The themes of the film parallel America's growing political divide, underlying racism, and rise of anti-government sentiment.

[8] The idea for the project germinated from a visit director Phillip Andrew Morton took to his childhood home in Spanish Lake in September 2007.

[9] Finding the house abandoned as well as his school and church, he began to research the history of white flight in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

[12] The first American military installation in the Louisiana Territory, Fort Bellefontaine, was built there after famed explorers Lewis & Clark camped on the land at the start and end of their trip (1804–1806).

African-Americans fleeing the failed Pruitt-Igoe public housing high rises in the city moved into the apartments via the Section 8 voucher system which immediately struck racial tensions in the area, particularly in local schools.

Spanish Lake was quick to receive attention from the St. Louis media, as early as 2012 when many news stations announced its filming.

[9] The strong buzz surrounded the controversial subject matter of white flight, a topic that received little coverage due to its taboo nature.