The Greater Ville is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. It is bounded by Marcus Avenue to the northwest, Natural Bridge Avenue to the northeast, Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and St. Louis Avenue to the south, and North Vandeventer Avenue to the southeast. It borders the neighborhoods of The Ville, Kingsway East, O'Fallon, and JeffVanderLou.[1]
History
The Greater Ville developed in tandem with The Ville neighborhood, which the Greater Ville surrounds on three of its sides.[2] The neighborhoods were though of as one and the same until the mid-1970s, when the "Greater Ville Redevelopment Corporation" was established.[3] In the mid-1880s, the Greater Ville housed primarily African Americans, German immigrants, and Irish immigrants. Restrictive covenants were used in the neighborhood, which forbade non-white people from owning some of its properties.[2]
The Greater Ville declined since the 1950s, when middle class residents moved out. Poorer residents have since moved in after their original neighborhoods were gentrified.[2] In 1996, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ranked it the 56th safest St. Louis neighborhood, out of 76 neighborhoods.[4] The neighborhood was struck by the 2025 tornado, and as of 2026, the debris left by the tornado is still being cleaned up.[5]
Revitalization efforts have been pushed since at least the 1970s.[6] In 2025, the Greater Ville was chosen for the "A Stronger Northside", a revitalization program, though its residents objected, saying the program would not benefit them as individuals.[7]
The Greater Ville is significant in St. Louis African American history;[8] it shares this history with the Ville. In 1999, a limestone monument honoring twenty famous African American residents of the neighborhood was installed in the Greater Ville.[9]
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 12,483 | — | |
| 2000 | 8,189 | −34.4% | |
| 2010 | 6,189 | −24.4% | |
| 2020 | 4,545 | −26.6% | |
| Sources:[10][11] | |||
In 2020, Greater Ville's racial makeup was 95.2% Black, 1.3% White, 0.2% Native American, 2.5% Two or More Races, and 0.8% Some Other Race. 1.1% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino origin.[12]
In 2010, Greater Ville's racial makeup was 97.4% Black, 0.7% White, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Two or More Races, and 0.2% Some Other Race. 0.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.[13]
References
- ↑ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "The Greater Ville Neighborhood Overview". stlouis-mo.gov. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Ville Residents Seek To Preserve Black Culture". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 22, 1976. p. 74. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "How Safe is the City?". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 7, 1996. p. 15. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Nearly a year after the May 16 tornado, volunteers are still cleaning up tornado debris in north city". ksdk.com. May 10, 2026. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Projects". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 7, 1977. p. 13. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "St. Louis City adopts 'A Stronger Northside' plan as residents call for real rebuilding". ksdk.com. January 6, 2026. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ Blaine, Pierre (June 7, 1990). "Returning the Ghetto to a Community". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 31. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "St. Louis Blacks Honored". New Pittsburgh Courier. March 20, 1999. p. 14. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Greater Ville Neighborhood Statistics". St Louis, MO. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ↑ "Neighborhood Census Data". City of St. Louis. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ↑ Whiteley, Jason D. (August 23, 2021). "City of St. Louis - Neighborhood Population & Demographics Census 2020 P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data Release" (PDF). St. Louis. Retrieved May 10, 2026.
- ↑ "Census". Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
