St Louis Metro population growth..starting to turn around?

[Keethler]

Originally Posted by goat314

I wish Missouri would take a progressive step of putting an urban growth boundary or greenbelt outside the St. Louis area, to encourage urban density and save our environment from the crappy developments you see in St. Charles.

Sprawl is the reason I smile a little bit when gas prices skyrocket. Living 50 miles outside the city is certainly your choice, but shouldn't be the "norm."
A greenbelt? That would be fantastic. A topic not often discussed regarding urban sprawl is the fact that new developments rob city dwellers of natural landscapes to enjoy, in addition to decreasing the efficiency of urban resources.

[CarrieNeno]

The "spawl" in St Louis is almost 100% attributed to a lack of affordable new construction within St Louis County. Particularly transplants move here and seek the cul-du-sacs, neighborhood golf course, walk-in closets, 2 story foyers, jacuzzi tubs, and all of the other new construction amentities available affordably all over the country.

Even though they love the idea and vibe of places like Kirkwood and Brentwood, when it comes down to purchasing... they don't want to spend 300K for a 3 bed/1 ba/no closets. As they aren't from St Louis, they don't have location bias. They can't afford the new construction that we DO have in central St Louis County, 500K and above tear downs in places like Olivette and Kirkwood due to school district and location... so west they go.

Having worked a decent amount of corporate relocation, I have become brutally aware of St Louis's lack of affordable new construction. As a result, St Louis has experienced major suburban sprawl, not unlike the rest of the country. It almost always has to do with the price of land and getting the most bang for your buck. Compromising location for amenities.

[AJohnston_STL]

Originally Posted by CarrieNeno

The "spawl" in St Louis is almost 100% attributed to a lack of affordable new construction within St Louis County. Particularly transplants move here and seek the cul-du-sacs, neighborhood golf course, walk-in closets, 2 story foyers, jacuzzi tubs, and all of the other new construction amentities available affordably all over the country.

Even though they love the idea and vibe of places like Kirkwood and Brentwood, when it comes down to purchasing... they don't want to spend 300K for a 3 bed/1 ba/no closets. As they aren't from St Louis, they don't have location bias. They can't afford the new construction that we DO have in central St Louis County, 500K and above tear downs in places like Olivette and Kirkwood due to school district and location... so west they go.

Having worked a decent amount of corporate relocation, I have become brutally aware of St Louis's lack of affordable new construction. As a result, St Louis has experienced major suburban sprawl, not unlike the rest of the country. It almost always has to do with the price of land and getting the most bang for your buck. Compromising location for amenities.

That may be true about the cost of living in STL County, but it also has to do with a sense of entitlement many suburbanites have and a "We just want a small town" attitude. That "small town" soon becomes a booming exurb full of mouth breathers who say "WE JUST WANTED A SMALL TOWN, NOW LOOK AT THIS PLACE!" So then they move out 10 more miles, so now they are a good 55 miles out of the city, and guess what? Same thing happens 5 years later, after 500 acres of wooded area have been cleared. It sickens me.

(See: Wentzville, MO)

[sixtwobaldguy]

For the record as we speak thousands of pristine acres are being destroyed west of st. louis. There are many interesting plants & animals that could be viewed within 50 miles of st. louis. Once all the land is developed and the parks are fragmented, they will begin to die out. Invasive plants get a foothold and begin ruining formerly pristine areas. The number of people crammed into ever decreasing spaces will lead to more hunting accidents. The high mortality zones (roads) will kill off bobcats & other wildlife that need large amounts of space. The remaining wildlife will be genetically isolated from other populations.. just imagine a town of 1,000 people seperated from any other town.. not good for genetic divirsity my friends.. what happens when a disease hits & everyone shares very similar genes (talking about the wildlife not the people)?

Well at least we will be left with a bunch of golf courses, yipeeeeee! Can't wait til I can drive around and see nothing but gaudy houses on golf courses everywhere, what a great sight that will be! Wait, it's already starting to happen St. Louis has a unique look & feel and we shouldn't let uptight creeps who can't think of anything better to do than worry nonstop about their lawns foul this area up. I say we pass laws limiting what can be built where and hopefully that will run their asses out of town so they can go screw someone else's back yard up.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Saw a bobcat last night. Amazing.

[northbayeric]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Saw a bobcat last night. Amazing.

Yipe! The way you put it, I don't think you're referring to a young Cub Scout. Be careful back there!

[DinsdalePirahna]

nah. It was a real Bobcat. The only other time I ever saw one was in the San Bernardino Mountains.

I guess seeing one in a fairly populated area (albeit one without a lot of street lights) is pretty rare.