considering moving from California to St. Louis - am I crazy? (Florida: buying, scorpions)

[DinsdalePirahna]

If it is really important to be around other asians, I haven't seen too many here.
Summer can get brutal. Lots of rain in the winter, but except for last weeks cold snap, winters are pretty mild.
Food, This is the corn belt, so you would have no problem getting fresh produce in the growing seasons. Forget fresh seafood. Also prepare to put on a few pounds, there are not as many choices for healthy dining as you would find in CA. Food will taste weird. There are a lot of taste quirks in the local diet.

[stlcitygirl]

This winter I have been buying my avacados at Local Harvest Grocer on Morganford, I've been very pleased.

[zach_33]

I wouldn't worry too much about not having other Asian folks to hang out with. While it is true, the area is largely either Caucasian or African American, the neighborhoods you seem to be lasering in on (U City, Clayton, Ladue) have some Asian folks. I know Clayton in particular has a relatively high Asian population (Glenridge elementary, for example, is 17% Asian according to Greatschools.net). Those areas also happen to be some of the city's most affluent and most well-educated. Furthermore, my wife works at Wash U and I think she has introduced me to more Asians than any other racial category - the university is very well represented by Asians and people of Asian descent. Lastly, I don't have any hard numbers, but if you check out the student roll at any of the expensive private elementary schools in the near central corridor (New City, Wilson, Forsyth), I guarantee you will find a solid proportion of Asian students whose parents are wealthy residents of the CWE or U City. In other words, St. Louis is culturally homogenous compared to SF, but you will definitely be able to find your niche.

[gotigers123]

Originally Posted by bestplacetolive

Wow, thanks for all of the replies! Very helpful!

I actually live in Palo Alto (working at Stanford currently), so for me, missing the city life of SF is not that big of a deal (probably go to SF only 1x/month).

What I liked about STL (from my recent and first visit there for my job interview) were:

A) the huge park right next to Wash U, with multiple museums, zoo, etc, which are FREE, a hugh plus for a family
B) the close proximity of the inner suburbs (i.e. Clayton, U-City, Ladue, etc) where houses are affordable (at least more than the Bay Area), and the commute would be reasonable
C) STL being a mid-sized city that offers the cultural things that smaller midwestern cities may not

Things I'm concerned about:
A) relative paucity of Asians (better in the near-Western suburbs where Wash U faculty live, but still a lot lower than in the Bay Area, obviously)
B) weather (a semi-philosophical issue that I am dealing with internally )
C) food? - my question here is, how easy is it to get fresh, good quality produce year-round in STL? I lived in Chicago for 8 yrs, and it was never easy finding good tomatoes, avocados, etc, except at a farmer's market...

Thanks!

A) Forest Park is one of the great urban parks in the country.
B) The people and culture of U City/Clayton/Ladue are similar to what you'd find in Palo Alto and other nicer areas on the peninsula. Well-educated people, politically liberal, and relatively diverse. Wash U is a great campus.
C) True

A) If you stay in certain areas (Clayton, Ladue, U City, Webster, Kirkwood, Maplewood) you should have no problems. SLU and Wash U have a fair amount of Asians. As you move out to West/North/South County, you'll see less and less Asians and the you'll also see more racism (IMHO).
B) Weather will be a HUGE adjustment. Probably a greater adjustment than anything culturally.
C) Produce is no where near as good in the midwest. It is not fresh. Yes, you can get great local corn, but the majority of fruit and veggies at the supermarkets are shipped in from the central valley of CA.

[Brickmama]

The asian population is rather low for the STL metro are as a whole but there are certain areas that have a fairly high concentration of Asians. Those areas are Downtown, Tower Grove, CWE, U City, and Clayton.

[ktCakes]

Supermarket produce is the same as everywhere...bland. I remember going to Florida in winter and not being able to find Florida oranges at the local supermarket but was buying them in St. Louis a week earlier.

Luckily there is a large "locavore" movement in St. Louis, so there are lots of new farmer's markets around. Of course, we are a three season growing area and you'll have to adjust to learning to cook and eat that way if you only eat local fresh produce. But, summers and falls are quite abundant.

@Dinsdale...did it ever occur to you that California has the taste quirks?

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by ktCakes

@Dinsdale...did it ever occur to you that California has the taste quirks?

One word, just one word: Provel

[ktCakes]

That's not a quirk. That is a cheese blend of Swiss, Provolone, and Cheddar.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by ktCakes

That's not a quirk. That is a cheese blend of Swiss, Provolone, and Cheddar.

The FDA says its not real cheese, Saint Louis is the only place that has a taste for the crap and you put it on Pizza. That's a quirk.

'Nuff said and I don't want to hijack a thread.

[ktCakes]

yes, Dinsdale. I know. it was a joke. We have that quirk here, too.