Ballwin is a large community located in West County St Louis, with over 31,000 residents (per the 2000 census).  It's motto, of "Bringing People Together" summarizes the friendly small town feel of the city and helps to show why it was listed as one of the top St Louis family neighborhoods in the April 2004, St Louis Magazine.  Many people think that Ballwin is larger than it really is, because the main post office for the West County area is in Ballwin.  As a result, many of the unincorporated areas as well as other cities and towns have a "Ballwin Zip Code" of 63011 or 63021.  The actual city however only comprises 8.9 square miles.  The median household income (per the 2000 Census) was $66,458. Ballwin is about a half an hours drive from the downtown area, and about a half an hours drive from St Louis International (Lambert Field) Airport.  The majority of Ballwin falls in the Parkway School District, but there are sections that are handled by the Rockwood School District. Ballwin has a lovely municipal 9 hole golf course, 2 swimming pool complexes (one outdoor and one indoor), a state of the art fitness facility, banquet and conference center and many lovely parks, several with fishing lakes.  It is also home to several little league ball fields and has a very active Little League program.  It is centrally located, close to Highways 64/40 and 270, and a very short driving distance from highways 70 and 44.  A very safe neighborhood, the Ballwin police department provides excellent services.  For a comprehensive look at the services provided by the city, click here.  Ballwin hosts an annual "Ballwin Days" event which is similar to an old-fashioned county fair. Ballwin is in the prestigious "Central Corridor" in West St Louis County.  The homes in the area range from apartment complexes to condos and villas to single family homes.  The city is bordered by Chesterfield, Clarkson Valley, Manchester, Winchester, Town and Country, Ellisville and Valley Park.  Ballwin is considered "solid to upper middle class".  The land in Ballwin is among the more valuable in the St Louis area, resulting in higher prices, but also greater amenities.  The statistics for Single Family Homes in Ballwin for 2005 can be found here (these are for Jan 1, 2005 through Dec 31st, 2005 for solds, expired and withdrawn properties.  The current statistics are as of Feb 22, 2006).  Please note that while the lowest recorded price was for $110,000, finding a home for that price in Ballwin is very rare and the house was probably a tear down.  The average selling price in Ballwin was $250,802 for a single family home and the median price was $225,500 (up from $157,300 in 2002).  The 2005 Home Sale statistics are shown below with the single family homes at the top of the page and condos at the bottom of the page. The statistics for Condos in Ballwin for 2005 can be found at the bottom of this linked page.  These statistics for condos are for Jan 1, 2005 through Dec 31st, 2005 for solds, expired and withdrawn properties.  The current statistics are as of Feb 22, 2006.  This category also includes "Villa" Homes.  Please note that while the lowest recorded price was for $85,500, finding a condo for that price in Ballwin is very rare and the unit was probably not in very good condition.  The average selling price for a condo in Ballwin was $155,862 and the median price for a condo was $144,400. The earliest record of the Ballwin area is from about 1800, when it was part of 400 acres that were recorded as owned by a John Ball.  In 1837, Ball recorded a plat of his land as a town under the name Ballshow, then changed that a few days later to Ballwin in order to capitalize on the overland mail route between the newly formed capitol of the State, Jefferson City and St Louis.  In 1950, Ballwin was formally incorporated as a village with 750 residents.  For more information on Historical Ballwin, please click here.  The City takes great pride in is history.  For a visit through time, stop by one of the many log homes in the area that are maintained by local Historical Societies, or visit one of the many Civil War reenactments that occur at Vlasis Park during the summer months.