Earth City - St. Charles (St. Louis, O'Fallon: buying a house, neighborhoods, buying)

[Joseki]

I am not sure whether these communities are considered part of St. Lious or not, but this seemed the best place to ask.

I just interviewed with a company in Earth City. I have a 14 yo daughter and wife. I am interested in what areas folks would recommend. From previous moves my wife will want to minimize my commute, but can be worn down.

So where nearby would be the best public high schools? Any big commuting bottlenecks to avoid? We would be looking for a house in the 200K-230K range.

From first glance St. Charles (the city, though the county as well) seems like a good bet. What do others think?

[jzim]

I grew up in St. Charles County, in Wentzville. Wentzville is not the same today as it was 20 yrs ago...naturally. But neither is St Charles.

I only knew Earth City to be an Industrial Park, and nothing else. Traffic is a nightmare thru there.

If you're trying to get to Earth City (from St Charles, St Charles county), you will be driving right alongside folks driving to St Louis for their daily commute and likewise coming home each night.

Any job I ever had, I never had to cross the bridge...thankfully. But they have done some things to thin out that bridge traffic each morning with the addition of that interchange near MidRivers mall at StPeters/Cave Springs.

But with the exponential growth in the county, I honestly dont know if it makes a difference.

But honestly, living out in Wentzville, or even further west, is no big deal. Jumping on Hwy 70, you can be to Earth City in 20-25 minutes on a traffic-free drive. That's an easy commute.

I like St Charles (city) also, esp. Old Town. And there are many other nice places in St Chrles city. Personally, I'd stay off Hwy 94, just because it seems like a constant traffic jam, too many lights, and a gazillion subdivisions down that stretch.

jeff

[MissouriHouseHunter]

Hi Joseki,
Although the bridge traffic can be heavy at times, commuting across from ST. Charles County to the Earth City Area isn't as bad as people will have you think. Yes, the Blanchette Bridge can bottleneck at times....but then again so can any major highway. Historic ST. Charles is a beautiful area filled with tree lined streets, wonderful shopping on main street, and numerous restaurants. A good place to start is to visit their website for more information. [url]http://www.historicstcharles.com/visitors.aspx[/url]
New Town St. Charles is another great area currently being built that is designed after Traditional style communities. This resulted in the design of five conpact, walkable and mixed-use neighborhoods surrounding a series of lakes. Each is approximately 1.5 miles across and comprises a mix of residential and commercial uses. Each neighborhood also has a center designated as an open space reserved for public use. For more information, you might like to view the community newspaper here:
http://www.newtownatstcharles.com/NTCourier_2006-09.pdf (broken link)



Best Wishes,
Melissa
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[dataman1]

There is now what is called the Page extension which has an exit
to get to Earth City. THat makes it a 15-20 minute commute from
some of the nicer areas accross the river and makes it so you
don't have to go 270 to 70 (which is a mess if coming from east side
of the river). Living on the other side of the river is better for some
because there are more things to do and it's a much closer drive
downtown. St. Charles is a nice area too, just have what I call
the Ford Country factor. Too many contractors with too much money,
too big of trucks, and too much Busch beer. They have Wal-marts and
chain restaraunts which can be good or bad depending on your taste.
Earth City is a nice place to work. There are tons of restaraunts within
reach (fast food etc.) and a Dave and Busters !! Good luck.

[Kim Setzekorn]

Just wanted to let you know that Earth City is a great location to work in the St. Louis Area! I have been in St. Charles for 30 years now and just love this area. If you are looking for a quick commute to Earth City there are many areas that are close to that. You have 3 bridges to cross the river, 370, 70 and the Page Extension-any areas near those will provide you a quick access! Housing opportunities are abundant. You had also asked about school districts-personally we have made the choice for Parochial schools, but I know the public schools in St. Charles are wonderful also. You have the St. Charles school district, Francis Howell school district, Orchard Farm and alittle further out in the county is the Fort Zumwalt district.

Moderator cut: realtor advertising

Kim Setzekorn

[lynnew]

I have noticed that other folks have pretty much filled you in on St. Charles. I loved living there. The schools in Wentzville are said to be "the best" hands down for miles around. My son went to the Francis Howell school district and he loved it. I also lived on the other side of the river for a while. Earth City is a great place to work but the neighborhoods and schools around there are tougher than what meets the eye. Use caution on the St. Louis side.

[Gina23]

God help you..........................

[Debbie Walus]

St. Charles is definitely the way to go. I live in St. Charles and the St. Charles schools are great and we have houses in all price ranges and ages of homes.

If you need any other info--please email me at dwalus@swbell.net and I'd be happy to chat further. I answered a women a couple years ago from California and she ended up buying a house in my housing area!!

Debbie W.

[mo guy]

St Charles ( with the exception of the historic district) is one of the ugliest sprawling uninteresting cheaply built suburban areas in the country --- it is very racist as most of the residents fled North St Louis County as it was integrated--- look at O'Fallon no matter the builder or the expensive house --- everyone has cracked basements which means those houses will loose value ... St Charles is a wasteland

[FalstaffBlues]

St. Charles is the most important GOP stronghold in Misssouri.