Jefferson County - East-West Gateway Coordinating Council

A Regional Overview All-Hazard Mitigation Plan
SECTION 1
Community Profiles
Natural hazards impact not only the citizens of the East-West Gateway Council of
Governments (EWG) planning region, but also their property, the environment and the
economy. Natural hazards, defined here as flooding, windstorms, severe winter storms,
earthquakes, heat waves, drought, dam failure and wildfires, have exposed the region’s
residents and businesses to the financial and emotional costs of recovering after disasters.
The risk associated with hazards increases as more people move to areas affect by hazards.
The inevitability of hazards and growing population and activity within the planning region
create an urgent need to develop strategies, coordinate resources and increase public
awareness to reduce risk and prevent loss from future hazard events. Identifying risks
posed by hazards, as well as developing strategies to reduce the impact of a hazard event
can assist in protecting life and property of citizens and communities. Local residents and
businesses are encouraged to work together to implement a Hazard Mitigation Plan that
addresses the potential impact of hazard events.
Below is a description and profile of Jefferson County within the EWG planning region.
County Profile: Jefferson County
Development/History
Jefferson County is located in eastern Missouri, just west of the Mississippi River. It is
bordered on the north by St. Louis County and the Meramec River, on the south by Ste.
Genevieve and St. Francois Counties, and on the west by Washington and Franklin
Counties. The county is part of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area as defined by the
United States Census Bureau. The county has an area of about 425,280 acres that includes
about 2,176 acres of water in the Meramec, Mississippi and Big Rivers and other large
impoundments. Interstate I-55 runs north and south through the county. Jefferson
County was separated from St. Louis and St. Genevieve Counties and established in 1818
(effective January 1, 1819). Prior to settlement by Europeans, Native Americans including
the Delaware, Missouri, Osage and Shawnee tribes inhabited the region. Charles III, the
King of Spain, encouraged settlements by offering land grants. John Hildebrand,
recognized as the first settler, settled on Saline Creek in 1774, later known as the Meramec
Settlement. Lead, silica, zinc, barite, limestone and other mineral deposits lured settlers to
the area. The first lead shot tower west of Pennsylvania was erected in 1809 in the
southern part of Herculaneum. Sandstone mined from the St. Peter Sandstone Formation
was used to manufacture glass. See Figure J1 in the back of the Technical Appendix.
The county had a population of 200,101 as of the 2000 Census. There are 89,302
registered voters in Jefferson County comprising 74.2 percent of the voting age population.
1