Wentzville’s newest addition is a Sam’s Wholesale Club. “Now we can put a fence around the city,” said Wentzville Mayor Paul Lambi, noting the city has a Schnucks, Dierbergs and Walmart Supercenter. “We won’t have to go anywhere outside the city to get anything done.” As Wentzville's population approaches 30,000 residents, it’s reached a critical mass in which national retailers and restaurant chains sit up and take notice. Wentzville is Missouri’s fastest growing city, having shot from 6,896 people in 2000 to 29,070 in 2010, according to the U.S. Census. That's a whopping 321 percent …

There's got to be something in the water in Wentzville. How else to explain why people flocked to the city that calls itself the "Crossroads of the Nation" over the past ten years? This week's installment of the Patch "Census Stories" series focuses on the this mega-growth. Look for the article on this site April 1. 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 …