Job at Boeing - Good places to live? (St. Louis, St. Charles: real estate, houses)

[jmunk77]

Hello everyone. I just accepted a job with Boeing in St. Louis and will be moving from Wichita, KS. I am looking for a good community for myself and the family. My wife and I are in our late twenties and have two children ages 1 and 4 and a dog. We would ideally like an area with good parks and activities for the kids as well as a good school system. We are looking for a 4 bed 2 bath under $175,000.

We have looked at Hazelwood and Florissant but have heard differing opinions on the area with some people suggesting that these areas are in decline. My wife is now very interested in St. Charles, St. Peters, and O'Fallon, but I worry about the commute time to these areas.

So a few questions. What are your thoughts on Hazelwood and Florissant? Are these good areas? Is the real estate value going down? What about the towns in St. Charles county? Google suggest that it takes almost 30 minutes to get to Berkeley from O'Fallon/ St. Peters area, is that accurate? What about during rush hour? Any other areas we should be considering or anything else we should be taking into account as we look?

Thanks for your input.

[jribe]

Hi,
two of my neighbors work at Boeing (engineers)- i live in Brentwood. It's a great little community- very family oriented. You don't say the size of house you are looking for but there are a lot of houses in brentwood with finished basement for under $200,000. I'm not familiar with the other towns as i'm from out of state.

good luck in your search!

[inahandbasket]

Originally Posted by jmunk77

Hello everyone. I just accepted a job with Boeing in St. Louis and will be moving from Wichita, KS. I am looking for a good community for myself and the family. My wife and I are in our late twenties and have two children ages 1 and 4 and a dog. We would ideally like an area with good parks and activities for the kids as well as a good school system. We are looking for a 4 bed 2 bath under $175,000.

We have looked at Hazelwood and Florissant but have heard differing opinions on the area with some people suggesting that these areas are in decline. My wife is now very interested in St. Charles, St. Peters, and O'Fallon, but I worry about the commute time to these areas.

So a few questions. What are your thoughts on Hazelwood and Florissant? Are these good areas? Is the real estate value going down? What about the towns in St. Charles county? Google suggest that it takes almost 30 minutes to get to Berkeley from O'Fallon/ St. Peters area, is that accurate? What about during rush hour? Any other areas we should be considering or anything else we should be taking into account as we look?

Thanks for your input.

You'll find more house in St. Charles County but the commute can be problematic because of the bridge traffic. Anytime there is bad weather or a traffic accident, traffic gets backed up.

As a parent of recently graduated (2009 & 2011) kids from the Parkway school district, I suggest you look at houses in the 63011, 63021, 63043 and 63146 zip codes (Ballwin, Manchester, Maryland Heights and unincorporated STL County). Parkway has a big and fairly wealthy tax base, more so than Hazelwood, Florissant and Pattonville by far. But there is housing available in your price range. It will be older and may require some updating but you'll be in a great school district.

For example:
A house with 1,977 2f, 4 bd, 2 ba for $169,000:
1526 Papillon Drive, Unincorporated, MO 63146 (MLS# 13028061) - Unincorporated MO Real Estate - St Louis #1 Home Seller

Another house with 2,050 sf, 4 bd 2 ba for $179,000:
1554 Pepperwood Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146 (MLS# 13032318) - St. Louis MO Real Estate - St Louis #1 Home Seller

Both of these houses in Maryland Heights and close to Creve Couer Park:

"Maryland Heights is home to Creve Coeur Park, one of the region's most popular parks, which is operated by St. Louis County. The park boasts a 320-acre lake as well as the picturesque "Dripping Springs" waterfall. A popular summer resort in the early 1900s, the lake is now known for its paved walking and cycling trail, playground equipment, picnic pavilions, boating opportunities, athletic fields and much more."

Both houses would put you at about a 25 minute commute to Boeing.

[flynavyj]

I'm a big fan of the location of the two homes above...it was high on our list when we were moving, but the lots simply wouldn't accommodate any expansions, particular in the garage arena.

You might be a bit hard pressed in some parts of West County at your price point, but it's definitely possible...especially the areas inahandbasket mentioned. Maryland Heights is served by Pattonville Schools, as is Bridgeton and parts of St. Ann. I'd still recommend Parkway schools over Pattonville, however I think Pattonville is still a good/competitive district...likely similar to Parkway North which has the least desirable reputation of the parkway schools...as a whole however, the parkway district is fantastic.

St. Charles County will have a great selection of homes available, and I'd highly recommend the area as well. My biggest gripe would be bridge traffic which can be horrendous during rush hour with an accident, inclement weather, etc.If all's going smoothly, it can be a relatively short highway commute, although distance from the interstate will quickly/drastically effect the overall commute time.

Hazelwood West is the most desirable of the Hazelwood district, and it's an ok school. I don't believe it's on the same level as Pattonville, and from my childhood I can remember friends who lived in Hazelwood and lied about their address so they could attend Pattonville schools.

[jmunk77]

Thanks a lot for the information. We had pretty much given up on West county due to price restrictions but we will be taking a look at the area inahandbasket suggested. We will be planning a little trip here in a couple of weeks to look at the area. How do you think the Parkway schools compare to schools in St. Charles and St. Peters?

[inahandbasket]

Originally Posted by jmunk77

Thanks a lot for the information. We had pretty much given up on West county due to price restrictions but we will be taking a look at the area inahandbasket suggested. We will be planning a little trip here in a couple of weeks to look at the area. How do you think the Parkway schools compare to schools in St. Charles and St. Peters?

I am biased toward the Parkway, having sent two children to school in Parkway. I think there's some good ethnic diversity and a strong tax base that keeps the Parkway district competitive with the wealthier districts of Clayton and Ladue - I'd make that comparison rather than with the districts in St. Charles County. A size-able population of white collar, professionals live in West County, Clayton and Ladue, as well as Kirkwood, Brentwood and Webster Groves - farther away from Boeing and more expensive than your housing budget.

St. Charles County, as a whole, is pretty homogenous (white) and Republican, exurban, megachurch, vinyl houses for miles. If that's attractive to you, St. Charles is your ticket.