Lake Saint Louis - what about it? (St. Louis, St. Charles: transplants, house)

[robertpolyglot]

In driving across the US using I-70, I recall the off-ramps for Lake Saint Louis. I remember looking over there, and it looked pretty darn nice. Does it have a good reputation? Where do its residents work - burbs or downtown? Is it only reachable by car or does rail/bus go out there? I know it's not "old money" Saint Louis, but it definitely looks like a desirable area. Thoughts from locals or others in the know?

[billiken]

I haven't spent much time in LSL at all--I know one person who lives there; she spends nearly all her time traveling around the world for her job, but the company is located in nearby Dardenne Prairie. I wouldn't really call it a highly desirable area, mostly because it's pretty far away from the city, at least by STL standards, and the school district is just ehhh. I'm guessing the motivation to live out there is the lake though, and not really proximity to anything. St Charles County, where Lake St Louis is located, is known to be anti-public transit, so only reachable by car.

[pianist1972]

Well, it's desirable for those who want a secluded, upper-middle class environment and perhaps don't drive to St. Louis to work, though I am sure enough do. There's lots of big box and shopping in booming O'Fallon next door, and there is a more upscale shopping center in LSL with a Von Maur (upscale dept. store mostly in Upper Midwest). It's not my cup of tea, but it works for some I guess.

[aragx6]

Most of the people I've known live in Lake St. Louis are either retired or work somewhere in St. Charles county. It would be quite a haul to downtown. Definitely no public transit to speak of in the area. St. Charles city does have a small bus program called SCAT (not sure the old white guy who named that, but someone should have told them to look that up on Urban Dictionary :P) but it doesn't go out nearly that far.

It's a nice enough area and the homes along the lake are quite expensive, but the area is definitely not entirely upper middle class -- there are some modest properties out that way as well -- mostly on the western edge where 64 and 70 diverge no where near the lake. It's certainly somewhat secluded, but if you enjoy boating it's a nice area. Their motto is "It's like being on vacation everyday" which is pretty apt.

[DinsdalePirahna]

I found it to be the closest thing to California Living in the Saint Louis Area. If you love the outdoors and boating it is the place to be.

By CA standards, its a very easy commute into the city so that was never an issue with me. The people were great (a lot of transplants) and there were plenty of activities to keep you amused. Living in LSL made living in Missouri tolerable.

Many residents work in O'Fallon, are retired or work at home.

Public transit in most of St. Charles County is pretty weak. Schools seem OK. Most of the kids I met seemed to have it together, with huge independent streaks.

The down side is that there are very few venues for evening activity except for a ton of franchise beaneries.

[robertpolyglot]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I found it to be the closest thing to California Living in the Saint Louis Area.

Living in LSL made living in Missouri tolerable.

Funny about the CA comparison, that's sort of what I was thinking...just looking at the place...felt like either Valencia or Mission Viejo, as they were intended to be.

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by robertpolyglot

Funny about the CA comparison, that's sort of what I was thinking...just looking at the place...felt like either Valencia or Mission Viejo, as they were intended to be.

I find it more than a little ironic that a run of the mill suburban housing development on a small man made reservoir draws comparisions to the natural beauty of California.

Either California isn't that great or I'm missing something. I have nothing against Lake St. Louis, but I've lived here all my life and I've never met anyone who actually lives there or who gives it a second thought except when passing it by on the highway.

[stlcitygirl]

I think LSL is a very nice community, very pretty, safe, great for outdoor recreation. It is far from the city center, but if you dont care about that, its probably perfect

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by MUTGR

I find it more than a little ironic that a run of the mill suburban housing development on a small man made reservoir draws comparisions to the natural beauty of California.

Either California isn't that great or I'm missing something. I have nothing against Lake St. Louis, but I've lived here all my life and I've never met anyone who actually lives there or who gives it a second thought except when passing it by on the highway.

There are actually two lakes there. The lower lake is a pretty good size (and large enough for Cabin sailboats, and hold the Olympic Festival Rowing and Kayaking Events back inthe day) the smaller lake is perfect for families with children that want to learn boat handling skills. Plus they have an awesome club house that rivals many country clubs.

With the absence of cookie cutter homes, LSL is far from a run of the mil suburban development.

Nothing in Missouri compares to the natural beauty of California. My comparison to California was that many of its residents are very laid back, the lakes make it seem like a nautical community. People seem to take care of themselves there. Unlike other parts of the Saint Louis Region, where you see a lot of redneck-type personal behavior, you you see a lot of people running, cycling, playing tennis and other outdoor activities.

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Unlike other parts of the Saint Louis Region, where you see a lot of redneck-type personal behavior, you you see a lot of people running, cycling, playing tennis and other outdoor activities.

I live in Kirkwood. People are outside all of the time running, cycling, playing tennis and other outdoor activities. I watch them as I sit on my porch engaging in my redneck-type personal behavior.