78 Business View Magazine - September 2016
Wentzville, Missouri
The crossroads of the nation
Wentzville, Missouri was founded in 1855, and was
named after Erasmus Livingston Wentz, a railroad en-
gineer for the St Louis, Kansas City and North Missouri
Railroad. The city is located in western St. Charles
County, about 40 miles west of St. Louis. Calling itself
the “Crossroads of the Nation,” by virtue of its inter-
section at I-70 and U.S. Highway 61, Wentzville is also
the fastest-growing city in the State of Missouri. “We
had a population in 2010 of 29,000,” says Dan Lang,
Wentzville’s Director of Economic Development, “and
today, that population is estimated at over 38,000.”
The mission of Lang’s Economic Development Depart-
ment is to “Enhance the economic vitality of Wentzville
and maintain its outstanding quality-of-place. This is
accomplished through the retention and expansion
of existing businesses and the attraction of new busi-
nesses to the community.” Based on the city’s bur-
geoning population, coupled with its thriving business
environment, it’s safe to say that that mission is being
carried out most effectively.
“We have a very low unemployment rate,” says Lang.
