St. Louis Population: +1 (Maplewood, Craig: apartments, for rent, house)

[OA 5599]

I thought I'd let you guys know that I accepted a job in the city of St. Louis today, after all the advice you all offered to me (thanks!). I'm starting in mid-August. I'll probably get a place in the Central West End, but will also check out Tower Grove South (it looks cool and is cheaper).

I'm excited to be moving back to my home state, but still living in an interesting (but new to me) city, and finally starting life in the "real world" after being in college for what seems like an eternity. It is a ROUGH time out there for recent college graduates right now, so I feel very fortunate to have a job lined up anywhere at all.

Also, how is the "DeBaliviere Place" neighborhood, just north of Forest Park, south of Delmar, and to the east of DeBaliviere avenue? A lot of places listed as in the "Central West End" on Craigslist are popping up in this neighborhood when I look at them in Google Maps. I remember reading somewhere in this forum that the area had a lot of property crime? It is super-close to work and the apartment selection looks really good.

[ShadowCaver]

Congrats there sir... good luck

Imaging you've seen the few other posts herein regarding DeBaliviere, such as: http://www.city-data.com/forum/3552152-post7.html

[STL4eva]

Greetings, OA 5599

Nice moniker - obviously you are a fan of the all-time classic film Vanishing Point. You may have to explain that to some of the folks in STL.

Anyway, here is a very accurate review of DeBalivere Place from its tenants. Hopefully it will provide you with the information you seek. Good luck in all your future endeavors:

Debaliviere Place Apartments Ratings, Reviews, Map, Rents, and other St. Louis apartments for rent from ApartmentRatings.com

[OA 5599]

Thanks guys. I've driven through the DeBaliviere neighborhood a few times and it looks nice...I really like the look of the historic mansions just north of Forest Park. I'll spend a day or two in the city this summer apartment-hunting to try to get the best idea of places I really like.

And STL4eva, yes, I am a huge fan of the classic Vanishing Point, along with many other films from the 60's and early 70's. I've had a few people on these forums ask where my username came from, but you are the first to catch it in the beginning!

[CoffeeAndBeer]

Welcome! I have lived on Pershing in DeB Place, and while the residential density is high, its not easily (quickly) walkable to much. This will definitely change in the future as there is a lot of underutilized urban commercial on Pershing...and the existing structure density and massing is wonderful in this area. West of DeBaliviere Ave is Skinker-DeBaliviere, which is a separate, but close neighborhood which is much more walkable to the heart of the loop. There is a high concentration of Wash U undergrads in this area however, I don't know how you feel about that. I haven't lived in the heart of the CWE (near Euclid), but you can't really go wrong in this area. I currently live in Tower Grove South, and in fact am about to close on a house down here. TGS has a totally different feel than the quicker paced and monied CWE with more of a traditional urban corner pub and Sunday afternoon BBQ type thing going on, while having an obvious infusion of fresh faces. I'd definitely check out both as a starting point to see which feel you prefer...the neighborhoods feel totally different from each other.

[OA 5599]

Thanks for the info. I'm a couple years removed from the undergrad scene, so I'd prefer to live in an area with more young professionals and/or grad students than undergrads. More of a laid-back urban pub & BBQ scene actually may be more of my type of scene than more of a fast-paced neighborhood, so I'll definitely be sure to check out TGS along with the CWE. It is a few miles from where I'll be working (40 & Hampton area), which would make cycling to work a little more difficult, however.

[CoffeeAndBeer]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

Thanks for the info. I'm a couple years removed from the undergrad scene, so I'd prefer to live in an area with more young professionals and/or grad students than undergrads. More of a laid-back urban pub & BBQ scene actually may be more of my type of scene than more of a fast-paced neighborhood, so I'll definitely be sure to check out TGS along with the CWE. It is a few miles from where I'll be working (40 & Hampton area), which would make cycling to work a little more difficult, however.

Skinker-DeBaliviere isnt a classic student ghetto, I may be overstating that aspect. You should just walk around and check things out. In addition, the Loop is far too diverse to be "campus town." Theres just far more undergrads up there than there is down here in TGS which has a heavy influence of mid-late twenty somethings and thirty somethings.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

Thanks for the info. I'm a couple years removed from the undergrad scene, so I'd prefer to live in an area with more young professionals and/or grad students than undergrads. More of a laid-back urban pub & BBQ scene actually may be more of my type of scene than more of a fast-paced neighborhood, so I'll definitely be sure to check out TGS along with the CWE. It is a few miles from where I'll be working (40 & Hampton area), which would make cycling to work a little more difficult, however.

If you are working at Hampton and 40, and looking for a laid-back urban pub scene where you can bike to work, then check out Dogtown first. It is the area directly west of Hampton and 40 south of Forest Park. There are a lot of pubs throughout the neighborhood, but it isn't rowdy. Dogtown has a lot of young professionals, but also a lot of families and older residents. It is also a really easy bike ride to the CWE and the Delmar Loop. It is also possible to bike to downtown Maplewood, but the ride back can be bad since the south end of Dogtown has a lot of hills.

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by TGS

If you are working at Hampton and 40, and looking for a laid-back urban pub scene where you can bike to work, then check out Dogtown first. It is the area directly west of Hampton and 40 south of Forest Park. There are a lot of pubs throughout the neighborhood, but it isn't rowdy. Dogtown has a lot of young professionals, but also a lot of families and older residents. It is also a really easy bike ride to the CWE and the Delmar Loop. It is also possible to bike to downtown Maplewood, but the ride back can be bad since the south end of Dogtown has a lot of hills.

Thanks for the suggestion...I hadn't really thought of Dogtown yet. I looked around on Craigslist and the prices in Dogtown look great (I found a nice looking bungalow for the same price as a 1 bedroom in the CWE), and many of the homes/apartments are even within a 15 minute walk of where I'll be working.

I do have a car which I plan on keeping, but I would like to be able to walk/cycle most places I go on a daily basis (work, gym, grocery store, places to eat, even a pub/bar every now and then), and only have to drive on weekends or maybe a time or two during the week.

[arch_genesis]

Population +1? Why aren't you bringing anyone with you? We could use that SXSW festival as well