housing in west county (Chesterfield, Manchester: high crime, neighborhoods, middle school)

[alikat1205]

well, that wont offend me because i'm not interested in snoot.

[momofthreekids]

Even deep South County (Mehlville/Oakville) has good deals. Vinyl houses galore with miniscule yards but they are newer and with attached 2-car garages.

[alikat1205]

i really wanted a brick house but that is not to be found here. the one i bought is brick and vinyl.

[JulianJT]

Originally Posted by alikat1205

i am coming from el paso. i currently have a 3000 sq ft. home and all the furniture to fit it so i need something that will accomodate my furniture! my current home has granite counters and ceramic floors, but i understand i am going to have to get over it. i placed my daughter at cpop, so i don't want a 45 minute commute to take her to school.

I had a rant against West County, but I see where you found a joint in Fenton after I posted.

Congrats. Welcome to the county.

[alikat1205]

you're funny, but what is wrong with the west county area? i found it to be overpriced, and way too trafficky, but i liked that there was a lot of shopping, etc. and of course, my daughter is going to school in west county even though we bought in fenton. i am happy with fenton, can't wait to move in (two more weeks) and get settled.

[aragx6]

I think what most people who don't live in West County find annoying about some (and I do stress some because I've known folks from West County that weren't anything like this) West Countians is this belief that West County is the center of the universe (or at least the metro) and that anyone that doesn't live there must not because they are too poor, that they're secretly jealous etc. For some it seems impossible to imagine that anyone would choose to live elsewhere. Met a girl once who actually believed that scientifically, West County had more sunny days than other places in St. Louis (wonder if they taught her that at Parkway Central!?!?)

[JulianJT]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I think what most people who don't live in West County find annoying about some (and I do stress some because I've known folks from West County that weren't anything like this) West Countians is this belief that West County is the center of the universe (or at least the metro) and that anyone that doesn't live there must not because they are too poor, that they're secretly jealous etc. For some it seems impossible to imagine that anyone would choose to live elsewhere. Met a girl once who actually believed that scientifically, West County had more sunny days than other places in St. Louis (wonder if they taught her that at Parkway Central!?!?)

You hit the nail right on the head. They can't believe that anyone would choose somewhere else, which is why you get comments like "If someone in the city could afford to live in west county, they'd move in a hot second" (actual quote I read) or "Chesterfield is a highly more desirable place to live than the city" (another actual quote). They just can't understand why someone wants to raise their kids in a culturally diverse setting where you don't have to drive 40 miles to take them to the zoo or to a baseball game...or a museum, 60 year old neighborhood restaurants, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Obviously not all suburbanites are like that, but I'm sure some are.

[JulianJT]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

Obviously not all suburbanites are like that, but I'm sure some are.

Some should actually read "most" here.

If you ever move to St. Louis, you will understand. I used to just think people were hard on suburbanites because they thought everyone should live in the city. I came to find (even as a suburban resident) that there is a reason for the anti-suburban sentiment that some people have.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

The housing selection is better in the city (and some suburbs).

Even if they require more upkeep, give me a painted lady from Lafayette Square or one of the Gingerbread-like houses in St. Louis Hills and Holly Hills. Give me an older home with character, who someone actually put care into building. I guess for me it's a "if walks could talk" kind of scenario.

St. Louis city and the older inner-ring suburbs have character and some uniqueness. Even modern buildings from the 60s, which I don't like as much, were designed to look unique.

But you see these cookie cutter subdivisions where you have 50 houses and 4 different designs. No one put love into these homes. Nobody designed them to be unique or reflect their character. They're built to be cheap, and probably are cheaply built. They may offer more space for the money. It doesn't mean that they offer more character or more cute little details.