Florissant, Missouri, United States

🇺🇸 Florissant is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, within Greater St. Louis. It is a middle class, second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. It is the 13th largest city in Missouri and the largest municipality in St. Louis County.

History 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 English, 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 centre of the parish, the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine, survives and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Around 1809, the Cold Water Cemetery had the first burial; since 2004, it has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its social history.

As late as 1889, the town was predominantly French-speaking (while the southern portion of the metropolis was populated by German speakers). The first train line to the area was constructed in 1878—an extension of the line which went from St. Louis City to Normandy. The last train to Florissant ran on November 14, 1931.

Following World War II, Florissant went from a small village community to a large suburban centre, as developers such as Alfred H. Mayer Co. began building subdivisions on what was formerly farmland and empty acreage. Around 18,000 houses were built between 1947 and 1980, and the population swelled to its peak of about 76,000 in the mid-1970s, making it the largest city in St. Louis County.

James J. Eagan was the first mayor of Florissant after a charter amendment created the position. He ultimately served 37 years from 1963 until his death on November 2, 2000, being re-elected into office nine times, and became one of the longest-serving mayors of any city in the United States. In his final year, he was awarded the title of Best Politician in St. Louis by the Riverfront Times. The civic centre off Parker Road is named the James J. Eagan Community Center in his memory.

In 2012, Florissant was ranked 76 in Money magazine's top-100 list of Best Places to Live – America's Best Small Cities. In 2014, Florissant ranked as the #1 Best Small City to Retire To in America and the second-safest city in Missouri.

Florissant Old Town Historic District is a locally designated historic preservation planning district, created by local ordinance in 1969. Within that, the heart of Old Town Florissant is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the St. Ferdinand Central Historic District. The boundaries of the district are roughly rue St. Francois, rue St. Ferdinand, and rue St. Denis, and Lafayette Street. The City of St. Ferdinand Multiple Resource Area (MRA), located in the oldest section of the present city of Florissant, encompasses approximately 156 city blocks and encloses the approximate area of the City of St. Ferdinand, as Florissant was known from 1857 to 1939. This MRA comprises 124 historically significant properties ranging in date from 1790 to 1940. The historic Old St. Ferdinand Shrine is located on the western end of Old Town. The Shrine and Historic Site consists of four historic buildings on their original locations: the 1819 convent, 1821 church, 1840 rectory, and 1888 schoolhouse. It is listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places and is a U.S. Historic District.

Historic Florissant, the local historical society, operates out of the preserved Gittemeier House.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.87 square miles (33.33 km²), of which 12.56 square miles (32.53 km²) are land and 0.31 square mile (0.80 km²) is covered by water.

Education Public Florissant is covered by the Hazelwood and Ferguson-Florissant public school districts. McCluer North High School and McCluer High School of the Ferguson-Florissant School District, and North Technical High School are high schools in Florissant. Hazelwood Central is the only high school in Florissant belonging to the Hazelwood School District. Hazelwood Northwest Middle School and several elementary schools are also within the municipal limits.

Private North County Christian School is a pre-school to grade 12 Christian school that is theologically associated with the Church of the Nazarene.

There are several kindergarten through 8th-grade parochial schools in Florissant. These include Atonement Lutheran School, Sacred Heart, St. Ferdinand, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne and Saint Norbert.

Education: University Florissant has a theological college, an extension campus, and a barber college. Saint Louis Christian College is a private, four-year, undergraduate institution that is theologically and ecclesiastically associated with the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. Lindenwood University has its offsite North County Campus located in the former Our Lady of Fatima School. Missouri School of Barbering and Hairstyling-St Louis is also located in Florissant.

St. Louis Community College–Florissant Valley and University of Missouri–St. Louis are located in close proximity to the city.

Public libraries St. Louis County Library operates the Florissant Valley Branch in Florissant.

Architecture Florissant is home of a number of examples of Missouri German architecture, mostly in brick commercial and institutional buildings,

The finest example in the area is the Kuehn House, which has a "pronounced, toothed corbel table on its primary facade"; other notable examples are the Tebeau House and the Withington House. Each of these is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Several more examples are in the National Register-listed St. Ferdinand Central Historic District: • Abel-Griese House and Store, • Weithaupt Store and Residence, • Sacred Heart Convent (1904), 751 Jefferson, a brick building also with Gothic Revival detailing, • Herz Jesu Schule (1889), 751 Jefferson, which mirrors the style of the Sacred Heart Convent, and • Griese House (1858), 700 Jefferson, an apartment building.

It is also home to numerous Missouri French architecture examples, mostly wood frame residences. Examples include: • Moynihan House (Florissant, Missouri) • Hubecky House • Meyer House (Florissant, Missouri).

Health care Florissant is home to Northwest HealthCare, an outpatient subsidiary of Christian Hospital. Services include: emergency department, sleep lab, bone density testing, mammography, ultrasound and MRI. A satellite facility of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center that is under construction on the campus is scheduled to open in late 2019.