all land.[10] [11]

Demographics

Pagedale, Missouri – Racial and ethnic composition
!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)!Pop 2000[12] !Pop 2010[13] ![14] !% 2000!% 2010!
White alone (NH)194104style='background: #ffffe6; 785.37%3.15%style='background: #ffffe6; 3.05%
Black or African American alone (NH)3,3193,072style='background: #ffffe6; 2,32491.79%92.98%style='background: #ffffe6; 90.99%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)68style='background: #ffffe6; 10.17%0.24%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.04%
Asian alone (NH)85style='background: #ffffe6; 30.22%0.15%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.12%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)00style='background: #ffffe6; 00.00%0.00%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.00%
Other race alone (NH)42style='background: #ffffe6; 50.11%0.06%style='background: #ffffe6; 0.20%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)4968style='background: #ffffe6; 681.36%2.06%style='background: #ffffe6; 2.66%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)3645style='background: #ffffe6; 751.00%1.36%style='background: #ffffe6; 2.94%
Total3,6163,304style='background: #ffffe6; 2,554100.00%100.00%style='background: #ffffe6; 100.00%

2010 census

As of the census[15] of 2010, there were 3,304 people, 1,179 households, and 829 families living in the city. The population density was 2776.5PD/sqmi. There were 1,461 housing units at an average density of 1227.7/sqmi. 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 of 2000, there were 3,616 people, 1,213 households, and 891 families living in the city. The population density was 3003.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,408 housing units at an average density of 1169.6sp=usNaNsp=us. 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.[16] The city saw an increase of 495% in non traffic cases, writing a total of 2,255 non-traffic citations in 2014.

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.[17] [18] [19] 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".[20] Other infractions of the code include having hedges over three feet in the front yard,[21] having any antenna dish device in the front of the yard,[22] any front street facing window or doors shall have proper treatments in a neat presentable matter,[23] 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.[24]

On November 4, 2015 Institute for Justice filed a class action civil rights complaint against the city on behalf of three Pagedale residents.[25] The complaint claimed residents of Pagedale were stripped of their rights to due process.[26] It also sought an injunction against the city non-traffic fines.[27]

On May 18, 2018, the city settled and agreed to stop its practice of earning money from ticketing residents for minor crimes.[28] [29]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory . United States Census Bureau . August 28, 2022.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website. . January 31, 2008 .
  3. Web site: Explore Census Data . 2024-05-27 . data.census.gov.
  4. Wayne Brasler, Normandy area historian, whose family was one of those who bought the new houses at Engleholm Gardens
  5. http://www.kwamebuildinggroup.com/project-details/city-of-pagedale-municipal-center.php?parent_id=25 Pagedale Municipal Center; Kwame Building Group; 2001.
  6. http://ij.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ECF-1-Complaint-FILE-STAMPED-11.04.15.pdf Lawsuit; United States District Court; November 4, 2015.
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/us/lawsuit-accuses-missouri-city-of-fining-homeowners-to-raise-revenue.html Lawsuit Accuses Missouri City of Fining Homeowners to Raise Revenue; New York Times; November 4, 2015.
  8. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/12/28/city-s-nitpicky-fines-for-tree-stumps-blinds-trigger-civil-rights-lawsuit.html City’s ‘nitpicky’ fines for tree stumps, blinds trigger civil rights lawsuit; Fox News; December 28, 2015
  9. http://watchdog.org/252413/nanny-state-pagedale-missouri-fines/ Nanny State of the Week: City fines residents for chipped paint, mismatched curtains; Missouri Watchdog; December 21, 2015
  10. Web site: US Gazetteer files 2010 . . July 8, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt . January 25, 2012.
  11. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. . April 23, 2011 . February 12, 2011 .
  12. Web site: P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Pagedale city, Missouri . United States Census Bureau.
  13. Web site: P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pagedale city, Missouri . United States Census Bureau.
  14. Web site: P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pagedale city, Missouri . United States Census Bureau.
  15. Web site: U.S. Census website . . July 8, 2012.
  16. News: Rivas . Rebecca . Gov. Nixon signs municipal court reform bill . December 5, 2015 . ST, Louis American . July 9, 2015.
  17. News: Mann . Jennifer S. . Municipalities ticket for trees and toys, as traffic revenue declines . July 11, 2021 . STLtoday.com . en.
  18. News: Pistor . Nicholas J. C. . St. Louis municipal court will consider violator's ability to pay when ordering fines . July 11, 2021 . STLtoday.com . en.
  19. News: Mann . Jennifer S. . Muni court reform law takes effect Friday; many warrants, fines are being canceled early . July 11, 2021 . STLtoday.com . en.
  20. Web site: City code . City of Pagedale, MO . December 1, 2015.
  21. Web site: 405.190 . City of Pagedale, MO . December 2, 2015.
  22. Web site: 405.270F Location . City of Pagedale, MO . December 2, 2015.
  23. Web site: Section 515.060 3A/B . Citoy of Pagedale, MO . December 3, 2015.
  24. Web site: 210.770 Unlawful to wear pants below the waist in public. . City of Pagesdale, MO . December 13, 2015.
  25. Web site: Pagedale Municipal Fines . ij.org . ij.org . December 1, 2015.
  26. News: Will . George . A Missouri Town Demands Protection from Arbitrary Government Power . December 13, 2015 . National Review . December 12, 2015.
  27. News: Davey . Monica . Lawsuit Accuses Missouri City of Fining Homeowners to Raise Revenue. December 8, 2015 . NY Times . Ny Times . November 4, 2015 .
  28. Web site: Wilson . J . Federal Court Approves Historic Consent Decree Ending "Policing for Profit" in Pagedale, Mo. . Institute for Justice . July 11, 2021.
  29. Web site: American . Jessica Karins For The St Louis . Pagedale agrees to consent decree to stop frivolously and illegally ticketing residents . St. Louis American . en.