young couple moving to Columbia...where to live??? (St. Louis, Boonville: houses, rental)

[giakitty]

hello!
my boyfriend and i are most likely moving to columbia in a few months so that he can attend law school at UM. we currently live in columbus, OH and have never been to missouri so we don't really know any neighborhoods or decent places to live. we're 22, have no kids, and are both in college. we would like to find something similar to german village here in columbus, OH...basically an old, historical neighborhood with tons of charm. we're not really into the new developments and cookie-cutter apartments so an "older" neighborhood would be perfect. does anything like that exist in columbia or any near towns? we'd like to stay relatively close to UM but wouldn't mind commuting to UM. also, we're most likely renting, but buying isn't out of the question.

basically, just wondering if anyone could suggest any cool, "hip", historical places to live?!

sorry for the length/wordiness/rambling!

thanks!

[Marie'sBees]

Hi there! I used to live in Columbia, I think you and your husband are going to love it! But I think you should get used to calling it "MU" because that's what everyone knows it as.

Downtown Columbia is very charming, and I know many married college students who live there and love it. I think it's as close as you can get to what you're looking for. It can get rowdy at night close to the nightclubs and bars; after all Columbia is 100% a college town! Very quiet though when the kids are on break.

I've known many people who moved to Columbia from other states, and I have never heard any of them say anything negative about the place. Try
ColumbiaTribune.com | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, MO and check out their news about goings on and places to rent. Good luck!

[distantviews]

Don't live downtown, you will regret that forever. Try the Southwest , deep southwest. The homes there are nice and "older" but beautiful

[TGS]

There really isn't anything similar to German Village in Columbia. The closest areas that are similar are some neighborhoods in St. Louis or Hermann, which are way out of commuting range. Maybe Boonville will have something, but since your boyfriend is a law student, it isn't a great idea to live too far away.

There are some historic areas with places for rent surrounding the campus, but those apartments are mainly geared towards undergraduates who don't care as much about having clean and safe structures, or whether or not they are disturbing their neighbors with parties at 3 a.m. The area west of campus, west of Providence Road and south of Broadway will probably be your best bet, though you won't be walking to shops or restaraunts in that area. There are a few really nice apartments above the shops downtown that might work, but they aren't on the market as often.

Most graduate students rent pretty generic duplex areas in the southwest area of town. It is not as if they are spending much time at home anyway. The first year of law school, expect your boyfriend to be at the law library most of the time.

[jrhartwick]

I know there are a few lofts for rent right now but those are over near Walts Bike Shop, so not really walking distance to campus. I did see a sign on the old Central Dairy building today that there are luxury apartments for rent above it. Always loved those cute apartments above the stores in the old downtown area. TGS is right, I would try to find a rental in the Old Southwest area or near the Columbia Library. Or, also look at the Benton Stephens neighborhood. But, not really within walking distance. Biking yes.

[afk211]

Yeah - a law student! I'm currently a 2L at Mizzou - I hope your boyfriend likes it!

I'm married, and we also wanted a place in a charming neighborhood. However, we looked around and ended up renting a "cookie cutter" duplex at Keenes Edge, on the east side close to Columbia Regional Hospital (a few months later, we bought a house on the southwest side and left the duplex). We found that most of the charming, historical houses have been split into apartments and the neighborhoods are crawling with undergrads. The old SW is a beautiful area, but realistically it is nearly impossible to walk to the law school from there (it would probably be 15-20 minutes by bike). If you can't find a loft right downtown, then the best advice I can give you is to find a nice apartment complex that does not allow undergrads (there are lots of them) and forego the charm of an old place!