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C−History
History · Wildwood

Wildwood dates to 1995, and 6 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #193 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it

Most of Wildwood was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. 6 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 29 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1940 on and the census since 2000.

1995founded
6on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Wildwood began

When was Wildwood founded?

1995

Wildwood dates its founding to 1995 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 2000.

First census: 32,884 in 20002020 census: 35,41731 years

How historic is Wildwood?

C−

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1833.
History grade

What drives Wildwood’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wildwood is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #193 of 247 in Missouri. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wildwood’s overall grade.
Founding era1995, from Wikipedia: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19402.0% of homes (±0.8) · typical MO town 8.4% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register6 listings, 32 historic buildings, 9.1 per 10,000 residents · typical MO town 2.4 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 23%
NewerOlder
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 22%

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 Wildwood’s 9.1 sits above most of its state (71% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 32 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1995.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Wildwood’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages8 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Wildwood, and 11 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Wildwood are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Eight other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Fox Creek
1833–1904
Melrose
1858–1904
Glencoe
1865–today
Orrville
1868–1895
Coleman
1870–1880
Hollow
1884–1904
Pond
1886–1904
Grover
1888–today
Centaur Station
1891–1959
Monarch
1895–1907
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Camp WymanCentaurFox CreekGlencoeGroverHollowMelroseMonarchOrrvillePondYeatman
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wildwood
BatesColemanTyler

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Wildwood’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wildwood’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

6 listings protect 32 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
32
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park Histor…
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park Historic DistrictKreienkamp StoreBig Chief Restaurant, built 1928Pond SchoolBall-Essen Farmstead Historic DistrictOrrville Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
General Store1
Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival1
One-Room Schoolhouse1
Architect Designed/Plan Book School1
I-House1
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park Historic DistrictDistrict
Kreienkamp StoreGreek Revival
Big Chief RestaurantMission/Spanish Colonial Revival · Built 1928
Pond SchoolOne-Room Schoolhouse
All 6 listings
Ball-Essen Farmstead Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001Orrville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story so far

Wildwood, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wildwood yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Wildwood is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is located in the far western portion of the county. It was incorporated on September 1st, 1995. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,417. Wildwood is the home of the Al Foster Trail, and numerous other trails, parks, and reserves such as Rockwoods Reservation and Babler State Park.

Wildwood was established in 1995. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 35,517 in 2010, 35,417 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Wildwood, 1833 to 1995

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1833Post officeThe Fox Creek post office opens
  3. 1858Post officeThe Melrose post office opens
  4. 1865Post officeThe Glencoe post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1904Post officeThe Fox Creek post office closes
  7. 1904Post officeThe Melrose post office closes
  8. 1928BuiltBig Chief Restaurant is built
  9. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1990Born hereTony Meier is born here
  11. 1990Born hereTyler Griffey is born here
  12. 1991Born hereLuke Voit is born here
  13. 1995
    FoundingWildwood is established
By decade

Wildwood, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Tourdewildwood2017TourdewildwoodWildwood, Missouri2016Wildwood, MissouriPond School2014Pond SchoolGfp-missouri-st-louis-pond-and-trees2013Gfp-missouri-st-louis-pond-and-trees
On the map

Wildwood on the map, 1940 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wildwood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Wildwood on the 1940 USGS mapWildwood on the 1954 USGS mapWildwood on the 1968 USGS mapWildwood on the 1974 USGS mapWildwood on the 1982 USGS mapWildwood on the 1993 USGS map1940Eureka sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Wildwood.

People over time

Wildwood, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00020002020Peak: 35,517

Between 32,884 and 35,517 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Wildwood’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Wildwood

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Luke VoitAmerican professional baseball player · b. 1991
T
Tony MeierAmerican basketball player · b. 1990
T
Tyler GriffeyAmerican basketball player · b. 1990
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

EllisvilleIts storyCEureka1 historic placeCChesterfield5 historic placesBClarkson ValleyIts storyD−

Questions about Wildwood’s history

What year was Wildwood founded?

In 1995, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Wildwood’s post office opened in 1833, and the census of 2000 counted 32,884 people here.

How does Wildwood rank for history?

Wildwood is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #193 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 Wildwood?

6 listings: 3 buildings and 3 historic districts, the Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park Historic District, the Ball-Essen Farmstead Historic District and the Orrville Historic District, with 29 contributing buildings. 32 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Wildwood?

2% of Wildwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1992.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.