Good Suburbs of St. Louis (Kansas City, St. Charles: low income, transplants, real estate)

[BSL63087]

Anyone know of any pretty nice suburbs of St. Louis that have a lot of newer houses (anywhere from brand new to about 10 years old or so) and a low crime rate?

Any help is appreciated.

[dataman1]

How far out are you willing to travel. Where are you moving from, what
do you like/dislike to do..I will try to give you a few possibilities..but there
are several..give me some more info on what you are looking for etc.

[Pharmacist_2008]

Hi, I am looking for the same info! My husband and I are moving from FL to the St. Louis area (possibly other areas of Missouri...still haven't made up our minds)

We want a nice house in the $250,000 to $300,000 range. (more towards the $250,000 mark!). I'll be a recent graduate of pharmacy school so this will be kind of like our first "big" house. We will have one son (more to come later on) and would like a friendly neighborhood good for families with children. We would like a nice public school system with plenty of activities in the surrounding area, but still maintaining the community feel. A suburb that has the characteristics that we want is worth a good commute. I'll probably be in a pharmacy in North St. Louis County (but DON'T want to live in North county).

We've heard great things about Kirkwood/Webster Groves but we've found them to be a bit expensive....esp for us just starting out.

Searching for real estate online, we've found that Ballwin, Ellisville, and Wildwood seem nice and affordable. Any opinion on these areas or maybe others that might be similar to those areas?

thanks so much and I hope you don't mind if I jump into the conversation!!!!

[Jerry Lauder]

Webster-Kirkwood are great, and pricey but not over-priced. Most of our suburbs are not over-priced, but the urban core within the St.Louis city limits is a bubble market that will collapse. St. Charles is a drivers nightmare at all times too many people too few roads and bridges. Maplewood-Richmond Heights and University City school districts drags the quality of life ratio down, avoid-prices are inflated!

Ballwin, Ellisville and Wildwood or nice, yet traffic and commute delays can be fustrating to anywhere at any time. People are much more snobby than Webster-Kirkwood with out any right or reason even compared to Blue Blood Acres from Clayton west to Town and Country.

Look at the southern suburbs of Oakville and Concord, zips 63129 and 63128. Very safe, family friendly and full of eazy to reach amenities in community and throughout region.

It may seem like a long trip to North County, but I-55 to and from Downtown is rarely going less than the speed limit even during peek rush. Downtown to North County is an easy reverse commute. The 270-255 loop during rush hours is also not bad compared with other major regions. Also, the far left interstate lane is like the German auto-bahn. Unlimited speed never endanger yourselves by going too slow. Always move right if someone is gaining on you!

Make a good real estate decision, make sure you buy low and can sell high. That means avoid areas with minorities, select a Catholic parish and school with a good reputation, Stay out of St. Louis City, Illinois, St, Charles or Jefferson county.

Expect to sell in 3-7 years. Transplants rarely become part of the social fabric they don't feel welcome and give-up and relocate again.

[JMedwick]

I really can't disagree with Jerry any more strongly. If you truly looking for a community feeling, then most of the far western suburbs are out of consideration. While nice for young children (I grew up in Ballwin) most lack any indefinable core and even more frustrating, there are few relationships within a community, little common ground, and few opportunities for this to change. If you are seeking for the combo of community and quality schools, I think you have identified the stronger areas for that mix, in particular Kirkwood, which has a solid school system and a great environment for kids and community activities, mostly due to it’s historic downtown. While strong neighborhoods with strong communities can be found in the City of St. Louis (not to mention both new and rehab housing in a wide array of styles) the quality of the school district is low. Yet, the rehab and recent growth of the city can offer some of the best buy low and sell high opportunities in the region, much more so than most western suburbs. If you look inside of either the Lindbergh or 170 rings, you can find the mix you seek. I would concentrate in this area.

And don’t expect to sell within 3-7 years, while close knit, St. Louis can be and is welcoming to outsiders, especially if you seek out a community with good local flavor and makes clear attempts to bring people together.

[Jerry Lauder]

I agree the best community for you would be Webster-Kirkwood, but you can't afford them yet! Raised in SW City and have always been active in both business and social life when in STL in Webster-Kirkwood, Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Brentwood and South County. Also, the city proper until final return from sururban Dallas.

Return to the burbs, while finishing grad schools at St. Louis University. The city then and now has some great attractions and events, but you do not want to live there! It's not going to become Chicago or even the Dallas urban core.

It's only about 60 sq miles, has one the highest crime rates in the nation effecting all areas, horrible school system, half the city is abandon, three demograpic groups- the under class 60 %, low income senior citizens 30% and urban pioneers with education and few children 20%. The pioneers can afford to escape either now, soon or after the BUBBLE in the city burst. They will head out of town and back to grand suburbs of Webster-Kirkwood-Brentwood, U-city, Clayton or more affordable burbs. Just like they did in the 80's and 90's.

We have not had any regional population growth in 50 years. We just sprawled! I was in St Charles county a few days ago and realized I've spent more time travelling outside the USA then in an ajacent county in my entire life.
STL business have been selling their assets to out-of-town business for years. Our core industries like education, health care and brokerage services are not creating the growth to become an vital region again! We have without insult to anyone, just shrunk to a giant Indianapolis, Kansas City, Omaha, Memphis or Des Moines. We have been overtaken in importance by Austin-San Antonio, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Portland, San Diego and Seattle.

You and you families social pecking status is not determined education or income. It's where you lived as a teenager and your high school. These two stupid pieces of data is all we need to sterotype you. Even if you assume the persona that seem optimal, you will be rejected on most areas except Webster-Kirkwood.

You will love Webster-Kirkwood. Webster is friendlier, liberal, more diverse and the Queen of the burbs. You will fall in love with either and if the region spits you out and decide to leave you will make a hefty profit.

Get a excellent Realtor and stretch financially with a unique loan product. That how most young families get into Webster-Kirkwood. They don't regret it, but I'd suggest "lite" couples therapy while waiting for your income to catch-up.

Won't be posting more at the STL site. Send personal email if need more info.

[JMedwick]

A few quick comments:

1. For those seeking more info about St. Louis and good neighborhoods/ municipalities to meet your needs if/when you move here I want to direct you to another webforum that is more active. removed Good folks on there who are willing to list the good and the bad to give you an honest assessment of the neighborhoods that will meet your needs. While it is mostly a pro-city site, you can find lots of great info about suburbs that also fit the bill. Just post up a question and you will get lots of answers.


2. Mr. Lauder clearly doesn't know his stats. The humerous percentage breakdown of the city population is based on no real numbers. Don't know what axe he has to grind, but all I can say is that his view is not shared by others.

[Jerry Lauder]

http://www.city-data.com/city/St.-Louis-Missouri.html

[JMedwick]

^ Far as I can see Jerry, that eloquent 60%, 30%, 20% breakdown you gave above is nowhere to be sceen in that data.

I would also encourage you to take a look at http://64.218.68.50/stlouis/newslmpd/viewer.htm, which is the City of St. Louis' online crime maping program.

But I am sure you both already know about that site and know that you must understand both what crimes occur and where they occur. Yeah of course you do, I mean why else would you be foolishly throwing around numbers...

[AKA FLEX]

Have you considered East St. Louis??