Wentzville

As with many towns and cities in the greater St Louis area, Wentzville came into being when a railroad station was built in the area.  While the area had been settled for awhile, the railroad station served as a hub around which the early town of Wentzville was laid out in 1856. During this time period, the primary crop for the area was tobacco, which as the tobacco industry declined switched to flour mills.  Then in 1980, General Motors built its largest auto assembly plant in the area, which caused rapid growth as it brought 6,000 jobs with it. 

Another factor spurring on growth was the location of Wentzville where Interstate Highway 64/MO Highway 40 intersects with Interstate Highway 70 (a major east-west interstate that runs from Utah to Maryland, and goes through Denver, Kansas City, St Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Baltimore in the process). Interstate Highway 70 in St Charles County was the first section of the Federal Highway Interstate program to be built in the late 1950's.  The Highway's presence, helped keep the town alive as many other towns died out when the federal highways bypassed them.

Today, Wentzville is a modern city with not only it's own amenities but the convenience of being close enough to the "big city" of St Louis to allow residents to easily get to Baseball games, theater, the Zoo and other world class attractions.  It's Parks and Recreation Department manages an ice arena with 2 rinks, playgrounds, parks and trails, a 5 acres fishing lake at Rotary Park, athletic fields at Peruque Valley Park and Heartland Park, the Splash Station Aquatic Center, a wetlands nature park, cultural arts and enrichment classes and much more.

It is serviced by the Wentzville School District.