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.

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.