O'Fallon, Missouri

O'Fallon is a suburban city along Interstate 70 between Lake St. Louis and St. Peters in Saint Charles County, Missouri. It is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. With a 2007 estimated population of 74,976, it is the seventh largest city in the state. In 2006 Money Magazine named O'Fallon as one of its "Best 100 Places to Live." (39 out of 100) Money Magazine also ranked O'Fallon 68 out of 100 in 2008 and 26 out of 100 in 2010

History
After the War of 1812, there was a westward flow of migration through the present-day St. Charles County on the Booneslick Trail (later part of Interstate 70). During the 1830s, many German settlers came to the O'Fallon area inspired by Gottfried Duden's Republic of the Western States of North America. The report was based on his account of living in St. Charles.

O'Fallon's history as a city started in the 1850s. Arnold Krekel was a German immigrant who held a number of offices, including U.S. District Court Judge and Missouri state legislator. He founded a German-language newspaper and invested in the North Missouri Railroad, among other activities. Krekel's younger brother Nicholas built the first house in O'Fallon and is considered by many to be the "founder" of O'Fallon. The younger Krekel was the town's first Postmaster, station agent, and operated the first general merchandise store inside his home. The City purchased this historic house in 2008 with plans for restoration after which it will be open to the public.

In 1854, Judge Krekel granted the North Missouri Railroad permission to build a depot on his property along with a right-of-way on his "Krekel Addition". In 1856, Judge Krekel named the depot O'Fallon Station after his friend John O'Fallon, the railroad's president and a noted philanthropist. In 1860, the "Krekel Addition" was renamed O'Fallon, and in 1912, it was incorporated.

For many years, O'Fallon was a quiet, small community in central St. Charles County. In the early 1980s suburban development accelerated and a population boom began. The population for O'Fallon rose to 18,698 by 1990, and was more than 70,000 residents by 2006.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 46,169 people in the city, organized into 15,389 households and 12,603 families. The population density is 2,054.9 people per square mile (793.3/km2). There are 15,920 housing units at an average density of 708.6 per square mile (273.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city is 95.32% Caucasian, 2.24% African American, 0.74% Asian, 0.23% Native American, 00.03% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 1.45% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 15,389 households out of which 50.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.8% are married couples living together, 8.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 18.1% are non-families. 14.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.98 and the average family size is 3.30.

In the city the population is spread out with 33.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 38.8% from 25 to 44, 15.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $60,179, and the median income for a family is $64,627. Males have a median income of $45,295 versus $29,129 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,774. 3.3% of the population and 2.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.3% of those under the age of 18 and 6.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Economy
O'Fallon is home to MasterCard's Global Technology and Operations center, where MasterCard's credit-card transactions are settled. Attracting that center cost the city, county, and state:
 * $27.4 million in highway improvements;
 * $10 million in tax credits funded through the state, and an additional $1.2 million in business facility tax credits;
 * $3 million in state job-training programs for its employees;
 * Refinanced loans and community development grants worth more than $1.6 million; and
 * A $785,000 rate discount on electricity service from Ameren.

Venture Stores was headquartered and maintained a distribution center in O'Fallon, until its dissolution. The buildings are now occupied by True Manufacturing.

Sports
O'Fallon is the home of the River City Rascals independent Frontier League baseball team. The Rascals play at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, which was built in 1999. It is located on Tom Ginnever Boulevard and T.R. Hughes Boulevard near downtown.

Parks and recreation

 * Civic Park - A 20 acre park featuring Alligator's Creek Aquatic Center and Civic Hall.
 * Dames Park - A 59 acre sports park with three football fields and a fitness course.
 * Fort Zumwalt Park - A 47.5 acre park featuring a fishing lake, playgrounds and historic Fort Zumwalt.
 * Knaust Park - A 6 acre park with a playground and walking path.
 * O'Fallon Sports Park - A 95 acre soccer complex with 12 fields playgrounds and concessions. Also home to the Renaud Spirit Center.
 * Ozzie Smith Sports Complex - A 76 acre baseball/softball complex with seven diamonds and the St. Charles Co. Amateur Sports Hall of Fame. Adjacent to the T.R. Hughes Ballpark.
 * Westhoff Park - A 65 acre park featuring baseball diamonds, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, basketball courts, tennis and handball courts, and a skate park.

Government
O'Fallon operates under a charter form of government. In 2010 the current four wards were redistricted and a new, fifth ward was created. The current mayor is William "Bill" Hennessy. The current (April 2011) City Council members are: Bill Gardner, Rick Lucas, Rose Mack, Jim Pepper, John Haman, Rick Batelle, Jeff Schwentker, Bob Howell, Mark Perkins, and Mike Pheney. The City Administrator is Keith Riesberg.

Recent developments have seen a military coup take place. A branch faction of the O'fallon police know as the "Donut Wranglers" arrested mayor William Hennessy. When reached for comment the terrorist group had this to say "Ya we arrested him, he refused to pay his taxes". Currently "ruling" over O'fallon the group has declared several new laws. One such law requires all O'fallon citizens and visitors to carry a box of donuts in their car at all points in time. These donuts are used to appease the police officer in the event they are pulled over. If someone is caught not obeying this law they are forced to watch the officer fire in the air repeatedly while saying "I am the law". When reached for comment the President say this "Are you kidding me, how is this even my problem. I'm busy stealing all of America's money leave me alone"

Education
Satellite campuses of Webster University and Lindenwood University are located in O'Fallon. For public schools, O'Fallon is served mostly by the Fort Zumwalt School District, and the westernmost part is served by the Wentzville R-IV School District. The south to southeastern part of the city is served by the Francis Howell R-III School District. St. Dominic High School is a private Catholic school located in O'Fallon, as is Christian High School, a non-denominational Christian secondary school.

Infrastructure
Fire Protection is mostly provided by the O'Fallon Fire Protection District which in 2007 became the first Internationally Accredited Fire Agency in the State of Missouri. The award was made by the Center for Public Safety Excellence's Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). The CFAI has approved accreditation status for only 120 fire agencies world wide.

The Southern portion of the City is served by the Wentzville Fire Protection district.