Kirkwood exists because of the railroad. The Pacific Railroad reached the area in 1853. The first train arrived on May 11. Regular service started July 19. The town is named for James Pugh Kirkwood, the engineer who located and built the line. The city incorporated in 1865. It was one of the first commuter railroad suburbs in the St. Louis region.
The current station went up in 1893. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Amtrak still stops there. You can hear the train from some porches.
Downtown is a grid of about sixteen walkable blocks. Kirkwood Road and Jefferson still work as a Main Street: hardware, dinner, a drink, a Saturday errand. Meletio's, Billy G's, and Kirkwood Station Brewing are the places people actually use. Barre STL opened a second studio at 110 E. Jefferson on July 18, 2026, in the old Paperdolls space.
Kirkwood R-7 is a compact district with one high school. Addresses that say "near Kirkwood" on a portal can sit outside the district. Check the house. Webster Groves is the next walkable town over. Ballwin and Des Peres are in the same county and usually need a car for dinner.
Why people stay
- You can do hardware, dinner, and a class downtown on a Tuesday without getting back in the car.
- Amtrak still stops at the 1893 station.
- Kirkwood R-7 is the line a lot of families came here for.
- You can walk to dinner and still have a county yard on many streets.
- Webster Groves is next door if you want another walkable town.
Homes here
Homes for sale Kirkwood MO and houses for sale Kirkwood MO often cost more than a similar ranch in Ballwin because of downtown and Kirkwood R-7. Condos for sale Kirkwood are a smaller slice of the same grid. A Kirkwood realtor checks the district line and the walk to Jefferson. Homes for sale Webster Groves MO are the nearest comparison. The St. Louis County guide has the wider map.