City of De Soto Online - desotomo.com

A Little Bit About Our City

Incorporated in 1869, the City of De Soto is a third-class city with a population of 6,375 which utilizes the Council-Manager form of government.

The City of De Soto is located in the southeastern part of Missouri, approximately 45 miles south of St. Louis. De Soto is in Jefferson County, which is one of the fastest growing counties in Missouri.

De Soto was part of the Louisiana Territory and was transferred from France to Spain and back to France again and in 1803 was sold to the United States. During that same year, Isaac Van Metre came to the place that was later named De Soto and erected a cabin. A marker now stands to commemorate the first log cabin built in De Soto.

In 1859, the St. Louis Iron Mountain Railroad built a Depot. Later named the Missouri Pacific Railroad, it established a major rail car repair facility in De Soto. After the Civil War came a new era of transportation and De Soto began to flourish.  Throughout the City, shining examples of bygone eras still stand, serving as private residences after 150 years.

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