Florissant dates to 1785, and 38 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns · #78 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Most of Florissant was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1963. 38 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 66 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1927 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1818.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Florissant’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Florissant is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #78 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Florissant’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Florissant’s 19.7 sits above most of its state (81% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 102 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1785.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Florissant’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The exact date the first settlers went to the Valley of Florissant is unknown, but it is one of the oldest settlements in Missouri. Some historians believe it was settled about the same time as St. Louis. The first civilian government was formed in 1786. Spanish archives in Havana reveal 40 people and seven plantations were in Florissant at the time of the 1787 census. The village, called "Fleurissant", meaning "Blooming" in French, by its French settlers and "St. Ferdinand" by its Spanish rulers, was a typical French village with its commons and common fields. Originally a separate town, and now an inner suburb of St. Louis, the community was centered on (and frequently called after) the parish of St. Ferdinand. The center of the parish, the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine, survives and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1785, according to Wikidata. Florissant’s post office opened in 1818, and the census of 1880 counted 817 people here.
How does Florissant rank for history?
Florissant is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #78 of 247 in Missouri. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Florissant?
38 listings: 36 buildings, among them the John B. Myers House (listed 1974, the first), and 3 historic districts, the St. Ferdinand's Shrine Historic District, the St. Ferdinand Central Historic District and the Elisha and Lucy Patterson Farmstead Historic District, with 66 contributing buildings. 102 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Florissant?
2% of Florissant’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1963.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (39), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1991
