Census confirms that St. Louis is growing in population

ST. LOUIS -- Peter and Jane Reinecke were empty-nesters living in a 6,500-square-foot home in Chesterfield who tired of the 25-mile drive into St. Louis for trips to ballgames, the Fox Theatre and Muny Opera.

So they found a century-old house in a historic city neighborhood, fell in love with it and moved in in March.

The Reineckes aren't alone. After more than five decades of declining population, the city of St. Louis saw growth for the second straight year in 2004, Mayor Francis said Friday. It didn't come easy. The original U.S. Census projection pegged the city's population at 343,279, a decline of about 5,000 from 2003.

But Slay's office challenged that finding, and a Census Bureau review confirmed the city was right: The population actually increased by about 2,000 to 350,705. The city also successfully challenged the Census Bureau's original population estimates a year ago.

Growth of less than 1 percent may not be big news in a lot of places, but St. Louis' population had been declining since the rush to the suburbs began a half-century ago. The 1950 census showed St. Louis with 856,796 residents. For the next 50 years, the city was losing an average of 10,000 residents per year to the suburbs.

Now, Slay said, that's changed.

"All you have to do is go out and see it," Slay said. "You see more construction, you see more people in the city."

Slay expects the upward trend to continue, despite some limitations. While some cities annex land and sometimes suburbs, St. Louis is surrounded by small municipalities uninterested in a merger. St. Louis is also relatively small in terms of its geographic size -- 61 square miles. By comparison, Slay said, Kansas City, Mo., is comprised of 317 square miles.

Slay said his goal is to add 20,000 new residents over the next four years, and create 1,000 new jobs.

Housing starts have taken off. Production of new and rehabbed homes in the first nine months of 2005 doubled the entire output for 2004. Just six years ago, St. Louis had fewer than 200 new housing starts. This year, it has seen 6,500.

The Reineckes love their renovated 1895 home in the Benton Park neighborhood -- even helped the restoration company finish the remodeling of a house that had been unoccupied for a decade.

"It was a disaster," Jane Reinecke said, recalling her first glimpse inside the home. "There were branches inside. Animals had been living there. But all you had to do was pull back the drapes and see woodwork and the height of the ceilings. I said to my husband, 'this can be fabulous."'