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We live in Dallas, Texas and have been thinking of moving for a long time. We've always thought we'd head to New England and now my husband's got a great job offer in St. Louis. Neither one of us have ever been to St. Louis and to be honest it was never on our radar either. After reading all the threads about St.Louis seems like there is very little negatives about the city! We love that it isn't a major metropolis, but sounds like it has all the amenities of a big city. I personally don't like how the DFW area is so big and spread out. I was hoping to move to a smaller town that has smaller problems.
We are a young couple with two small children (ages 4 and 2). Seems like Clayton and the surrounding areas have great schools and aren't too far from downtown St. Louis. The only doubts we have about St. Louis is we are big weekend trip people. In New England, we could make trips to several different states, cities, and parks. There are mountains, lakes, rivers, and the shore there. What is there to do around the St. Louis area? What does Missouri have to offer and the surrounding states? Besides Chicago, I really have no idea and was hoping some people would share some great areas outside the city where a young family could enjoy without having to take too long of a drive. Long drives with two small boys aren't pleasant!
Any help you could give us would be greatly appreciated! This job offer has definitely peaked our interest in St. Louis.
You may like it here. Especially if you already have a job lined up. If you can handle Dallas Culture you will definitely be able to handle the quirks of St. Louis.
I would recommending visiting and spending some time in Clayton/Brentwood/Ladue before settling down there. Its a bit snooty (an this is coming from someone who lived in Newport Beach for the last 10 years).
We wound up living in Lake Saint Louis since it offered a quasi-beach town feel, and reminded us a bit of Southern California and eastern Long Island. There is a good water sports culture here. Depending what you concept of far is, we are about 30 miles away from downtown, and about 20 miles from the business centers in Chesterfield. Schools (especially Wentzville schools) are excellent in this area.
The down side is that there are only a few decent restaurants and a ton of franchise eateries. And if you venture just a few miles west, you start hearing more and more country music in stores.
Overall the cost of living is cheap, and there are enough things to do to keep you amused. Nashville, Memphis and Chicago and Branson (if you are into that kind of amusement) are all easy weekend trips.
Thanks DinsdalePirahna for your response. I've read your previous threads and I appreciate your honesty. We will definitely visit before committing to the job. We get enough snooty here in Dallas so I was kind of hoping for something different. I'm very familiar with Tennessee since I grew up in Memphis and went to school in East Tennessee. I was always hoping to get further away from there No offense to any other Tennesseans out there. I've just had my fill that is all.
After reading a lot of your other posts, it seems like you appreciate and look for the same things that we've always hoped to have in a city/town? Where would you move if you had the opportunity? If we pass up St. Louis, we may try to find a job in that location!
There are a lot of things to do in St. Louis. It is a big city with a small town feel. It's also only about a two and a half hour (gorgeous) drive from Lake of the Ozarks and there are a lot of wineries outside of the city. I moved away for a year and will be moving back in a couple of months.
Thanks DinsdalePirahna for your response. I've read your previous threads and I appreciate your honesty. We will definitely visit before committing to the job. We get enough snooty here in Dallas so I was kind of hoping for something different. I'm very familiar with Tennessee since I grew up in Memphis and went to school in East Tennessee. I was always hoping to get further away from there No offense to any other Tennesseans out there. I've just had my fill that is all.
After reading a lot of your other posts, it seems like you appreciate and look for the same things that we've always hoped to have in a city/town? Where would you move if you had the opportunity? If we pass up St. Louis, we may try to find a job in that location!
Thanks again! I really appreciate it.
Thanks
We are thinking of going back to Orange County or maybe San Diego.
Other places that we really like are NYs Hudson River Valley/Catskill Mountains
Eastern Long Island, NY
Annapolis, Maryland
We have also been thinking about the Florida Keys
Seattle also seems like a nice place. I have never been there but I think it may be worth exploring.
Of course, there are Blues, Cardinals, and Rams games. There are also sports leagues for kids.
Rural Missouri is full of trails, parks, and lakes. We went to Markham spring today. About a mile walk, a few cliffs, lots of icicles on the cliffs. Very pretty, albeit a bit dangerous, may not want to do that trail until the kids are little older. But that park is at least two hours from St. Louis anyway. There are plenty of other parks you could check out. I spent quite a few weekends as a kid at parks and in the woods.
More info on Missouri parks here. Locator Map - Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites, DNR
The winter will be an adjustment. The summer is also hot and humid, and the weather changes quickly.
I would visit any place before you move there. But I think there will be plenty for your kids to do, especially if they like hiking and camping. Most little boys I've met like that kind of stuff.
We have found St. Louis to be a great place to raise children. Every time we have weighed the pros and cons of moving somewhere else, we end up with more pros here. We can afford to have me stay home, we have amazing museums minutes from our house and most of them are free, St. louis actually has a very active arts community that attracts artists from all over the country b/c of the cost of living, there are tons of cool festivals and free outdoor performances 9 months of the year, the theatre here is actually quite good, the symphony, we have a great selection of restaurants, and lots of outdoor activities within a half hour of town.
We are NOT east coast of west coast nor do we strive to be. So, if you yearn for that type of living than St. Louis may not meet your needs. But as far as finding a great little city with lots of opportunities to get your family involved, we have found St. Louis to be perfect for that.
You can definitely find St. Louis's brand of snootier-than-thous, but there are enough communities in the metro area that you could probably find one that fits for your family.
Good Luck with you decision! I know how exciting and terrifying it can be for a family.
Yeah St. Louis is a great place to raise kids, but if you live in the city of St. Louis plan on sending your kids to private school for sure. But Clayton, Webster Groves, Kirkwood, and Brentwood all have very good schools. I would also suggest you look at living in St. Louis County mostly west and south counties because they have some of the lowest crime rates in the country and some of the best schools in the area namely Parkway School District, Mehlville School District, and Lindbergh School District. For weekend trips there are a lot of nearby places to visit you already said Chicago, but nearby there is also Kansas City, Springfield, and Branson are all fun places to visit. The lake of the ozarks is also just a few hours away. There are a lot of fun things to do in the St. Louis area though St. Louis is famous for it's caves and there are many to tour in the area if you like that kind of thing, but there is also the zoo (best in the world), art museum, the muny, Forest Park, the Arch, City Museum, Cahokia Mounds there are just too many things to list that families can do. Some of the nearby parks are Washinton State Park and Castlewood State Park, but besides those large parks there are hundreds of smaller parks spread out through St. Louis City and county. Around St. Louis are some large lakes like lake of the ozarks and table rock lake. St. Louis is also have rivers all over the place there is of course the Mississippi river, the Meramac River, Missouri River, and River De Peres which is a man made river, but it's more of a giant storm drain that flows into the Mississippi. There are also a few wineries outside of city which are pretty fun to visit. I do suggest you visit first just to get a feel for all the city has to offer, but when you do visit make sure to stay away from North St. Louis, I'm not trying to scare you away, but that area is not at all safe, but for the most part it is contained pretty well up north so don't let it bother you at all and besides that there really isn't much to do north of Delmar Blvd anyway so there is no reason you would need to go up there.
Glad to hear that a job offer has piqued your interest in the St. Louis area. There is a lot to do in the City, in the metro area outside of the City, and within a short distance. First, you have to take ideas of mountains and seashores and put them away. Also the same with glaciers and deserts and rainforests and things we don't have here in mid-America. Now, once you've put all these scenes away, you are ready to enjoy the truly beautiful and enjoyable areas and diversions we do have.
We moved here in 1999 from Houston, TX, and it was a bit of an adjustment. After Dallas, you will soon discover that St. Louis is a pretty small city - or a big town, however you want to look at it. It didn't take us long to figure out that this makes this place more accessible and available. I hope I can convey some of these things here.
City amusements:
Forest Park - biggest urban park in the US; includes the St. Louis Zoo (free, one of the best in the US), Art Museum (free), Boat House (restaurant plus rental rowboats and pedal boats), Museum of Missouri History (free), Science Center (free), planetarium, home of the St. Louis Aces (semi-pro tennis team - including Anna Kournikova and Lindsey Davenport), the Muni (outdoor dramatic theatre, free seats available), cricket matches, handball, running/biking track, racquetball courts, Steinberg Ice Skating Rink (seasonal)...and plenty of room for a picnic
The City Museum - great for kids and for grown up kids, too
The Arch - neat to do at least once, with a great view from the top and a history museum of westward expansion below
Old Courthouse - run by the US Park Service, this courthouse is a museum of St. Louis and legal history, with exhibits and a preserved courtroom from the era of the Dred Scott case (landmark slavery case)
Missouri Botanical Garden - an expansive green wonderland with a house museum, hedge maze, Japanese Garden, fountains, butterfly house, huge visitor/interpretive center
County fun:
Magic House
Laumeier Sculpture Garden
Faust Park - historic village, butterfly house, indoor carousel
Lake St. Louis (mentioned above) - water sport stuff
Weekend getaways:
Hermann - rolling hills, wineries, small german village with historic downtown and great views of the Missouri River. This town is a short 1.5 hour drive or an easy train ride from St. Louis or Kirkwood stations
Katy Trail - an old railroad right of way that was converted to a hiking/biking trail, the Katy Trail extends pretty far west of St. Louis and could be fun for a family that likes to take biking trips together. The towns that the trail goes through have adapted, with many offering bike-specific accomodations or restaurants.
Ste Genevieve - great old French settlement to the south of the metro area near the Mississippi River, with wineries, gift shops, old architecture
Clarksville/Louisiana, Mo - two great old river towns with beautiful old homes, shops, restaurants and views of the Mississippi, this is a great trip especially during Eagle Days, when the river locks are mobbed with Bald Eagles. Interpretive programs, bonfires and binoculars make this a fun experience for kids
Hannibal - a bit further north of Louisiana is Hannibal, a town that is just packed with Mark Twain history and a great historic downtown. We stayed in a bed and breakfast that used to be a brothel, which was a definite first.
Elephant Rocks State Park - this state park south of the City has huge round boulders that the kids can climb on and explore and also walking trails. This is a really pretty area.
Lakes: there are many man-made lakes ringing the St. Louis Metro area that have all sorts of opportunities for family fun - boating, fishing, skiing, swimming, camping. Just pick which direction you want to go and you'll find a quality lake.
Branson - about five hours from St Louis. With a water park and Silver Dollar City and show upon show, there is a lot for a family to do - even if you think you are too cool for Branson, and most people think they are.
Trips east:
Alton/Grafton/Great River Road - there is a great drive north on the east side of the river that leads you to the historic towns of Alton and Grafton. You'll find some great restaurants, views of the river, shops, wineries, and haunted houses, if you're into that sort of thing.
Springfield, IL - lots of Abraham Lincoln going on in Springfield, with his home and office preserved, the old courthouse where he practiced, and the spectacular, interactive Lincoln Presidential library. There really is something for everyone to see in Springfield. There's a Frank Lloyd Wright house, too, if you like architecture.
New Harmony, Indiana - a 2.5 hour drive straight east across Illinois, New Harmony started out as a Utopian commune and has an impressive, modern visitor center - especially for a town of its size. This town is a fun getaway, with funky bed and breakfast accommodations and some surprisingly great places to eat. The drive takes you through Mt. Vernon Illinois, a good place to rest the kids and stretch your legs. Mt. Vern has a little fun zoo and a small but impressive sculpture park.
Amish - there are Amish communities you can visit not far from St. Louis, if you like to watch people churn butter and the like. Could be fun for kidlets.
These are just the things I could think of off the top of my head, I'm sure there is much more that others could add. I thought about posting links to everything, but this post is long enough as it is. You can find info on anything I've mentioned by googling it, though.
What do your boys like to do? I know there is a ski resort in the St. Louis area. Apparently disc golf is getting more popular.
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Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Hidden Valley is OK, but it's a Ski "Area" - using the term "Resort" is a stretch, to say the least.
If the kids like to board, there is a safe, non-extreme terrain park (but no halfpipe):
Jumps rebuilt 1-27 In BADLANDS 25" Jump, 25' Down Box , Down Hand Rail,
And 3 new beginner features. . . . Mini Rail is Sunday the 31st come out !
35' Jump, 40'Jump, 48' Flatrail/Flat Down Combo, 50'Box/Flat Down Combo
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No offense to any other Tennesseans out there. I've just had my fill that is all. 
