Potentially moving to Central West End...good choice? (St. Louis, St. Charles: lofts, crime)

[BubbyBobble]

My mom wants to move to Central West End in August in some new development they are building (I think its off S. Kingshighway). Is this a good place to move too? What I mean is, are there any bad parts of CWE and what shopping places are there. Closest mall and whatnots. Even though Forest Park being in my backyard is going to be awesome (and the metro link)

We are comparing this to West County and St. Charles. We're moving out of N. County (Hazelwood) because its too much for what we're getting (roaches, car break ins, kids fighting)-we got the bad end of Hazelwood (not Howdershell Rd.). Please help me!

[moorlander]

The CWE is awesome. Where on Kingshighway? "genearally, the farther north you go the rougher it gets but this is kind painting with a broad brush here. Not much crime in the CWE but car break-ins can be a bit of a problem in some spots. I would suggest posting this same question on urbanstl.com - you would get a ton of feedback from CWE residents.

CWE - Plenty of street shopping, nightlife, and restaurants. Definately the most "cosmopolitan" area in town. Home to some of the nicest homes in the region. Closest traditional mall is the Galleria which is a 5 min drive west from the CWE.

[stlcitygirl]

I love CWE, I will definitely live there at some point in my life.

[BubbyBobble]

Originally Posted by moorlander

The CWE is awesome. Where on Kingshighway? "genearally, the farther north you go the rougher it gets but this is kind painting with a broad brush here. Not much crime in the CWE but car break-ins can be a bit of a problem in some spots. I would suggest posting this same question on urbanstl.com - you would get a ton of feedback from CWE residents.

CWE - Plenty of street shopping, nightlife, and restaurants. Definately the most "cosmopolitan" area in town. Home to some of the nicest homes in the region. Closest traditional mall is the Galleria which is a 5 min drive west from the CWE.

Off South Kings Highway. Is that good?

[moorlander]

^ not really? Most of what fronts Kingshighway and is across from forest park is BJC.

Generally anything south of Delmar is great. The only 'NEW' development I can think of is the Park East Tower and the 6 north Lofts but they are not on Kingshighway. Are you thinking of the newly rehabbed Chase Park Plaza?

[BubbyBobble]

Nevermind, its on N. Kingshighway. Near Mlk and Page. I'm getting scared.

[Brickmama]

I dont think thats the CWE. It may be Lewis Place or the Ville.

[BoomBoxing]

I'm pretty sure that's fountain park. Nice architecture and just north of the cwe. But...it's north St. Louis and crime will inevitably be higher there. Why is it here or west co/ St. Charles? These areas have nothing in common.

[Caldus]

I agree with the others. Anything north of Delmar tends to be a little shadier (not always the case, but like someone else said just painting with a broad brush). I lived in the Loop for a over a year and I learned not to drive too far north. Otherwise, CWE is a neat area. Regarding car breakins, there will always be a chance there but as long as you practice good common sense and not leave valuable things in the car that are visible, then I wouldn't let that discourage you from living at CWE.

[chr1s]

When most people think 'Central West End', they are not thinking of Kingshighway near Page and MLK. This is the Fountain Park neighborhood.

I drive through this area fairly often and it's not a particularly dangerous neighborhood. But this neighborhood is suffering from urban decay. There are a few chop suey restaurants and check cashing establishments, but not much else to walk to in this area (as far as I know).