Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We just bought in Hazelwood (technically - really seems more like Bridgeton) near 270, moving in from Mid-Missouri. After looking at many houses and neighborhoods, my newcomer's opinion if you want advice from a fellow newcomer to STL is that there are some nice bargains in North County and plenty of good lower-cost neighborhoods that are both peaceful and racially diverse. Just be aware of the surroundings and don't buy or rent simply based on an address. Drive it, walk it if you can, see where you'll shop, see what the streets in between are like. Oh, and make sure you're at least 2-3 miles from the landfill.
I also work from home, and North County was the only place that fit the bill for easy access to Lambert and I-70 for transportation, 2 finished levels, and lots of rooms (bedroom/office/guest/etc.) with the right floor plan. What we got for mid-100s would have been over 200k elsewhere in the metro. It's definitely gritty in places, but there are hidden gems too. We are glad to have found one, and if anyone is interested in moving to NW County I'd encourage you to try to find the same as they're out there.
That said, the rental market this spring gave me a really uneasy feeling. One of the reasons we decided to buy instead of going with our original plan of renting. Either exorbitantly priced or a generally shady feeling for rental homes.
As to slab homes... just chiming in on that one... there are several east of Old Town Florissant. One neighborhood in particular around Washington & St. Anthony where most (if not all?) homes are on slabs. Caught me off guard too as I just assumed nearly every home in the STL area had basements so didn't even think to ask the Realtor.
1) We don't have kids and aren't planning them, so no need to be concerned about schools.
2) We are white and all of our surrounding neighbors currently are black, and this is a safe area. I don't prefer to live in a homogeneous community, but our primary desire is a newer home in an area without much room for further growth. It's growth that changes places, and I know sometimes it's tough to find newer areas that would fit our price, diversity and safety criteria.
Quote:
Originally Posted by joelwnelson
That said, the rental market this spring gave me a really uneasy feeling. One of the reasons we decided to buy instead of going with our original plan of renting. Either exorbitantly priced or a generally shady feeling for rental homes.
This is what we noticed as well. Is there a glut of homes on the market that causes the rental rates to increase so dramatically? I can't fathom buying in a city that lost 500,000 people not long ago without giving it a trial run first - seems unwise.
I have 2 other jobs that I'm on the 2nd or 3rd interview with, and should be to the offer stage by the week of the 20th, and those 2 jobs are both remote - so really the only way I'd seriously look at moving is if this offer was the only one or it blew the other 2 offers away. However, anytime a company is paying to bring you out, it means they are taking you seriously, and thus I am taking the opportunity to take a serious look at the STL area, in case it becomes the best option.
1) We don't have kids and aren't planning them, so no need to be concerned about schools.
2) We are white and all of our surrounding neighbors currently are black, and this is a safe area. I don't prefer to live in a homogeneous community, but our primary desire is a newer home in an area without much room for further growth. It's growth that changes places, and I know sometimes it's tough to find newer areas that would fit our price, diversity and safety criteria.
This is what we noticed as well. Is there a glut of homes on the market that causes the rental rates to increase so dramatically? I can't fathom buying in a city that lost 500,000 people not long ago without giving it a trial run first - seems unwise.
I have 2 other jobs that I'm on the 2nd or 3rd interview with, and should be to the offer stage by the week of the 20th, and those 2 jobs are both remote - so really the only way I'd seriously look at moving is if this offer was the only one or it blew the other 2 offers away. However, anytime a company is paying to bring you out, it means they are taking you seriously, and thus I am taking the opportunity to take a serious look at the STL area, in case it becomes the best option.
St. Louis isn't too much different from Louisville. The 500k decrease occurred during the time of mass exodus from urban cities for the suburbs. We have the same geographic boundaries that we had 60 years ago. Louisville got smart and changed to a metro form of government from what I've heard. Metro St Louis is still reasonably healthy though not booming. Seems like it will be a step up in the realm of upward mobility options because of the corporate base and just in economy size alone.
You are on the right track by not buying until you've experienced St. Louis since you've had such a nasty taste for our city. Finding a new suburban style home in a diverse area may be a bit difficult outside of North St Louis County. Suburban Hazelwood and Florissant maybe a good fit.
My wife and I are coming to visit St Louis this Thursday-Saturday to get a feel for the more western suburban areas (staying at a hotel in Chesterfield), as I have a potential job offer in Hazelwood that would require my relocation from Louisville.
I've been to downtown St. Louis a few times for concerts at the old Rocket Bar, and what's now called Firebird, but other than the Bud tour (not a fan of the beer, but enjoy the tour nonetheless), I really haven't been impressed with St Louis proper.
Much of the thread that talks about the negatives of living in St Louis have been my experience as well, getting a red light ticket for a right turn red arrow into a park that's already been closed for the night when the other lights were green was a prime example of my frustration with the civic attitude. I was seemingly intentionally food poisoned by workers at a downtown Imo's Pizza, as the rest of my friends all got sick at the same time (never happened before or since), and the issues with crime, that, while I haven't personally experienced in my time there, I have noticed how creepy/desolate/run down some of the areas can be which are typically right next to an active block of diverse nightlife. Doesn't seem to mix well. My experience with Cincy gives me the feel that Cincy is just slightly nicer than St Louis, and I'm not a fan of Cincy either. They seem to both have racial tension issues that Louisville just doesn't have as much of.
My wife and I live in a suburban area in Louisville and while it's not the highest on the socio-economic scale (homes in the $180k range here, which is considered cheap - stats show Louisville home prices are 50% higher than STL), the neighborhood we live in is quite safe. We left San Francisco to escape the gang/crime issues (surprise surprise, as much as people say the media doesn't give St Louis a fare shake, it does the opposite for SF for some reason). There were break-ins on our street in the decent area of town just south of Haight Ashbury, gang shootings on my route to work in the Hayes Valley area, and very aggressive homeless that took swings at my wife on more than one occasion, and she's not the inciting type.
So, this poses a concern for me. I'm not incredibly fond of what I know of St Louis proper, but perhaps we'd be fine in a safer suburban area. However, we're the renting type. I don't like the idea of buying a house when I move somewhere initially - but it seems that renting a house costs a LOT more than buying. We currently rent a new-ish (built in the late 90s) 3 br 1700 sq ft house in Louisville with a finished basement for $1,200 a month, but we both currently work from home. Ideally I'd like to stay around that same ballpark in size but could rent a townhome or something instead if it got into our budget at a similar size. I just really want something with a basement - growing up and living in the Midwest, I'm conditioned after seeing enough green skies to not live in a slab home.
Any neighborhoods fit the bill? We are both moderate politically and while we don't really do the church thing, neither of us mind being in areas dominated by conservative/church-types. I wouldn't see us going into the city often, but we do travel a lot, so we'd need something that wouldn't be terribly far from the airport.
You left CA to get away from gangs and area leaving Louisville for STL? I would not do that unless it was tens of thousands more....
St. Charles does seem like a potential good fit. I don't think the residents are all racists, but it is the primary landing spot for white people who fled North County when the black people started moving in, so interpret that however you like. I'm from North County, and there are definitely parts of Florissant or Ferguson that are quite nice for the price (I'd live there myself if not for work). You could probably also find an acceptable neighborhood within the city, as there are many different ones to choose from, but you sound set on suburbia and the commute might be further anyway (although against traffic).
I would say that having lived here most of my life, with friends and family who live all over the area, that all my (few) crime anecdotes take place outside the city. Never heard gunshots outside a range until I paid a visit to Nashville. Certainly never heard of anything around here remotely like your experience in San Fran.
I find it really strange that you think you were intentionally poisoned, rather than assuming that your coworkers' food was all made by the same ill person (or on the same contaminated surface). I think you're jumping to conclusions a bit.
Hi, ServoMiff. It sounds like much of your St. Louis experience has been with downtown St. Louis and the outskirts of downtown (RIP Rocket Bar). I think the more you would visit different neighborhoods the more you would like it. For example, have you visited the Central West End? The Hill? South Grand? Lafayette Square? Cherokee St.? U City? If you have and you still don't like St. Louis then there's your answer, but I wouldn't evaluate STL based on downtown.
1) We don't have kids and aren't planning them, so no need to be concerned about schools.
2) We are white and all of our surrounding neighbors currently are black, and this is a safe area. I don't prefer to live in a homogeneous community, but our primary desire is a newer home in an area without much room for further growth. It's growth that changes places, and I know sometimes it's tough to find newer areas that would fit our price, diversity and safety criteria.
This is what we noticed as well. Is there a glut of homes on the market that causes the rental rates to increase so dramatically? I can't fathom buying in a city that lost 500,000 people not long ago without giving it a trial run first - seems unwise.
I have 2 other jobs that I'm on the 2nd or 3rd interview with, and should be to the offer stage by the week of the 20th, and those 2 jobs are both remote - so really the only way I'd seriously look at moving is if this offer was the only one or it blew the other 2 offers away. However, anytime a company is paying to bring you out, it means they are taking you seriously, and thus I am taking the opportunity to take a serious look at the STL area, in case it becomes the best option.
The city may have lost 500k,but the metro has not. Housing market is very tight in western St. Louis county. Chesterfield may be good for you if you can find something in your price range, or in the "parkway north" area as others have said which is a bit more diverse. I'm new here (and actually spent a summer in Louisville a long time ago) and have found it to be a nice place to live. Worked for GE in appliance park for a summer during college.
St. Charles County is overwhelmingly white for a reason.
Good schools, low crime, and affordable new(er) housing. Crime maps and school test results paint an indisputable contrast. St. Chuck is also near major jobs centers on highway 40 and near the airport, which allows for easy commutes.
Don't jump to conclusions. Almost nobody moves based solely on skin pigment. Even I've debated leaving the inner-ring/City to shorten my commute.
You left CA to get away from gangs and area leaving Louisville for STL? I would not do that unless it was tens of thousands more....
I got notice that my company of 7 years (who let me move from FL to CA and back to KY) is laying me off 7/1, so I don't have much room to be picky. I expect to have a couple of offers in the next week, and if the St Louis one blows the other out of the water, we'll most certainly be moving - but to suburbia. St Charles/St Peters and Chesterfield seem like the areas that have the most reasonable commute for the home value and safety aspects.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hector2
Hi, ServoMiff. It sounds like much of your St. Louis experience has been with downtown St. Louis and the outskirts of downtown (RIP Rocket Bar). I think the more you would visit different neighborhoods the more you would like it. For example, have you visited the Central West End? The Hill? South Grand? Lafayette Square? Cherokee St.? U City? If you have and you still don't like St. Louis then there's your answer, but I wouldn't evaluate STL based on downtown.
We did visit U City and Delmar area which is okay, but not somewhere I'd choose to live - probably just visit for restaurants and whatnot. I'd been to Delmar before and got a red light ticket right at that park on Skinker while visiting a number of years back. Drove past that area again this weekend and it still seems like a trap (that right turn into the park - red arrow while traffic going straight has a green. Very rare, and likely on purpose for revenue enhancement for the city)
Didn't get a chance to see too much in the city as we had already looked at most of suburbia and found it tough to find an area with houses that weren't cookie cutter that were in our budget, or stacked right on top of each other. In an urban area, that's understandable, but a suburb? I would prefer a lot with more than 0.2 acres. Sheesh.
Yeah, I wasn't suggesting that you live in UCity, just that you check out Delmar. The right turn light at the entrance into Forest Park is rare (I've received a ticket there myself because I didn't notice the light) but it's more than just a revenue enhancer. It protects cyclists, walkers, and joggers on the Forest Park path (which is quite popular) from vehicles turning into the park and gives the cyclists/joggers the right of way the majority of the time, which is as it should be in my opinion. By the way, after a series of lawsuits, the city is no longer issuing red light tickets.
Good luck on the home search if, in fact, you wind up moving to STL.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
