The city of Florissant is one of Missouri's oldest cities and was incorporated as far back as 1786. It is situated eleven miles north, but within the metropolitan area, of St. Louis in the north of St. Louis County. Nearby towns are Calverton Park, Hazelwood, Black Jack, Berkley, Dellwood, Ferguson, Kinloch and Edmundson. The population of the city is around 47,000, according to 2010 statistics, comprising an interesting international immigrant base from Germany, Ireland, England, Italy and France. The city is served by Lambert - St Louis International Airport. Those moving to Florissant will also discover one of the safest residential areas in the United States.
Economy:
Florissant is a middle class, blue collar community. Local government is making every effort to promote the city and to encourage the relocation of businesses from all across America, thereby creating growth in and expansion of the city. To this end, team Florissant has been established to ease and simplify the processes of relocation for both businesses and individuals.
The main employers in the area are the aerospace industry, the manufacture of machinery for transportation and electrical fittings, chemicals, breweries and food processing.
Agriculture also plays a large part in the economy of Florissant. The area is the sixth largest producer of pork and the seventh largest beef producer in the U.S. Crop farming is focused on soy beans, making it one of the five biggest suppliers in the country; as well as sorghum, rice, corn and cotton. Egg and dairy production supplement the farming sector.
Economic data for Florissant shows that its cost of living index is substantially lower (by 21.3 percent) than the average for other cities in the U.S.; and that it is affordable, comfortable and stable.
Tourism:
The Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument should not be missed, as it has an amazing number of fossilized redwood tree stumps, plants and insects and has one of the greatest and most diversified fossil collections on show worldwide. This site is only two miles from the center of Florissant.
Being part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, Florissant has many attractions for the visitor. It boasts a large variety of restaurants, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs and comedy venues.
Among the many outdoor and green areas of the city are the Bangert and Kock Parks, the Castlewood State Park and the Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area. Historical venues worth visiting are the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site and the Chatillon-Demenil Mansion. Art lovers will appreciate the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Museum of Westward Expansion
Not far from the center of Florissant are the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Saint Louis Zoo. The Valley of Flowers Festival in May is an annual event.
History:
St. Louis County was founded in 1812 by French settlers and was named after Saint Louis, a French monarch. Fleurissant, as the city was first named, when translated from French to English, means ‘flowering' and was originally not a part of St. Louis. Spanish settlers called the town Ferdinand or St. Ferdinand. Records reveal that the first regional government was formed in 1786 and that the language of the area was at that time still French, but later German settlers arrived and made their homes in the southern section of the town.