History of the City

Prior to the 1800s

The City of Hazelwood was originally incorporated as the Village of Hazelwood on September 7, 1949. However, this area of Florissant Valley has a proud and rich heritage dating back to Indian settlements in 4000 BC. French explorers were the first to venture into the area in the late 1600s, with the French being the first to settle in the region and the Spanish settlers in the 1700s. In 1797, a wagon train of American settlers made their way to the area from Virginia, Kentucky and the Deep South.

1800s to 1950

When industry and business began locating in the valley, the city of Florissant tried to annex what is now Hazelwood. However, a group of determined farmers did not want that to happen and banded together in 1944 to fight the annexation. Although the “battle” seemed a mismatch, the farmers won and on September 26, 1949, The Village of Hazelwood Board of Trustees met for the first time in the Elm Grove Schoolhouse now known as the little red schoolhouse.

Present Day

Hazelwood has grown substantially since then and an election for Home Rule by Charter was held and passed overwhelmingly in October 1969. Today, we are one of the largest cities in St. Louis County and home to nearly 26,000 residents and more than 800 businesses. The City of Hazelwood is a home rule Charter City, governed by a Council/Manager form of government, with an elected mayor and eight council members representing eight wards. The City Manager is the administrative officer.