Question about living in St.louis (St. Louis, Chesterfield: real estate, apartments, renter)

[St.Louisterp]

I'm moving to St.louis from the D.C. area and just had a few questions about some areas to live. I'll be working in Maryland heights, and have found a nice apt. complex but have also found a nice house in Benton Park w/ some roomates. Problem is I do not know to much about either of the areas. Any insight and suggestions would be very helpfull. Thanks a lot.

[laurenlolasmom32]

I would not live in Benton Park due to the construction that's taking place on hwy 40/64, the commute will not be nice! In regards to living, it really depends on your age and what you like and if you desire to be nearby work. ( I suggest you do as the main hwy 40/64 is going to be closed for 2 years)

As for Maryland Heights, not to sound snobby but I would not live there and on top of that I will tell you if you like to go out to the bars and have a drink or two that M-Heights police is the worst within St. Louis, and I speak from experience!

Creve Coeur is very nice, lots of apartment communities, Clayton is awesome, put very pricey, Chesterfield too is quite nice and you can take Clarkson that leads into Olive to Maryland Heights.

You can let me know if you have any questions or feel free to send me a message, as I was once a renter prior to purchasing a home and we've lived everywhere!

[Bobster]

Hi there:

Benton Park and Maryland Heights are worlds apart! Benton Park is very urban and while it's a cool area with lots to do...as a matter of fact, I just did some research on it for my web site (I can't get the link thing to work here, but it's Valuelistre.com, then Information on St. Louis, then communities and neighborhoods, then Benton Park....it would be a nasty commute by St. Louis standards..

Maryland Heights is pretty suburban in nature and Laura's mom was right about the cops!

There are all kinds of places closer to Maryland Heights that I would consider before Benton Park due to the commute. I own a real estate company and would love to help you find a place if you like. Drop me a line.

Bob

[St.Louisterp]

Well - I'm 22 and was thinking of looking to be around more singles etc/ rather then ending up in suburbia. How bad would the traffic be? I only am considering benton because of gthe price/people, but if the traffic is gonna be horrific....Anywho I guess what I'm looking for a is a resonably safe/and is around young proffesionals.

Thanks,

Alex

[laurenlolasmom32]

In regards to rent, please advise so I could narrow it down for you, I'm thinking that you probably want a 1 bdr, and this is going to start at the low end of 500.00 per month, and can go up from there pending on location and ammenities.

To name a few, I would suggest Oak Forest Apartments, they are in Creve Coeur and 5 minutes from Maryland Heights, located on Lindbergh, and I had a guy friend that lived there and it was very nice for the money, I stayed there many times and the rent was 535.00 per month. They have a laundry facility, 2 actually and 2 pools, 1 adult 1 family, and a pretty nice kitchen and patio area, and if you get a 2 bdr they have a washer and dryer in the unit, and those go for like 650.00 per month.

Westpark apartments is good for your age, lots of parties and drinking by the pool, knew someone prior to marriage that lived there, fun place as the same with Westpoint apartments.

There are several to choose from, these are just a few in the West Port Area, I suggest you go to ApartmentGuide.com - apartments for rent, apartment finder and then go to St. Louis and then the West Port Area.

[laurenlolasmom32]

Oh yes, I almost forgot about the Pavillion apartments and The Colony, as these are minutes from Maryland Heights and located in the West Port area. Also wanted to mention that I have a 24yr. old nephew that just graduated from Law School, he will be working in Clayton w/ a firm and he moved to Chesterfield to Baxter Crossing which is very nice and there are lots of people in that age range that you could meet and hang by the pool with, another property is Westmont Apartments, they are right down the street from Baxter Crossings and are owned by the same company.

I had a girlfriend that lived in Baxter Crossings before both of us were married w/ children and she had a ball out there.

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by St.Louisterp

Well - I'm 22 and was thinking of looking to be around more singles etc/ rather then ending up in suburbia. How bad would the traffic be? I only am considering benton because of gthe price/people, but if the traffic is gonna be horrific....Anywho I guess what I'm looking for a is a resonably safe/and is around young proffesionals.

Thanks,

Alex

I'll be the first to disagree with everything you have seen here.

This is a 22 year old coming from The District. Say no to the suburbs and yes to a commute. You'll thank me later. Unfortunately St. Louis is a suburban sprawl, live in your car instead of public transportation kind of town. Nothing to compare to the Metro.

I would look downtown, Central West End, Soulard, Dog Town, South City, The Grove, ....if commute is bad...not bad at all by D.C. standards imo....but if it is not what you want....look in Brentwood, U.City or Clayton for suburbs closer to the city.

Any other questions, let me know.

Do not live in far out suburbs. Only question is the new highway construction which will be a pain to you because almost everyone in St. Louis drives.

Weather btw is slightly cooler year round than D.C. but very similar weather.

[deadliestformula]

Central West End...... there are affordable places and it is a little bit of a trendy neighborhood.....U City has it's good and it's bad......but is equally as trendy............Maryland Heights isn't bad.....I looked at apartments a few years ago at the Pavillion Apts....One of the perks there is that they have alot of Budweiser recreational sports leagues on site......so the activities do cater to a younger crowd.....And for people complaining of traffic......it's bad in some places, but even our bad would be considered GOOD in many cities.....

[kermit_the_frog]

I grew up in St. Louis and then moved to DC for six years and just moved back in January. In my opinion, if you want to live in an exciting area of the city and commute to Maryland Heights, that is very doable; it will be a reverse commute. I would look into University City; you could then head north on several roads (Hanley, I-70) to get to Page Avenue, which is the main thoroughfare of Maryland Heights besides I-70 and I-270.

In general, I know lots of people who think they are experts on where to live in St. Louis. MANY neighborhoods are changing drastically and are improving faster than many people's (outdated) perceptions. I did have a friend in Benton Park and their car got broken into several times. That said, Benton Park has some of the best new and older restaurants in the city (Niche, Fraziers, Sydney Street Cafe, etc), plus it's so close to Soulard, Lafayette Square South Grand and Downtown. One thing about commuting to Maryland Heights from Benton Park is that you could hop on I-55, which turns into I-70, which goes straight out to Maryland Heights. Avoid at all costs a commute that will put you on I-270; that road is just a complete mess--much like its counterpart in DC.

Speaking as someone who just lived in DC for most of my 20's, do NOT live further out from the city that I-170. Yes, yes, there are wonderful communities out farther, but they are family oriented suburban sprawl. I live in Chesterfield, and after having lived in DC, I hate it. Good luck, and if you need more advice, let me know. Also, Maryland Heights is not really what you're looking for in a place to live. Westport Plaza has bars and clubs, but after living in DC, you would not like them. When I'm in Soulard, CWE, South Grand, U City, Downtown Washington Ave, it reminds me of the the East Coast.

BTW, Fishtacos' above advice is very good.

[Tracy2007]

I've lived in Benton Park for two years, so I thought I'd weigh in here. Fishtacos and Kermit have given good advice that I agree with...based on what you've said, I think living in the city would be a good match for you. Also, I think you'd really like Benton Park. As it's already been mentioned, there are many wonderful restaurants here, and it's very close to other fun neighborhoods like Soulard, Lafayette Square and CWE. Also, I've never had any crime issues, and my car has never been broken into. In fact, according to the city crime stats, Benton Park has less of these incidents than surrounding areas like Soulard or CWE. Good luck with your decision!