Help on St. Louis neighborhoods (Washington, Clayton: apartment, rentals, lofts)

[jlh4480]

Hello everyone and thanks in advance for your help. My gf and I will be relocating to St. Louis in the near future. We know very little about the area, and it's hard to narrow an apartment search via the internet. We are in our late 20s, and our budget is about $2000/month. We are looking for a condo/apt over a house and really like the feel of a downtown area. We want to be able to walk to shops, bars, restaurants, etc. Any information you could provide to narrow our search would be very helpful.

Thanks.

[stlcitygirl]

You should have no problem finding something for $2,000 a month. Check out Downtown, Central West End and Soulard.

[stlcitygirl]

Regarding downtown, I know there are rentals available in the Bogen and Ventana buildings.

[CarrieNeno]

Originally Posted by stlcitygirl

You should have no problem finding something for $2,000 a month. Check out Downtown, Central West End and Soulard.

I agree with SLT city girl on above. I would also check Clayton and Lafayette Square.

[Azalea City Man]

$2,000 a month? Geez ... congrats.

Did you mean you like the feel of STL's downtown? If so, then just move downtown. Make it on Washington Ave for access to bars/shops/gyms and such. Also check out Central West End.

[Brickmama]

I live downtown and like it a lot. Try looking at Ely Walker Lofts, Bogen, Merchandise Mart, Syndicate, or Grace Lofts

[sixtwobaldguy]

Unless you work in downtown st. louis, I don't think there is any compelling reason to go there. If you're very young, some of the bars might be appealing. The waterfront/arch is worth a look followed by a walk and a bite to eat, but not worth living near. Once you've seen it, you've seen it.

There are sometimes dirty, nasty people hanging out hoping to get money. There really aren't very many of them compared to many cities, it's just that the ones that are there are especially nasty looking and honestly I'd probably have to bathe 10 times to get the stench off if one of them ever touched me. They tend to be up on higher land than the waterfront, though, most likely to see them when looking for a place to eat. If you're going to a bar in the evening there aren't many out then to begin with and the parking lots put you with only a short walk, so no real chance of encountering them. I've run into more by day.

In general, St. Louis Area has a lot of really nasty looking people with vile attitudes to match. They tend to congregate in certain areas, and fortunately, if you avoid those areas you don't have to see or interact with them hardly ever. Avoiding these people will reduce your risk of crime to almost zero and generally just make living here more pleasant. They are easy to identify, as are the areas they inhabit. Within a year of moving here, you'll know what the deal is... I just recommend renting wherever you feel comfortable until you get to know the area. Downtown has little to offer though unless you work down there. This is isn't a big city or anything where something exciting will always be going on. My answer to your question of where to live downtown, would be no where. I would go to a different city if downtown living is important to you. The only place I would recommend living around St. Louis is whereever the aforementioned people cannot be found.

[Brickmama]

The people are no different than what you will see in any other big city downtown like St Louis. If they ask for money you just tell them no and move on. There is usually a lot of activity going on downtown especially during the summer. Sporting events, festivals, live on the levee, casino, concerts, etc. Retail seems to be making process. We have added grocery stores, bookstores, the is a Macy's and other boutique clothing store.

Again I live downtown and would not choose another area to live right now. The population continues upward with more, couples, empty nesters, singles, and families that are attracted to downtown. As we continue to build on the momentum this decade there is reason foe excitement in the future.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[ktCakes]

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

The only place I would recommend living around St. Louis is whereever the aforementioned people cannot be found.

So tell us then, where do you live?

[sixtwobaldguy]

I live far west of downtown (T&C) and will remain here until I move outside of the area entirely. If you want exciting city living, I would recommend Buenos Aires or Lima. I enjoyed city living in those places very much, but would not here. In the US, cities are pretty bland. Furthermore, in parts of the US, cities can have a concentration of undesirables that tend to be obnoxious, criminal, and racially intolerant. St. Louis is a city that has such a problem. The other day in Phily over 20 Asian students were selected and attacked by members of a different race (I'll let you guess which one), as just one example. The same problems exist in St. Louis as Phily. The burbs are where the good life is here imo.