By Joe Wilson, Better Together Research Fellow
I have wandered all over St. Louis County during the last three months,
filming segments
on the history, local curiosities, and problems that communities in our region have. So during spring break from SLU Law, I actually got to go somewhere “fun.” I went to Champ.
Incorporated in 1959 with the help of the
Bill “the World’s Strongest Mayor” Bangert
, Champ is kind of an odd duck. Most communities around the St. Louis region trace their history back to several tried-and-true origin stories: French/Spanish influence and founding, late-1800s/early-1900s suburban founding, post-WWII suburban expansion. Most of the communities fall into these three categories, but
Champ’s history is a bit different
.
Today, Champ has a population of 13, contains six houses, a mega-church, and a quarry. I know a lot of people (elected officials, government workers, and residents of the city and county) who use Champ as a punch line. Sometimes, it’s easy to do that:
Champ is experiencing a population boom right now… Somebody just had twins.
There’s a crime wave in Champ… the guy down the block won’t return my hedge trimmers.
Would you like a tour of Champ? Just look both ways before you cross the street.
It’s easy to poke fun at certain communities around the region, and lots of people do. It’s important to remember that there are folks who live there. They work in the muni we are making light of, and they raise kids there, go to school there, buy their first house there, or live till their dying day there.
I didn’t go to Champ to film a stand-up routine on the village. I went because the town’s story matters, and it should be heard. Every part of St. Louis City and County is important to the region, and we should be working for the success of them all, not just the one in which we live.
Current Study: Public Safety