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Across the country, municipalities and county governments are paying attention to the state of first suburbs. A first suburb is an older community in the inner-ring, outside of a major central city. What makes an inner-ring suburb a "first" suburb is that newer suburbs developed along the same pattern, but farther away from the central core. Great location and a diverse population, including an increase in the immigrant population, are assets of first suburbs. However, these communities are quickly beginning to face the challenges that are already present in central cores including an aging population, aging housing stock, struggling business district, and a mostly built-out environment.

Affton, a first suburb, is struggling with many of these same issues. At the 2000 U.S. Census, over one-third of Affton's head of household population was age 65 or older--the highest percentage of seniors in the state of Missouri. Nationally, the percentage of elderly in first suburbs is increasing at a quick rate and is higher than central cities and newer suburbs. Also similar to national trends, the Affton community has a large percentage of immigrants. There are estimated to be between 2,000 and 4,100 New American Bosnian residents in the Affton community.

Common to most first-suburbs, the majority of homes in Affton were built in the 1950s or earlier with two bedrooms and one bathroom floor plans. Many homes are 1,200 square feet or smaller, limiting the number of homes available that are considered "move-up" homes, or those with one or two additional bedrooms and bathrooms. This gap in available housing style pushes growing families out of the Affton community and into larger, newer suburbs. This trend can create a burden on the Affton and Bayless school districts. In real estate, current buyer preferences include homes with three or more bedrooms, two or more bathrooms, and a two-car garage. Unfortunately, the majority of homes in Affton do not fit the potential buyer's wish list.

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