oakville vs. affton (St. Louis: school, subdivisions, safer)

[druinder]

First off let me make this crystal clear. I actually do agree that the Bosnian people are good hard working people that take pride in their work as well as their property. However, now that they are moving from the Bevo Mill area into the Affton community the gangs too are moving into the area (hence the gang graffiti signs that are clearly displayed in some of the subdivisions you drive through).

I grew up in Affton and watched it's decline over many years. So I can honestly say it's starting to get really bad there. Maybe it has something to do with older people passing away causing the change, IDK. What I do know is that from what I've witnessed over the years it's most definitely has changed for the worst.

[flynavyj]

Considering i haven't heard of any major crime increases revolving around Bosnian "gang life" i'd have to wonder if the "tagging" you've seen is more a result of a bored kid with a spray can, than an actual gang.

A friend of mine from grade school purchased a home in Affton recently, and seems to love it there. His comments are that they have one of the oldest populations (in terms of age) in the St. Louis Metro, low crime, and close proximity to St. Louis City...All of which are win/win's for him...but i'm sure there are some concerns, but all those can be fixed with good residents. Personally, it seems like most crime situations move in, as good people move away.

[moorlander]

Bosnian Gangs...really?

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by arkalto4

we are looking to move into one of these areas but we honestly dont know that much about them.. which is a better neighboorhood. which has a better school system. which is safer??? thanks for the input

I think it depends on your tastes. Oakville is newer, so the houses are going to be newer, more suburban. Affton is an older, inner-ring suburb.

I would think Oakville schools would be ranked higher than Affton, but I'm not sure.

I've never heard about crime being a big issue in either area.

[loki03xlh]

I lived in Oakville, near the high school for about 6 months. It was nice, quiet, typical suburb. I would of considered staying in the area, but the commute was too far for me. Yes, the area is growing, a lot of the housing stock is newer, or brand new. If I had a family, I would consider it more, as a single guy, too boring for my taste.

[mystic97z]

i love the comments about afton "architecture", they are small brick city houses without garages and alleys.

if you want that go for afton, if you want to pull into a "subdivision" there are plenty of them in oakville.

[BoomBoxing]

^So what? Small brick homes have more charm than 90% of McMansions with 3 car garages that take up half the front of the house. And some people would rather live in a "neighborhood" instead of a "subdivision". Oakville looks exactly like every other suburban town all over this country. At least affton has some unique characteristics. There is absolutely nothing unique, interesting, historical, or charming about Oakville. If someone doesn't care about any of those things (which unfortunately is most Americans) than Oakville is fine. If someone wants something more than that.... Affton would be a better choice...or pretty much anywhere else in St. Louis county/city.

[stlcitygirl]

^Boom, don't waste your time, 99% of Mystics posts are ridiculous. Remember, this is the guy that wouldn't get closer to the city than Imperial

[BoomBoxing]

Lol oh right...

[flynavyj]

Some folks like newer homes, some folks like older homes and those are just the facts of life, and often there is a tradeoff between newer homes and subdivisions as opposed to neighborhoods. When i was a kid, i grew up in a gigantic 1950's super subdivision of around 1500-2000 homes. What i liked about it, was that even though we were a subdivision, you had a very "neighborhood" feel, including 2 churches, 2 private schools, and 3 public schools all within the subdivision. Not to mention access to 3 parks, baseball fields, soccer fields, and a neighborhood owned/operated pool, a movie theater, grocery store, and lots of little shopping all within walking distance. Unfortunately the airport purchased the entire subdivision for the new runway, destroying an entire side of Bridgeton. I considered it a very interesting way to build a subdivision though, and something that you typically don't see anymore, but anyway....people still need newer homes, and often their needs have changed from the 3 BR, 1 car garage of the 1940's.