Not too long ago you could take the streetcar from University City to Creve Coeur Lake and think you were in the country. Initially a farming community, Creve Coeur has developed into a thriving community in central St. Louis County with beautiful homes, acres of parkland, hundreds of businesses and a number of high-tech office parks.

The main thoroughfare, Olive Boulevard was once known as Olive Street Road. The road followed a centuries-old Indian trail that took the high ground from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River. Carts, wagons, carriages and stagecoaches took passengers and freights both west to new lands and east to the city of St. Louis.

Creve Coeur was one of many communities that grew along the road. Its name, which means broken heart in French, comes from nearby Creve Coeur Lake. Legend has it that an Indian princess, suffering from an unrequited love, jumped from a ledge overlooking Creve Coeur Lake; the lake then formed itself into a broken heart.

When Creve Coeur was incorporated in December 1949 it was less than one square mile. Today it spans 10.27 square miles with 80 miles of public streets and 16 miles of private streets. Home to two private colleges, five private high schools, five private primary schools, two public school districts and approximately fifteen houses of worship, Creve Coeur is a place where everything a resident needs is no more than ten minutes away.