Do I live on Mo. side or Il side of St. Louis (St. Charles: section 8)

[simplelife38]

I am planning on moving from central Illinois to the St. Louis area. Will be working in St. Louis. I am a single mom with an 12 year old son who rocks in soccer. He is currently going to a private Christian school and I want to be able to continue to do that. However, soccer is very important to both of us, so we want a private school that feels the same. My desires: low crime, smaller town feel, minimal drive to school and work, good churches, reasonable taxes. I am not sure of which side of the river I should relocate to. I do not want to live in or around multifamily housing units. We currently live between 2 different section 8 apartment complexes and the crime rate is steadily increasing. I was thinking price range between $110k-$150k.

[breer23]

I think you would be fine living on either side of the river, but for the price range you're looking at, you might be in the more rural areas (particularly SW of STL in MO, and SE of STL in IL), so that might affect your commute.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

this might get more attention if moved to the St. Louis forum.

There are nice towns on either side of the river. What I've heard is that generally Illinois property is slightly cheaper, but property taxes are slightly higher. Are you working in St. Louis City? You could probably live more rural on the IL side with a shorter commute than if you wanted to live rural on the Missouri side.

There are nice St. Louis City neighborhoods, such as St. Louis Hills, and if he's going to private school I would guess city public schools wouldn't be a big deal. But it sounds like you want a suburb.

I would suggest looking online and finding some schools. Then ask here about the schools. Some other members (I don't know much about schools) may be able to help you.

There's just so many options. Could you be more specific? Thanks.

[linicx]

Having lived in both states and having spent considerable time on both sides of the river, I would say Illinois has a better school system and it certainly has - excluding St. Louis and KC - a better medical system. It is cheaper to live in Missouri. The real estate taxes are less and, by and large, the cost of housing is also cheaper. You gets what you pays for. If it were me I would look at Troy. MO., but it is a long drive to work. If you want to save money, please do live int he county.

[simplelife38]

I will be working in the city. I have searched in multiple places for private schools on the Illinois side, but it appears they are all Catholic, but we are not Catholic. I found a private school on the Missouri side, and they have two locations, one in St. Charles and one in St. Peters. What type of commute would I be looking at if we chose one of those areas? Yet stayed on the Illinois side? Also does anyone know if I can send my child to a private school in another state? Are there any penalties for this?? The school is called Living Word, I think.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Wow. St. Charles to Downtown itself is quite a trip. I wouldn't recommend it. Obviously going from Illinois to St. Charles will be a long trip. Google Maps puts it at half-an-hour (just to the Illinois side, not any particular town), but that's not factoring in traffic. What part of the city are you working on? That would help figure all this out.

I wouldn't recommend it, unless driving 45 minutes one way every day is okay. You'd still have to drive back into the city for work, right? So it would take you probably almost an hour-and-a-half just to and from the school.

If you're sending your kids to St. Charles or St. Peters schools, I would recommend living around that area. You'd still have a long commute, but getting your kids to school wouldn't be so hectic. Even the best kids it's not easy getting them to get up and get to school on time. And you have to factor in things like weather, which could slow your kids getting to school, and traffic of course. It just sounds like a stretch.

If you want to live on the Illinois side I would recommend a school in Illinois, or closer to St. Louis City. No offense, but Illinois to St. Charles to Downtown back to St. Charles then back to Illinois just sounds a bit crazy.

Are there no non-Catholic private schools in Illinois? There are private schools in the city, but I don't know how many are Catholic.

If the school is your biggest concern, and you really like this St. Charles/St. Peters school, then choose it. But I personally would suggest moving closer to the school. Just my two cents.

You probably could compromise and move someplace between Downtown and St. Charles.

St. Charles may be more expensive to buy a house in than some of the Illinois side, but you'd save a bit on gas, though the commute into the city is still long. No offense, but living in Illinois and taking your son to school in St. Charles just seems a bit crazy.