Indoor rec, great public schools & fun neighbors (St. Louis, St. Charles: cul-de-sac, new home)

[newuser1102]

My husband and I are in our 30s, have 2 kids (4 & 2), possibly moving to STL for job, would be working downtown. Currently live in Cleveland so we understand being ranked "most dangerous" and realize it's not quite accurate. We live in an inner ring suburb and if we move we'll probably start cul-de-sac life.

We'd like 4 beds, 2.5 bath $200-300,000, great public schools and ideally an indoor rec. center (Is St Peters only indoor pool/slide option?). A short (30-40) commute would be nice. My husband will need access to the airport, otherwise works out of the house. We'd also like an active neighborhood with lots of kids.

Also, we spent 7 years in Cincinnati which was way too conservative. We also don't want everyone around us to be from St Louis or have "high school" be the main topic of discussion a la Cincinnati.

That said, where should we look?

[aragx6]

Sounds like you are describing St. Peters in your post! The Rec-Plex there isn't the only one in St. Louis. I know there's a great one in Des Peres, but that would be out of your price range. I'm sure there are others that people can inform you of.

St. Peters is fairly conservative, but I think you'll find many like-minded individuals there. My mother is a proud democrat and has always gotten along well with neighbors.

Your price range will get you plenty in that area, much more than some other areas of the city and you should be within 40-45 minutes of downtown. My dad made that commute for years and years, and only rarely when there was a major accident did it take more than 45 minutes.

[tcdain]

I cannot talk much on the Missouri side of the river but I know the IL side very well. I think you are also describing the Glen Carbon/Edwardsville area. The neighborhoods are very active with 85 miles of great trails that converge around SIUE. We also have 2 great YMCA's in Edwardsville one of which is less than a year old and absolutly huge.

I used to fly everywhere for my job and we have easy access to STL airport which is about a 25 min drive. Downtown would be about 25-45 min depending on when you would leave for work. I think 40-45 would be a good rush hour estimate.

If you have any interest in more information I can get you more information if you PM me here.

[CellarBelle]

Take a look at the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area. Great family towns with excellent schools. There are many subdivisions that would meet your housing requirements. The new YMCA along with the older YMCA facility are great for indoor activities - tennis, gymnastics, rock climbing, skating, swimming, indoor track, fitness center and basketball. I have two elementary-aged children in the public school system, and I've been very pleased thus far. Moved here over 4 1/2 years ago, and have seen the area grow quite a bit. Very healthy area economically speaking. Check my other posts about the area for more information.

Good Luck!

Originally Posted by newuser1102

My husband and I are in our 30s, have 2 kids (4 & 2), possibly moving to STL for job, would be working downtown. Currently live in Cleveland so we understand being ranked "most dangerous" and realize it's not quite accurate. We live in an inner ring suburb and if we move we'll probably start cul-de-sac life.

We'd like 4 beds, 2.5 bath $200-300,000, great public schools and ideally an indoor rec. center (Is St Peters only indoor pool/slide option?). A short (30-40) commute would be nice. My husband will need access to the airport, otherwise works out of the house. We'd also like an active neighborhood with lots of kids.

Also, we spent 7 years in Cincinnati which was way too conservative. We also don't want everyone around us to be from St Louis or have "high school" be the main topic of discussion a la Cincinnati.

That said, where should we look?

[newuser1102]

If I take "needing to get to the airport" out of the equation, should we look in Fenton? I'm confused between St Peters/St Charles area vs Fenton vs Parkway/Rockwood schools.

As I see it from my research:
St Peters/St Charles - okay commute downtown, access to airport, good schools with elementary year round
Fenton - similar commute to downtown but from southwest instead of west/north, similar home prices, larger selection of new home builds
Parkway/Rockwood - kids aren't in school yet, but I see this often mentioned in "best school" discussions. Is commute downtown horrible with mentioned construction?

Thoughts?

[RickMG]

Ballwin has a great indoor rec center, a fantastic outdoor pool with large childrens area and a golf course. Houses in the ranage you're looking, great schools, less than 30 minutes from the airport easy. Downtown might be a little longer with Hwy. 40 closing. You'd have to take Hwy. 44. Usually way less than 30 minutes to downtown on it, but I'm sure the traffic will be much heavier when 40 closes. Chesterfield has the rec center, and you can find a lot of homes in that price range in the Hwy. 141/Hwy. 40/ Olive St. Rd. triangle. Fenton also has an indoor rec center and fits your needs.

[aragx6]

the 40 construction will make commuting from almost anywhere in the Parkway/Rockwood districts kind of a nightmare. I wouldn't say rule it out completely, but it's definitely something to consider.

You also have to remember that 40 is a major highway- every other highway is more crowded because of 40, so you'll be dealing with it, at least to a certain extent, almost anywhere in the area.

[Inoxkeeper]

I suggest you look at Fenton hard. Rockwood is the best public school in the area with
every kid in last year's graduating class going on to college except for the few that joined the military. Plently of nice houses can be found in your price range. Check out the area around Rockwood Summit HS. (Rah Rah Rockwood!!!)

I make the run to the airport from 141 and 44 in about 25 minutes...it's not bad at all.
Plus Fenton has great parks and Riverchase is a very new rec plex. Also Gravois Bluffs is a new shopping center with new stores opening everyday.

I am biased because I live there but I think Fenton has it over St. Peters, St. Charles because you don't have as much traffic to deal with.

Lastly, what gives with all you IL folks touting IL??? This is the Missouri board!