relocating to St. Louis (Sunset Hills, Fenton: preschools, rated, area)

[aragx6]

Huh? You hate outer ring suburbs with "cookie cutter housing" but suggest instead O'Fallon IL and Fairview Heights??? Now that just doesn't make any sense.

[rcwolf]

So as I've continued my research, I'm getting a feeling that Fenton/South County might have a negative stigma associated with it, and we're not going to want to head in that direction, purely for investment purposes. Anyone have any response to that? No one has said that outright, but these are the things that only a local would know. So I'm looking at Kirkwood again, although I realize it's a little more expensive. So what does everyone think? Fenton or Kirkwood? Is it worth the extra?

[stevio63]

Originally Posted by rcwolf

So as I've continued my research, I'm getting a feeling that Fenton/South County might have a negative stigma associated with it, and we're not going to want to head in that direction, purely for investment purposes. Anyone have any response to that? No one has said that outright, but these are the things that only a local would know. So I'm looking at Kirkwood again, although I realize it's a little more expensive. So what does everyone think? Fenton or Kirkwood? Is it worth the extra?

What "stigma" have you heard?? i have friends who live or have lived in kirkwood and its a nice area but i'm a fenton person now (i've lived in the city for 20 years) and in south county for 5 years) some people...especially in some forums...have built in bias against certain areas. i would put up rockwood schools up against any in the metro area for quality and i would say i would put fenton up against any other burb area in quality of life....chesterfield,ladue,clayton pretty high income areas and i have nothing bad to say about these areas...fenton,south county,ballwin,manchester,lindbergh are in this middle class and all have there advantages....

[12GO]

I have a lower opinion of Kirkwood than I do of Fenton! I do not see how that old city of Kirkwood can justify the higher cost.

[rcwolf]

I just met an attorney who grew up in the St. Louis area and said he said that unless things have changed since he lived there, Fenton was just so-so, but he wasn't sure. So that's what set off that suspicion. As I've researched it more, it looks like things have changed or he wasn't that familiar with the area. I just wanted to get a general reaction, but it looks like it's certain areas of south county are less desireable, but Fenton is not in there? Is that right? I guess it's relative. It certainly sounds like what we're looking for.

For those of you that live in Fenton, how long do you think the commute is to downtown during rush hour if we're looking in the Rockwood School District area?

[jlawrence01]

>>I just met an attorney who grew up in the St. Louis area and said he said that unless things have changed since he lived there, Fenton was just so-so, but he wasn't sure. So that's what set off that suspicion. As I've researched it more, it looks like things have changed or he wasn't that familiar with the area. I just wanted to get a general reaction, but it looks like it's certain areas of south county are less desireable, but Fenton is not in there? Is that right? I guess it's relative. It certainly sounds like what we're looking for. <<

Having driven through Fenton and Kirkwood for the first time in ten years or so, I think that any generalizations about an area that appears to be rapidly growing may be pretty out of date.

As much as I like to research over the internet, if I am going to relocate to an area and invest a fortune in a new house, I am going to hop on a plane and spend some time looking at the place IN DEPTH.

The ONLY time that I was "rushed" in a relocation was when I moved to St. Louis in 1988 and that was a complete disaster.

[alikat1205]

I am an attorney and live in Fenton. We bought this house from a doctor. Fenton is economically diverse and there are neighborhoods for every budget. There is nearby shopping. We are in Rockwood schools, although we send our children to private schools. We also looked in Kirkwood, which was a nice community, but the housing seemed vastly overpriced. We are transplants, so maybe a local would have a different opinion, but I see Fenton as a very nice, suburban community.

[alikat1205]

s to the commute, my husband works near downtown, and his commute is approximately 20-25 minutes from Fenton.

[aragx6]

Here's the deal: In all reality, Fenton (along with most everywhere in South County) does traditionally have a negative stereotype associated with it.

That said, as you noted, Fenton has changed immensely in the last 10 years, Rockwood schools are great, and if you like the outer-ring suburb feel with new cookie-cutter homes, Fenton is hard to beat in terms of distance to the city.

Comparing Kirkwood to Fenton is like comparing apples to oranges. I like Kirkwood infinitely better -- the housing stock has character, the downtown is walkable and vibrant, the schools are great (just as good as Rockwood), and the area is far more diverse than Fenton.

Those are things that are important to me. You just have to decide what things are most important for you.

[alikat1205]

I agree, Fenton does have cookie cutter houses, and that is my biggest complaint. We didn't want to live in the city, and found cookie cutter houses to be common in Eureka, Wildwood, and somewhat in Ballwin. It was very disappointing.