moving to scott afb. need info

[Juice13610]

It all depends on your preference. I haven't been to Troy but if you like the small town life, something like Troy/Mascoutah/Lebanon would be great. Fairview Heights is very quiet, and the only place you will run in to traffic is on Lincoln Highway or Illinois Street. I live right off of Illinois Street in an apartment and it is very quiet; the crime rate is very low, and I feel very safe everywhere I go. Yet, I am within 5-10 minutes of Target (soon to be 2 Targets), Wal Mart, huge shopping mall, tons of restaurants/retail spots, specialty stores, etc. Anywhere in Fairview will be quiet (unless you are in a huge apartment complex, then I'm not sure), within 5-10 minutes of 2 Metrolink stations, all of the shopping, etc.

[skywaitress18]

I guess it depends on what exactly you are looking for, but I really think any of the previous mentioned areas are really nice. Each town brings something specific to it, Mascoutah has always been known for SAFB families, its a very historic small town and very family orientated. The great thing is that it hasn't yet been affected by the outrageous growth in taxes and housing. So you can find really nice houses there, Freeburg/Smithon are great towns also with excellent schools, but are getting on the higher end of taxes. Columbia is one of the best locations and is also one of those forgotten towns that makes a great place for family and very close to STL. O'Fallon/Fairview/Swansea/Shiloh are on a huge uprise with brand new homes and retail so if you like to be right in the middle of it all thats a good place, but you will pay for it. Belleville is a great town you have to figure out what areas though. Part of West Belleville has some of the richest neighborhoods around, but people get scared off by E. St. Louis being so close. Plus they are building up a lot in that area with new shopping complexes. The Oggles subdivision is a great one, is large but very quiet and all families, elderly, police or military. Good luck!

[mwhisel]

You have many great choices near Scott AFB. Everyone has their favorite town near the base. My personal favorite is New Baden. It is 11 miles to the base, yet right off the interstate for easy access to shopping (15 minutes to the mall) and only 27 miles to downtown St Louis. Great school district, small town feel, affordable housing choices. Whether you rent or buy, choose new construction or resale homes, there is something for everyone. New Baden has an athletic boosters for youth sports and a great park with ball fields, playgorunds, walking/jogging trail, and a city pool for those hot summer days.