Moving to St Louis from NYC (St. Louis, Florissant: lofts, neighborhood, university)

[j2t1161]

I simply cannot afford nyc anymore and I have family in Florrissant so I am moving to St Louis within the next 30 days.

I have never actually been to St Louis but Im a 'get up and do it' spontaneous person so Im just doing it.

I live in the village right now and I am surrounded by trendy bars and clubs, great restaurants, and a scene that is perfect for someone like me (23 year old male). I can walk to everything (which is great b/c I dont drive).

Where in St Louis should I be searching for a place?

I want the scene of people my age, where I can walk to everything, and there are great bars, clubs, and restaurants near by.

I would also like a gay friendly area as well.

Can anyone help me out here?

[arch_genesis]

Check out Central West End . Why aren't you bringing anybody with you? Surely you made friends in New York. Why does everybody come to St. Louis alone?? Why!?!

[zach_33]

walkable area with lots of 20-somethings and gay friendly. Yeah, you'll never find anything that holds a candle to the village on those factors, but the closest you'll get in STL is probably the Central West End. I think Tower Grove South also hits many of those criteria, along Grand Avenue between Arsenal and Utah. Might also check out the Washington Ave Loft District.

[Fishtacos]

Everyone that moves to St. Louis should embrace St. Louis for St. Louis instead of trying to compare it to something else. The same can be said for any place in which a person relocates.

With that said, the Central West End is going to be at the top of most people's list based on your criteria but there are a few other options too.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

From everything I've heard, Central West End is probably your best bet.

Downtown has lots of lofts on Wash Ave and bars on Laclede's Landing, but I'm not sure it has as many restaurants or nightclubs as Central West End does.

Wherever you decide, best of luck.

[Brickmama]

I will repeat the answers above. Look at the Downtown and the CWE. Both have lots of nightlife and dining options along with being the most walkable areas in the city. A wildcard pick may be Tower Grove along South Grand.

[Brickmama]

Almost forgot. Another option probably stronger than Tower Grove would be Soulard. It has a lot of nightlife, dining, and is walkable. Its probably more neigborhoodish than Downtown or CWE but its worth a look. It also has a few gay bars located within the neighborhood.

[STL4eva]

[quote=j2t1161;8553857]I simply cannot afford nyc anymore and I have family in Florrissant so I am moving to St Louis within the next 30 days.

Remember the old adage - "You get what you pay for." You just went from Saks Fifth Avenue to Wal-Mart in swift movement...

I would also like a gay friendly area as well.

Stay OUT of North (includes Florissant)/South Counties. You're best off in the Central West End, Maplewood and certain areas of West County. When I lived there, I was a white male dating a black female, and the only places I didn't get looks of consternation were in the CWE and University City. Let's just say that the more you progress to the suburbs, the more behind the times the folks are.

[anr_black]

I'm surprised no one mentioned Clayton...it is pricier, but I'm sure a far cry from what you're paying in Manhattan....pretty sure it's gay friendly (several gay friends live there), but maybe not age friendly, now that i see you're 23. Not as exciting as CWE at night

[STL4eva]

Dude, seriously, as an educated an open-minded straight white male that dates women of color (and has experienced prejudice on many occasions), listen to me and anr_black - hang in CWE, Clayton, University City and Maplewood. Vibrant, young, open-minded community. Stay out of South City/South County - you basically walk into a Jesse Helms/Pat Robertson type environment.