Tell me about Florissant

[nefafefa]

Sasha, expect a lot of racially fueled answers from people who haven't been to Florissant (or North County) in years. If blacks live somewhere, it must be bad. That's the mindset in St. Louis. But I actually live in North County, have for 30 years off and on, and here's the deal:

Florissant is a nice, safe middle class community. There are some really lovely homes there - on par with pretty much anyplace in St. Louis. Demographics ARE changing, with more blacks moving in. But in Florissant, many of the new blacks make more money than the old white residents. This notion that every black North County resident is a thug is ridiculous.

The Ferguson-Florissant School District is a good district, though some schools are better than others. Politically, I'd say the area is largely Democrat. There are some newer McMansions but most of the homes are older, with some really wonderful 50s ranches available. The cost for housing is definitely a bargain compared to the rest of St. Louis.

Personally I like Ferguson over Florissant. My husband and I, both professionals, chose Ferguson because of its beautiful vintage housing, strong sense of community and character, and fabulous location near Hwy 70. We can get to Clayton in 10 minutes; almost everywhere else in less than 20. I do a lot of shopping in Florissant but it doesn't seem to be attracting progressive people the way that Ferguson is. If I had one complaint, I'd say that Florissant seems to have an awful lot of old people......but of course that probably doesn't pan out in actual numbers.

Bottom line: unless you need to live in an all-white area, Florissant is a perfectly nice place to live.

[mytjo95]

Originally Posted by bluede78

I have been born and raised in Florissnt MO. This is a great part of St Louis to live in. I believe that everyone consideres North County (Florissant is in North county) as part of North City. North CITY is where the gangs are and all of the drugs. The city is far from Florissant. I have never encountered any dangerous "Gang" activities. It wasn't too long ago, Florissant was rated one of the Safest cities in the country to live in.

Yes, Florissant is a great area for the 1st time home buyer. Nice affordable ranch homes with at median home price of 139000. However, I do think the school district is horrible. I am a product of the Ferguson/Florissant school district and I feel that I was no where near ready for college. With that said, there are a lot of nice private schools in the Florissant area. Quite frankly, I think the Missouri Dept of Education sucks no matter what school district you live in.

My motto is my a nice affordable home in a middle class area and if you need to send your kids to a private school.

Everyone else is saying that you should move away from Florissant due to so called "gang activity," or drugs. Every school district in or surrounding Florissant has had some type of problem with drugs (street or prescription) in the past. You could either pay $300,000 for that type of enviorment or you could pay at most $175000, you pick...

I too am I product of Ferg-Flor school District, and I'm about to graduate college with honors.... The school district is fine, the best among North County School Districts in my opinion; however, i'm not saying it's the best in the metro area. But it's not "horrible"

btw the initial post was almost 3 years ago. lol

[veggiegirl314]

Count me in as another born-and-raised Florissant dweller. I went to school in the Hazelwood school district, and I graduated from St. Louis University (after 3.5 years) in 2006, with a degree in Chemistry. I believe a school district is what you make of it. Are Hazelwood and Ferg/Flor the best school districts in Missouri? Not by a longshot. Are they the worst? Not by a longshot. If you work hard, you'll reap the benefits. End of story.

Now about the neigborhoods. I'm a 23 year old female, and although I don't live in Florissant anymore (just moved to Brentwood a few months ago!), I feel completely safe in Florissant. People who say it's a "bad area" obviously haven't lived/visited there. I agree with the poster who noted the "wherever blacks live MUST be bad" mindset. Truer words have not been spoken!

Please don't confuse North County with North City; they're two totally different areas. Check your facts. Do your research. Drive through an area before you judge it so harshly.

If you want to live in a nice, affordable, racially diverse area, Florissant is a good bet.

[aragx6]

I would consider sending my elementary-aged children to Ferg-Flor schools, but H-wood? I think not. Big difference in the two districts imo.

[stlsmoore]

There's a big difference between Hazelwood East and West though

[jgordon13]

I have to throw my 2-cents in, whether it'll actually help or not. :-)
My family is from Florissant, I was born there, and my grandparents still live right by McCluer North High School (so I was basically half-raised in Florissant)
As a 22-year-old woman, I'm not afraid in Flo at all. And out of all the worries I have for my grandparents, their safety isn't one of them.
I went to Ferg-Florissant schools for a whopping 2 years, but I can tell you they definitely aren't the worst schools in the area at all!
The mayor, as far as I know, hates to see vacant buildings and lots, so the town is pretty well-kept.
Also, there a lot of residents who have lived there FOREVER, so to me that says a lot about their level of satisfaction. :-)