Kinloch, MO

Located in north St. Louis County, Kinloch holds a distinct place in local history. It began in the 1890s as a commuter suburb connected by rail to downtown St. Louis, quickly growing into a thriving Black community with its own shops, churches, and neighborhood schools. In 1948, after years of organized effort by its residents, Kinloch incorporated to become Missouri's first all-Black municipality.

ATTRPaul Sableman / CC BY 2.0

The town changed significantly in the late twentieth century when airport buyouts from neighboring St. Louis Lambert International Airport cleared out many of the residential streets. Today, Kinloch is a small, quiet community served by the Ferguson-Florissant School District. Though considerably smaller than in its mid-century heyday, the city maintains its own municipal government and keeps a strong connection to its roots on the northwest edge of the metro area.