safe neighbourhood in st. louis (St. Charles, Kirkwood: apartment, crime rate, house)

[smithajoy]

Hi,
We are moving from NJ to st. louis, MO next month. Could some one please suggest a safe and affordable (rent) neighbourhood. I've been reading all threads and st. louis seems kinda scary.

Smitha

[flynavyj]

What threads are those? This forum shows nothing but love for St. Louis, and there are plenty of great neighborhood recomendations with everything from urban revival to country living.

[ProgMichael]

I'm a Chicagoan, so maybe I'm not the best person to ask, but I just wanted to weigh in:

-St. Louis's reputation as the "Crime Capital of America" is vastly overrated. Using common sense will get you as far as in any major city. The areas that suffer from high crime are, for the most part, removed from the safer neighborhoods.
-Have a cousin who moved there from Chicago. She really enjoys it down there. She lives in Central West End which is one of the really hot neighborhoods for young professionals. Never has had a safety problem and she lives about 2 blocks south of Delmar which a lot of people seem to consider the demarcation line between thriving and poverty.
-I've visited St. Louis multiple times, and it's one of my favorite cities to visit, if not my very favorite. Tons of things to do (more free things to do than any US city other than Washington DC). Never had anything resembling a safety issue. Just the occasional bum asking for change, and what city doesn't have that?

I don't know what's considered affordable to you, but St. Louis is always at the top of the list of most affordable places to live in the country. Low rents, cheap to buy, and your dollar goes really far in St. Louis compared to other cities, ESPECIALLY compared to the northeast.

Good luck! And don't be afraid, you're in good hands with the St. Louisians in this forum.

[glamatomic]

Hi Smith!

Please don't think St. Louis is "kinda scary". St. Louis is like any other city in America- it has it's good parts and bad parts. What statistically warps the crime rate in St. Louis is the fact that the city boundaries are very small- and due to a decision long ago they are 'fixed'- therefore it hasn't been able to annex and expand as other cities throughout the country have done. The crime statistics essentially are for the 'central core' of the city. All of the 'suburbs' are either individual municipalities or unincorporated county and don't come into the equation when statisticians are working out the crime rate. If they did, our crime rate would be 'average' amongst U.S. cities.

I moved to St. Louis from Australia, absolutely loved it, and after a few years in North Carolina I can't wait to move back this year. Like ProgMichael said, St. Louis is ridiculously affordable. You get a lot of "bang for your buck" in St. Louis, but don't forsake any historical or cultural amenities you come to expect out of a city.

Like any city of course, there are good areas and bad areas. The general rule of thumb is to avoid North City with the possible exception of Old North St. Louis which has been undergoing gentrification in recent years. There is a fabulous blog here: St. Louis City Talk which details the demographics, history and rundown of each of St. Louis's neighborhoods.

If you didn't want to live in the city itself, there are plenty of wonderful incorporated towns or 'suburbs' in the county, within 20-30 minutes commute of downtown St. Louis. I used to live in Maryland Heights and would move back there in a heartbeat if I could afford to buy there. Creve Coeur is also great, in addition to Kirkwood, Webster Groves, etc. It just entirely depends on your budget and what you're looking for in an apartment.

If you possibly could, let us know your budget, the size of apartment / house you'd like, and what your maximum commute time would be, in addition to whether public transport is a must have for you. Also, what amenities you desire. This would make it easier for us to hone in on your ideal area

Good Luck! And I hope you love St. Louis as much as I do

Amitiés,
Amber

[1greatcity]

Just wanted to point out that crime statistics can be very misleading. There are many factors which can easily skew the numbers, such as the rate at which crimes are reported, and the varied ways municipalities count/categorize crimes.
Then there are areas with high daytime populations-- central business districts, areas near universities, etc.-- where the crime stats are always skewed because they're based on the area's resident population. For example, there may be 100,000 people in downtown St. Louis on any given weekday, but the number of crimes reported is then compared to the downtown resident population of approximately 8000. This is why downtown's crime rate seems so high; it's not based on the actual number of people coming into the area daily, only on the number who sleep there at night.

[Dawn10am]

The only part of St. Louis that's kinda scary is North City, but that whole part of town is very easy to avoid and there's really no reason to ever go up there. Most of St. Louis is fairly safe as long as you exercise common sense and a little street smarts. No worries.

[Amercity]

Try Crondolet or holly hills maybe even the hill. Probably the quietest neighbourhoods in the city.
If you want to live near clubs, bars, entertainment etc you would want to live in Central west end or Midtown.

[STLCityMike]

In addition to safety, are there specific attributes you are seeking? A more urban / walk-able neighborhood with shops, restuarants, bars .. or a more suburban setting? The city does offer both.

[smithajoy]

We prefer the suburbs. gated community will be nicer.

[inahandbasket]

Originally Posted by smithajoy

We prefer the suburbs. gated community will be nicer.

Why not look at St. Charles or Lake Saint Louis? How gated do you want to be?