Hi, all. Probably moving to STL from Houston. A little help and encouragement desired >>> (St. Louis: crime, houses)

[StLoser]

You will probably have a lot more success with your move than i did. I came here 3 yrs ago from PA. I have encountered quite a bit of weird prejudice towards Easterners or anything that is from the Eastern USA. I find the place very insular and goose-stepping... many of the people are actually hostile with a facade of "Midwestern Nice." The use of the term "Hoosier" is a slur and is passed off as a reference to white trash. Thankfully, i can say it hasn't been directed at me, but why this word is used points more towards the hatred of the East. Also, some people act like they are still fighting the civil war. You will probably be able to avoid all of that kind of harassment coming from TX. Barnes-Jewish is a top-notch place to work and moving for a job such as that is a good one. I would recommend living in U. City or CWE even if the expense is higher. I think you will be better off living around other professionals, many of which will be from other parts of the country and world. If you get into the suburbs (West County or South County especially,) you will be more likely to be seen as an outsider, attracting the requisite hostility to match. The GOOD city neighborhoods are going to be much more welcoming. For lower-cost but great central location, consider Dogtown or "The Hill". Avoid South City, ok to visit, but do not live South of Utah St. or East of Kingshighway. Yes, there are some nice pockets thru there but mostly it's going downhill. A big plus about St. Louis would be the excellent, large and numerous city and county parks, which you can use on a daily basis for an outdoor exercise fix without the long drive.

[rvegas8]

the metro east is pretty well mixed. My suburb half and half. O'fallon,Belleville, Edwardsville,Shiloh. Pretty much everywhere. To me the city is pretty well mixed compared to living at out tahoe,ca and indiana.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by StLoser

You will probably have a lot more success with your move than i did. I came here 3 yrs ago from PA. I have encountered quite a bit of weird prejudice towards Easterners or anything that is from the Eastern USA. I find the place very insular and goose-stepping... many of the people are actually hostile with a facade of "Midwestern Nice." The use of the term "Hoosier" is a slur and is passed off as a reference to white trash. Thankfully, i can say it hasn't been directed at me, but why this word is used points more towards the hatred of the East. Also, some people act like they are still fighting the civil war. You will probably be able to avoid all of that kind of harassment coming from TX. Barnes-Jewish is a top-notch place to work and moving for a job such as that is a good one. I would recommend living in U. City or CWE even if the expense is higher. I think you will be better off living around other professionals, many of which will be from other parts of the country and world. If you get into the suburbs (West County or South County especially,) you will be more likely to be seen as an outsider, attracting the requisite hostility to match. The GOOD city neighborhoods are going to be much more welcoming. For lower-cost but great central location, consider Dogtown or "The Hill". Avoid South City, ok to visit, but do not live South of Utah St. or East of Kingshighway. Yes, there are some nice pockets thru there but mostly it's going downhill. A big plus about St. Louis would be the excellent, large and numerous city and county parks, which you can use on a daily basis for an outdoor exercise fix without the long drive.

I think that your rules are pretty inconsistent. You say to avoid South City, but you also recommend Dogtown or the Hill, both of which are in South City? You recommend to stay away from the area east of Kingshighway, but you recommend the Central West End, which is east of Kingshighway? Do you really think areas east of Kingshighway like Soulard and Lafayette Square are going downhill?

You say to avoid the West County area, and stick to areas full of professionals.... well, the West County area is full of professional families. When I lived in West County at least a third of the kids in my child's class had parents from other countries, mostly from India or China, all of whom were highly skilled professionals. The parents of almost all the kids in the class had parents that were doctors, lawyers, professors, and internet technology specialists.

There are a lot of areas outside your recommendations that might work for the OP.... How about Compton Heights? Town & Country? Chesterfield? Holly Hills? St. Louis Hills? I don't know exactly what the OP is looking for (urban or suburban), but I don't think your statements are going to help at all.

Personally, I haven't seen any hostility to Easterners. I have in-laws that moved here from Pennsylvania, and they seem to have done just fine making friends and fitting in. They fit in well enough to marry into my family! Also, one of my best friends is from New York and she is really happy in South City.

The term "Hoosier" isn't directed toward anyone from the East, only to what would be considered redneck or hillbilly in other places. The common theory for this is that there was a strike in St. Louis back in the early 1900s. Scabs from Indiana were brought in to break the strike, so Hoosier became a derogatory terms. Now it is just used as a derogatory term for white trash, not against people from the East.

Maybe you just don't fit into your current neighborhood? There has to be a spot for just about everyone in the St. Louis metro area, and it seems like your current location isn't working for you.

[Brickmama]

Try looking Downtown or in Soulard. Both areas are happening with a ton to do along with a lot of dining options. The U city loop would also be another good suggestion along with the others mentioned above.

[Brickmama]

Let me also point out that there is nothing wrong with South City despite what STLoser says. Plenty of neighborhoods outside if the boundaries he mentions are safe, affordable, and have a lot to do. Soulard, Tower Grove, Benton Park, Mickinley Heights, Compton Heights, etc... Believe me for I have lived in them.

[StLoser]

Thank you for affirming my statement that many of the people i have encountered here are hostile.

For your information i live in South County and have very nice neighbors and am happy with my location at present. I work 2 miles from where i live. It took me 2 years to find a decent place to live. My suggestions before, are for someone working at Barnes-Jewish. I previously lived in the Holly Hills area and nobody would have ever known this by a drive-thru look at the area, but crime is on a serious upswing there. It is why i moved out, and it seems to be not well known unless you are really local, and up-to-date.

Please look at a map. I draw a line at Utah St. to exclude anything South of there. Therefore the CWE is desirable. The Hill is West of Kingshighway. Dogtown is West of The Hill.

I think you are trying to be confusing. I was trying to be helpful.
When you mention Soulard you failed to notice i said there were pockets that are decent. Soulard would be *possibly* ok, but it would not even be my third choice. Why suggest something Iffy? Suggest what you think is best. It is my opinion that the only reason to live in South County (or South City) is if you WORK there or have FAMILY there and like it. If you are new to the area completely, i do not think it is the most fun or welcoming place.

Not everyone has a nice warm welcome in this fine city. Not everyone comes here with a family safety net.

There is a definite difference in attitude between urban professionals and suburban professionals. I would recommend living around the former, to anyone who is new to the city. Less haughty, less judgemental.

You have totally discounted everything i had to say. Gee, that's awfully NICE of you.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by StLoser

Thank you for affirming my statement that many of the people i have encountered here are hostile.

For your information i live in South County and have very nice neighbors and am happy with my location at present. I work 2 miles from where i live. It took me 2 years to find a decent place to live. My suggestions before, are for someone working at Barnes-Jewish. I previously lived in the Holly Hills area and nobody would have ever known this by a drive-thru look at the area, but crime is on a serious upswing there. It is why i moved out, and it seems to be not well known unless you are really local, and up-to-date.

Please look at a map. I draw a line at Utah St. to exclude anything South of there. Therefore the CWE is desirable. The Hill is West of Kingshighway. Dogtown is West of The Hill.

I think you are trying to be confusing. I was trying to be helpful.
When you mention Soulard you failed to notice i said there were pockets that are decent. Soulard would be *possibly* ok, but it would not even be my third choice. Why suggest something Iffy? Suggest what you think is best. It is my opinion that the only reason to live in South County (or South City) is if you WORK there or have FAMILY there and like it. If you are new to the area completely, i do not think it is the most fun or welcoming place.

Not everyone has a nice warm welcome in this fine city. Not everyone comes here with a family safety net.

There is a definite difference in attitude between urban professionals and suburban professionals. I would recommend living around the former, to anyone who is new to the city. Less haughty, less judgemental.

You have totally discounted everything i had to say. Gee, that's awfully NICE of you.

The problem is that your original post was extremely hostile. Don't expect roses to be thrown in your direction when you insult huge sections of the city, as well as West and South County. Your recommendations were not clear and were downright misleading.

Anyone who moves here with open mind and with the ability to make friends should do just fine. Many new transplants to the area move to the Tower Grove area, which you completely wrote off, and like it quite well. I am not from St. Louis and did not have any trouble whatsoever.

And I would not consider Soulard "iffy."

[STLCardsBlues1989]

I don't live in St. Louis so I really don't know.

But sometimes you won't be happy anywhere. No place is perfect.

[Brickmama]

StLoser, I am just pointing out that your statement is very misleading when referring to your boundaries. It is actually just the opposite. Most of the area within your boundaries are actually just the opposite. You said there are some nice pockets but most of the area is going downhill but in reality the area you described is overall very safe with some small bad pockets scattered throughout. The area has really improved over the last 5 years. Soulard may be one of the safest neighborhoods in the whole city and has a ton to offer. Believe me I have friends that have not only rented in a lot of these neighborhoods but have bought houses in some of the south city neighborhoods that would fall within your boundaries. If I were to single out an entire section in south city that has alot of crime it would be the area south of Cherokee, east of Grand, North of Bates, and west of Broadway. That is only a fraction of the general area you described.

[OA 5599]

I'd be interested to hear some specific examples on the hostility towards Easterners. I've visited STL a lot but haven't lived there, but from what I've seen growing up in MO there really isn't any hostility towards people from other states in general, except maybe some towards Californians in the rural parts of the state. In fact, I'd say Missouri/STL is much, much more like Pennsylvania then Texas, from having been through a lot of PA and having lived in both TX and MO. This is in terms of general landscape/culture, and the fact that STL is an older, established, more "rust-belt" city, much more like Pittsburgh or Philadelphia than the new, sprawling cities of Dallas and Houston. In fact, STL is often called the western-most Eastern city, and from at least an architectural and historical standpoint, I find that very correct.