Need advice on area south of St. Louis (Oakville, Webster Groves: transplants, apartments)

[StayGold]

Hi. We are looking into relocating to the area south of St. Louis. One of our jobs would most likely be near the Barnhart area.

We are completely unfamiliar with this area of the country. Fortunately I have read mostly positive comments about it.

We are a family of four, including two teenagers who are in high school. Because of this one of our main priorities is finding a safe, good school that they can transfer into without too much trouble. Our kids have only ever attended two very small schools, one Catholic and one public. They both play sports, but that isn't a huge priority for us. We mainly want it to be a good, friendly environment for their last few years at home. We would consider both public and private schools, but I would prefer public.

We have lived in the country and have lived in the city. I think what we prefer is something in between. We like places with a town center, if possible. The area we currently live is dotted with "towns" that are actually just huge areas with housing developments and state highways running down the middle.

I have a concern with living too far from our jobs because of winter weather. Is the weather a big factor in commuting during the winter? Right now our commutes are are 15 minutes and 5 minutes, plus weather hardly ever affects driving conditions. Also - may be a silly question - but how much are tornadoes a concern? Do homes have shelters or basements?

Does anyone have any recommendations for communities we should look into? We will most likely rent until we are more familiar with the area. Also, we can't even decide what type of housing we want. Our two homes have been large enough for our family, 2500+ sq. ft., but we might be ready to scale down in size. We just can't decide yet so we want to consider apartments, condos, and single family homes. It will end up being whatever has the right balance between housing and community.

Thanks so much for any advice you have to offer!

[1greatcity]

Barnhart used to be a small town far outside of St Louis. But urban sprawl into Jefferson County, (or JeffCo as it's commonly called), has reached the Barnhart area, and points further south, so that area is suburban today. Lots of people jokingly refer to the area as "LA"-- which means "Lower Arnold".
From what I've read, the schools are good there. I'd venture to say that the majority of residents in the Barnhart area commute to St Louis City or St Louis County for employment, and that commute is via I-55. There have been a lot of improvements to the interstate over the years, and it's generally not a bad commute. Of course, like any place else, that can change in the event of an accident or bad weather.
Speaking of bad weather-- yes, JeffCo (and all of Missouri for that matter) lies in "tornado alley". Consequently most homes in the area (excluding mobile homes) do have basements.
As far as recommending specific subdivisions or neighborhoods in the Barnhart area, I can't help you. Any JeffCo people out there?

[aragx6]

Hopefully the mod will move this to the St. Louis forum as you'll definitely get better responses there from the locals.

You won't find much in the way of small-town, village center type charm in JeffoCo and South St. Louis County, though there are some solid schools and plenty of newer subdivisions and big box shopping. It's not particularly walkable, quaint or diverse, but only you know how important those things are to you.

Based on your posts, there are definitely some areas of the metro I think you'd like, but they will give you a longer commute than you're used to -- like 25-35 minutes. Traffic outbound on 55 in the morning should be pretty light though, and while yes, there will be some days with longer commutes because of wintry weather, it's really relatively few days.

St. Louis is not like Chicago, where it really does snow, at least something, most days in the heart of winter. St. Louis gets a few storms a year.

Anyway, I have two suggestions:

1. Webster Groves, an inner-ring suburb on the west/southwest side of the city. The downtown is charming, the area is friendly to transplants, and WG has historic Webster University's campus, gorgeous vintage housing stock, and great public schools.

2. Holly Hills, a neighborhood on far south end of the city has adorable homes, is very safe and has a wonderful community vibe. Most people in the area send their kids to one of the many Catholic schools in the area -- the neighborhood schools aren't going to be of the standard you're looking for, though there are some very well respected magnet school options in the city that would also be worth looking at.

Both should put you right around the half hour commute time, but I'm not sure if that's going to be too long for you.

Also tornados: Most everyone who lives in St. Louis has been though many a tornado warning and may even have a "close call" story, but simply because they're such a localized and short phenomenon, few have actually been in a tornado.

The understanding of tornados and the notifications to citizens have gotten tons better since Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt made Twister in the early 90s. There's this one guy who drives this crazy SUV/tank thing directly into the tornados to study them.

Almost all St. Louis area homes have a basement -- my understanding has always been more to do with the frost line than concern over tornados, but they're certainly a nice thing to have.

If ever a tornado warning is called, you'll just head to your basement, away from the windows and wait it out -- often fewer than 15 minutes. A weather radio can be handy, especially if the storm should knock out the power.

Feel free to ask any other follow up questions. We're happy to help!

[Inoxkeeper]

Look into the Rockwood school district around Fenton. You would have a reverse commute and Rockwood Schools are good. Plus St. Paul's is there.

[StayGold]

Thank you all so much for your replies. You have really given us a good starting point. We are looking into the communities mentioned. My husband would be the one making the commute and he's perfectly fine with it. He's more concerned with finding a nice community in which to live. I'm the one who wants him close by. :-)

Any opinions on the areas surrounding Barnhart? Imperial, Pevely, Hurculaneum, Antonia, Festus, etc.?

From what I'm reading it seems the major drawbacks for me would be the winter weather and tornadoes, neither of which concern my husband in the least. Other than these two items, I'm getting the feeling that most people enjoy living in the St. Louis area. It seems that it has a lot to offer in terms of natural beauty, activities, and friendly people and that it's a very nice place to raise a family. Is this opinion correct?

Please understand I have spent lots of time in the west coast, lived by Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico, traveled in Florida and lived in the East, close to NYC and Central New York. All of these places are very different from each other. Anything in the center of the United States is a big mystery to me. So I'm trying to find out as much as I can.

Thanks again for all your help.

[Smtchll]

^ To me, Jefferson County has a lot of natural beauty, but it feels a little hillbilly (lack of a better word) and that's the reputation that those areas have. There are places in St. Louis County that are much better IMO and have the same natural beauty. I think Oakville (and other towns in South St. Louis County) would be good. If you're working in Barnhart, it's only 15-20 minutes away, and it's a reverse commute. Plenty of Catholic schools around that area (more than in Jefferson County) and you're closer to a lot more. Or you could go further into St. Louis County where there are even more options (with more charm & community feel), but the commute would be longer. Still, I think areas around Oakville would be just fine. Bascially, my advice is dont be afraid to look into St. Louis County (dont let the St. Louis part scare you) there are plenty of nice areas, and most of STL County is very safe.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by StayGold

It seems that it has a lot to offer in terms of natural beauty, activities, and friendly people and that it's a very nice place to raise a family. Is this opinion correct?

I sure think so!

I had family who for years lived in Arnold but it's been years since I've been down there, and really far South St. Louis County and especially Jefferson County are areas I know relatively little about.

My grandmother lives in Bonne Terre so the drive down there takes us through the southern chunk of the metro, and other than a short commute and decent schools the area doesn't have a lot to offer and will likely be very low on transplants. That would be my chief concern for your acclimation to the area.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by Smtchll

^ To me, Jefferson County has a lot of natural beauty, but it feels a little hillbilly (lack of a better word)

You pretty much nailed it.
The term hoosier would actually be more appropriate, considering the proximity to South STL.
Of course, there ar quite a few people that dont think that being termed hillbilly is necessarily a bad thing.

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by Smtchll

^ To me, Jefferson County has a lot of natural beauty, but it feels a little hillbilly (lack of a better word) and that's the reputation that those areas have. There are places in St. Louis County that are much better IMO and have the same natural beauty. I think Oakville (and other towns in South St. Louis County) would be good. If you're working in Barnhart, it's only 15-20 minutes away, and it's a reverse commute. Plenty of Catholic schools around that area (more than in Jefferson County) and you're closer to a lot more. Or you could go further into St. Louis County where there are even more options (with more charm & community feel), but the commute would be longer. Still, I think areas around Oakville would be just fine. Bascially, my advice is dont be afraid to look into St. Louis County (dont let the St. Louis part scare you) there are plenty of nice areas, and most of STL County is very safe.

Hell I feel like i'm in St. Louis as soon as I cross the Jefferson County line, but I'm just a country boy anyway.

[thehotmomma]

Barnhart is an excellent area to raise a family. The crime is very low, the cost of living is extremely low. The schools are fantastic. It is a bit on the rural side though. To get the best of both worlds I would suggest Imperial or Arnold. It is a short 8 minute drive to Barnhart. The schools are all Missouri state blue ribbon schools of excellence (Fox C-6 District). There are many grocery stores, retail shops, restaurants etc. The cost of living is still very good. I must warn you that the Arnold taxes are a bit higher but the safety and convienence are all worth it. Good luck and let me know what happens