The balance of population continues to shift in Florissant and North County, as the number of minorities is gradually increasing, according to 2010 U.S. Census data. While Florissant’s overall population increased by about three percent, the white population decreased by more than 7,000. Meanwhile, the African-American population gained 7,821 residents. According to the 2000 Census, whites made up 86.9 percent of Florissant’s population. The 2010 Census data puts the figure at 69.3 percent. The African-American population went from 12.2 percent to 26.8 percent of the city’s residents. Past is…

As a recent transplant to the area, I can’t help but feel there is a split personality aspect to life in metro St. Louis. On the one hand, many St. Louisans seem to never have considered living anywhere else. They love their Cardinals, rave about Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, flock to the Saint Louis Zoo, and happily brave Highway 40 and other roadways to commute for work, shopping, school, leisure and life in general. On the other hand, many of  those same St. Louisans--when asked where they are from--will reply sheepishly, almost apologetically, about their hometown. Another part of the area’s…