City Profile: St. Joseph, Mo pursues economic vitality

St. Joseph, Mo., pursues economic vitality

By LAUREN CAGGIANO | The Municipal

Historically, St. Joseph, Mo., was a stopping off point for settlers on their way to the West Coast. Pictured is an antique wooden wagon on display outside of the Pony Express National Museum. (Shutterstock.com)

Like many former Rustbelt towns, St. Joseph, Mo., is straddling both the past and future. According to Tama Wagner, the director of the Community Alliance of St. Joseph, the city of about 75,000 is at what she considers at a “crossroads.” The group represents entities from both the public and private sectors who share a vested interest in the economic vitality of the area.

Wagner said this metaphorical junction is steeped in a rich history woven into the community’s narrative. “We were kind of the stopping off point before settlers moved to the West Coast,” she said. “So, we did the outfitting for the wagon train, that sort of thing. We were a very prosperous community, and our downtown reflects that. Our housing reflects that.” However, as time went on, the city lost popuTama Wagner’s organization is looking to what’s next for St. Joseph, Missouri. (Photo provided) lation, from 120,000 at its peak to the current level, she said. Aging housing stock and infrastructure haven’t helped its cause, either. Still, despite the population loss, Wagner said the city is making up for it in other ways. “We are the third-largest exporter of products in the state of Missouri, so just behind Kansas City and St. Louis,” she said. We tend to be agriculture-based. We have a corn plant and a Tyson (Foods) plant.”

On the note of production, Wager said a cereal company now has a presence in St. Joseph. In her words, “we’re beginning to find it’s because we have such a strong agricultural base…that a lot of value-added companies are beginning to look at us. So that’s very productive.”

In a similar vein, she said the city has an incubator at the local university, and her group is working with it on encouraging new agriculture developments and ag tech startups to consider St. Joseph as a potential location.

Well-paying jobs might not be enough to attract people to the area, though, if you ask Wagner. That’s why St. Joseph is competing with other cities and towns in the region for population growth.

“We are about 30 minutes from Platte City, which is on the northern tip of Kansas City. And I think it is the fastest-growing area in Missouri, likely in part because the housing stock is new. They invest and fund their schools very well. And so, I think it’s very attractive for a lot of executives and leadership to live in north Kansas City because it’s relatively easy to commute 30 minutes on an interstate highway. As a result, we’re facing the challenge that leaders who once lived in St. Joseph—and were part of the decision-making process—are no longer around.”

With respect to decisions, Wagner knows today’s policies impact future generations. That’s why she’s proud of one recent win in particular.

“We expanded early childhood education within the district,” she said. “And the Early Education Center is moving to a stand-alone school, where early education will be integrated with children at all levels, in one location. And so that was very exciting.”

But a program is only as good as the workforce behind it. To that end, Wagner said they advocated for a program called “Grow our Own Teachers,” which seeks to recruit educators at every level of educational attainment.

Bryan Carter, who serves as the city manager, said St. Joseph is making gains in other areas, too. St. Joseph is home to a growing agricultural base. (Photo provided)

The St. Joseph Park and Parkway System is a national historic district located in St. Joseph, Mo. The system ribbons through the city for 26 miles. (Photo provided)

“We’ve had some major sewer infrastructure projects that have been completed over the last few years,” he said. “Of course, we’re an old city so we had an old sewer system that merited some pretty significant upgrades. That took a lot of attention.”

Speaking of improvements, Carter said St. Joseph is also in the midst of work on the River Bluff Trails Park.

“This is a new park that was funded through a hotel-motel tax that we’re anticipating will draw people from around the region. It takes advantage of river bluffs along the Missouri River that were not previously utilized.”

Carter is bullish on the downtown as an asset, too. Several years ago, the downtown was falling in disrepair and was an afterthought for many residents. It was when the city council started investing in the urban core that things started to change for the better. As private development tends to follow public investment, Carter said he’s seen interest from local business owners that’s resulted in a revived downtown business community.