Moving from Columbus, OH to St. Louis, MO (St. Charles, St. Peters: private schools, living)

[TGS]

Originally Posted by chicagoerin

Right, but the OP is looking for a similar (5 minutes currently) commute..not 30-45 minutes...

I have spent plenty of time in West County and would argue that it is not comparable to Dublin or New Albany...very different. Perhaps comparable to Upper Arlington.

If schools aren't an issue, then Illinois might work, but again, the OP wants a short commute. My sister lived in Columbia until recently. The schools are not great (compared to some of the St. Louis city schools they are better, but rank average, at best, when compared to other Illinois districts). The commute from Columbia to Barnes just plain sucks.

If the OP didn't want to be close to work I would say TGS had some valid points, but that is not the case.

It just isn't possible to have what the OP is requesting:
1. 5 minute commute from Barnes;
2. Live "a little bit out of the city;" and
3. Modern suburban layout and housing comparable to Hilliard and Dublin.

A five minute commute will barely even get someone from Barnes to the city limits. Living within a five minute commute in any direction of Barnes will not get the OP "a little bit out of the city." It will put the OP in the Central West End and Clayton (extremely expensive and very urban), North City and Forest Park Southeast (heavy crime areas), and Downtown (the OP doesn't seem to want to live in a loft). The Hill and Dogtown might work, but there aren't a lot of modern houses and the areas are still pretty urban. If the OP wants suburban and out of the city, then I think that focusing on houses with a 30 minute radius isn't unreasonable.

Overall, St. Louis is a pretty affordable metro area, so the OP should be able to find a great house in a great neighborhood, whether urban or suburban.

The commute from Columbia to Barnes isn't great, especially if you take the route through East St. Louis and then deal with the Highway 40 bridge traffic. The route across the I-255 bridge to I-55, to I-44 to Kingshighway isn't that bad. I-55 is usually dead, which makes for an easy drive.

[EthelBeth]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for all the information. The links are great. I will give you a little more detail of where we are now and what we hope to find in St. Louis.

We currently live right next to Upper Arlington which sounds like a Clayton equivalent. UA can be very very expensive if you want it to be. A lot of luxury condos or single family homes all the way up to mansions. Similar to that little post war home (which was adorable) that would be about the same that you would pay for that house in UA. We are technically just outside of UA schools so our rent for a 2 bedroom townhouse is $545 as opposed to the same 2 bedroom townhouse literally across the street that would cost $750/mo in rent.

We are pretty sure we just want to rent, simply because we may only be in St Louis for 3-4 years and are a little nervous to buy, but even more nervous to have to turn around and sell. We just aren't sure it is long enough to capitalize on any equity. We are expecting to pay $800-$900/mo in rent for a 3 bedroom townhouse-esq living situation.....but of course if we found a steal like we live in now we would be ecstatic! Our little one just turned a year old so Public schools won't be an issue for us until we are finished in St Louis and if we stay we could consider private schools.

My brother and his family live in a 3 bedroom 1.5 bathroom townhouse on the edge of Upper Arlington (within the school boundaries) and the pay $875/mo in rent.

My main goal is to be in an affordable area that is safe, and to be as close as possible to Barnes-Jewish. My husband will have long hours at work anyway so I don't want him to have to wade through another hour or so on the freeways.

We don't need much of a day life or a night life (we can always drive to that if we get the chance) other than parks and grocery stores and an occasional trip to Wal-mart or Target! We currently live with a few miles of quite a few restaurant chains as well as some "mom and pop" places and the big box stores. We are also close to one of the highway/freeways that runs through town and that is a nice perk.

Again, thank you so much for all the time you have taken. Any other helpful hints or advice on areas would be great.

I am really excited for our new adventure to St. Louis!!

Thanks,

Beth

[EthelBeth]

I guess I should clarify again......

I don't need suburban, I just don't want inner city. I guess where we are now has the neighborhood feel but we are quite close to the city.....within 15-20 minute drive to downtown. Urban is fine. We are up for an adventure. We currently live around a lot of other apartment/townhouse buildings and that is fine too. This might sound silly but having a front door and a back door that open up to the outside makes an apartment feel a lot more like a small (very small!) home. Even if we are attached to 3 other units. I just want to be safe and in a decent area.

We don't necessarily need modern housing either. I am certain the townhouse we live in right now was born far before I was.....and I turned 30 this year. Just something that is decent, not scary, and can be made into a home. We are just barely out of the student status, but plan to try and live like students for a few more years so we can get on our feet.

I also know that we may not get as lucky to be just 5 minutes away from our work place, but if we could be no more than 15-20 minutes away that would be nice. It's just that if you add a 45 minute commute onto each end of a 12-14 hour day at work then there is no time for anything else.

Thanks again.

[aragx6]

I think Dogtown is perfect for you. It's actually made up of three separate neighborhoods: Clayton-Tamm, Hi-Pointe and Franz Park

Read a bit about the neighborhood here: STLtoday - DOGTOWN: Wherever it is, Dogtown is a tight-knit area

It'd be less than 10 minutes to Barnes, it's safe, and you'll be super close to one of my favorite places on earth, and a kid's dream Forest Park. The zoo, the Muny outdoor theater, paddle boats, the Science Center and the annual Forest park balloon race. More about Forest park: City of St. Louis: Forest Park

A quick search of Craigslist turned up a couple of options for housing in your price range: LOCATION Deluxe 3 bed.2 bath in Dogtown
share this house with your family or roommates
Best deal in Dogtown
Great Value! Dogtown 3-4Bedroom House, Family Room

Those should kind of give you an idea to start with anyway!

[TGS]

With the new information, Dogtown does sound perfect for you. Also, the areas of Southampton, St. Louis Hills, and The Hill are very safe and should have plenty of places for rent in your price range.

Dog lover's dream house for rent/ double fenced lot
SOUTH CITY, 63109
Great Place with Very Nice Kitchen

If you can handle going without a yard, you might be able to find a place within walking distance of the hospital. The neighborhood is the Central West End, and there are tons of little restaurants and shops. The neighborhood is mostly apartments and condos, but you are right next to Forest Park if you need some outdoor space.

4504 Laclede 3bd in Central West End

If you can go down to a 2 bedroom, there are plenty of great apartments in University City.

7133 Amherst (Beautiful treelined street)
7026 Amherst 2nd (Loads of Character)
2bed/1bath at 7345 Pershing @ Jackson - Sept 15

[EthelBeth]

Wow! You guys are great! That information is so helpful....and so detailed. Thanks for all the time you put into searching specific links for me. I looked at all the links and read the article about Dogtown and it sounds great. So many of the places from craigslist and other links were great and look exactly like something that would work for us.

Thanks again!

Beth

[Heartless in Ohio]

As a matter of fact, I have lived in O'Fallon, Missouri twice. It is a nice family/friendly neighborhood West of St. Louis. Let me tell you what I know of the St. Louis area although I have not lived there in 6 years. BJC is huge as you know and there are some pockets around there that are pricey but nice. As someone said Clayton, Frontenac, LaDue and Town and Country are nice but very, very pricey. Soulard is a cool area but I am not sure how it is to live in. Maryland Heights seemed like a nice area to live in although I don't know a whole lot about it. I recall they were doing some loft apartments downtown when we were leaving but you need to be especially careful of some of the downtown area due to crime. Like everything, there are good and bad pockets. Although I know very little about this area, you could try heading South of BJC.

Now just West of there is Chesterfield. It is a very upscale area with a great mall, good shopping but again a bit pricey. One you cross over the Missouri River or over "the bridge" as they refer to it, the prices drop considerably. You would have a commute and I would say that Chesterfield and new parts of O'Fallon and Wing Haven are comparable to Dublin. Lake St. Louis is a beautiful area too. Upon return visits, I have discovered that the traffic on Highway K is insane now!! They have extended Highway 40 and added the Page Extension to alleviate this problem, however. The further West you go, say to Wentzville, the lower the prices. Once you get to that area, you are way out but the homes are new and beautiful.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by EthelBeth

Wow! You guys are great! That information is so helpful....and so detailed. Thanks for all the time you put into searching specific links for me. I looked at all the links and read the article about Dogtown and it sounds great. So many of the places from craigslist and other links were great and look exactly like something that would work for us.

Thanks again!

Beth

So glad we could help! Keep us updated on your progress and if you have any other questions feel free to let us know!!

[Mr. Answers]

Your equivalent would be Chesterfield or other parts of West St. Louis County. It's an amazing area and I couldn't recommend it enough. Clayton and Webster Groves are very nice parts of town--but they are much older and established. Chesterfield is more "new money," the inner suburbs like Clayton and Ladue are more old money. I think with the growth of Chesterfield in just the last 10 years, the sky is the limit. It's a wonderful place for families.

[aragx6]

If you want a 45 minute + commute.