Webster Groves

Webster Groves, MO: The Original "Queen of the Suburbs"

Webster Groves and Kirkwood have played football on Thanksgiving morning since 1928, the last rivalry of its kind still standing west of the Mississippi. It's a fitting tradition for a town that's called itself the nicest suburb in St. Louis since 1892: 5.9 square miles of tree-lined streets, formed when five small communities merged into one in 1896.

Quick facts:

• 5.9 square miles, about 24,010 residents
• Formed in 1896 from five communities: Webster, Old Orchard, Webster Park, Tuxedo Park, and Selma
• Nicknamed the "Queen of the Suburbs" since 1892
• Home to Webster University's main campus

The Rivalry

Every Thanksgiving morning, Webster Groves plays Kirkwood in the Turkey Day Game, a tradition that dates back to 1898 and has been played on Thanksgiving specifically since 1928. It's the last Thanksgiving high school football game still played west of the Mississippi, and it's drawn coverage from ESPN and Sports Illustrated along the way. Neither town lets the other forget the score.

Old Orchard

Old Orchard, one of the five original communities that became Webster Groves, is now the neighborhood's walkable business district: independent shops, restaurants, and a stretch of storefronts that's been reinvesting in itself for years rather than waiting on one big redevelopment to change everything at once.

The Schools and Webster University

The Webster Groves School District anchors the town, and Webster University's main campus sits right in it, which brings a steady flow of students, faculty, and public lectures and performances into a place that otherwise feels entirely residential.

A Little History

Long before it was Webster Groves, this was known as Dry Ridge, granted as a Spanish land concession in 1802. Five communities, Webster, Old Orchard, Webster Park, Tuxedo Park, and Selma, grew up around the railroad and eventually merged into one city in 1896 to share services and government. One of those communities, Webster Park, had already been marketing itself as the "Queen of the Suburbs" since 1892, promising country air with a train ride to downtown jobs, and the nickname stuck to the whole town.

The Houses

Tree-lined streets carry everything from modest cottages to substantial older homes, a wider range than a lot of St. Louis suburbs offer in one place. It's a town that's attracted families across a real range of budgets since the 1890s, not just in the years since.

Who Webster Groves Is For

• Families who want a well-regarded school district and a genuine college-town feel
• Buyers who want walkable shopping and dining without a downtown-sized price tag
• Buyers who want housing variety, from starter cottages to larger historic homes

Why Work with the Dawn Griffin Group in Webster Groves

Partner with a team that's earned it: three-time A-List winner for Best Real Estate Agent in St. Louis (2024, 2025, and 2026), with decades of experience and over 1,000 successful transactions across St. Louis's close-in suburbs, Webster Groves included.