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St. Louis doesn't compare well with these cities. Denver and San Jose are not crime ridden, run down, or economically depressed. What good is having a dense urban fabric when it is not vibrant and losing population?
Significant portions of that dense urban fabric were torn out and then a lot more sort of withered away.
I know. These are people who don't know what they are writing about. When it comes down to some formers, I just let them go with it. I think it makes them feel good to bash St Louis.
It’s only recently that San Jose officially became the more densely populated city or that it had more than an erratic scattering of walkable neighborhoods. It doesn’t have any neighborhoods right now or perhaps ever with nearly as much charm as Central West End or Soulard among others, but there’s no denying that there are a lot of facets where the economic boom and the ensuing population boom in the city is making some of its neighborhoods more interesting and that it’s slowly building up its cultural institutions and also its infrastructure. St. Louis is also seeing new developments and that new pedestrian-oriented approach to the Gateway Arch is a major development, but I think at this point it’s fair to say that San Jose today has a lot more advantages over St. Louis than it did at the turn of the century.
The weather really isn’t hot and humid in the summer and damp and cold in the winter?
Downtown is super vibrant compared to other cities?
Families with kids are moving back in to the city in large numbers and leaving the suburbs?
The most popular outdoors activities aren’t golf and going to the lake?
I will say that I really enjoyed Side Project Brewery. I made a point to stop there every trip.
First, the area that Shakeesha and others mentioned being run down, crime ridden and economically depressed has less than 50k residents in a area of 2.8 million folks.
DT St. Louis has its moments of being vibrant and does have just as much going on as other cities that people claim are better. DT is too big and would take a lot more people to give an eye popping sense of vibrancy. It has a long way to go but it is heading that way.
St Louis is hot and humid! I strongly disagree with you on that one.
Most people repopulating the vibrant neighborhoods are singles or households with 1 or 2 people. There are the exceptions but families usually look for better schools. I will say I am shocked sometimes by the number of strollers being pushed around Lafayette Square, Tower Grove and other urban neighborhoods now. So you may be on to something.
First, the area that Shakeesha and others mentioned being run down, crime ridden and economically depressed has less than 50k residents in a area of 2.8 million folks.
DT St. Louis has its moments of being vibrant and does have just as much going on as other cities that people claim are better. DT is too big and would take a lot more people to give an eye popping sense of vibrancy. It has a long way to go but it is heading that way.
St Louis is hot and humid! I strongly disagree with you on that one.
Most people repopulating the vibrant neighborhoods are singles or households with 1 or 2 people. There are the exceptions but families usually look for better schools. I will say I am shocked sometimes by the number of strollers being pushed around Lafayette Square, Tower Grove and other urban neighborhoods now. So you may be on to something.
I would add...
I actually don't think our downtown is that vibrant, but I also don't find that core business districts are the vibrant anywhere (lived in Chicago for a while, the vibrancy exists outside of downtown for sure). But if you hit Washington Ave. there is usually quite a bit going on. Soulard, just a bit south of downtown. Lafayette Park, again, just a bit south of the western edge of downtown. Central West End. Grand Ave. and Tower Grove. The Grove. Benton Park. Plenty of spots in St. Louis that are cool and vibrant. But I agree that downtown could use more investment. The additions to BPV will be nice. The new aquarium will be great. What they did to the arch grounds, Kiener Plaza (was a haven for homeless before). Citigarden is amazing and my kids love to climb around on the sculptures. All so amazing now. I've seen the plans for revitalizing Laclede's Landing.I'm old enough to remember when that was the place to go and Wash Ave was still scary. Love when they put the ice rink up at Keiner Plaze in the winter. The greenway they are putting in. The Cortex district growing, connecting downtown to the CWE. Things are changing. It's the midwest, so not as fast as a sunbelt city. But those of us who really know and love this place can see it.
I know a lot of families that are choosing the city again too. The Central West End, Lafayette Square, Tower Grove, etc. If they want public school, they may not, but if they are doing private, then yes. St. Louis has suburbs that are more urban than many other cities as well (Maplewood, Clayton, U City, etc.). If my husband didn't work in Chesterfield, I would have chosen the CWE as home myself. We may, when we downsize.
People do A LOT more outdoors than golf and "go to the lake". In all your trips have you EVER once gone to forest park and watched all the people biking and running? How about biking the Katy Trail. Hiking at Castlewood or any of the multitudes of great hiking spots within 1 hour or 2 hours from the city? I'm a hiker, and there are so many great places for quick easy hikes or day long hikes. Even when it's hot, people suck it up and get out. But if you hit a nice day, you'll barely find room on the trails. I haven't been to the lake in 20+ years. It's not my thing...but waterskiing and boating aren't exactly activities I'm going to look down my nose at. Or golf for that matter, which isn't my thing. Tennis courts seem to fill up too. I live in Country Club land, so lots of women on the courts every morning. Not to mention the number of friends I have who are avid runners, in a race every other weekend. Or the quintessential suburban mom sport of triathlon. Swimming in the summer. Hidden Valley in the winter (for such a crappy ski hill, Hidden Valley has a successful ski team and my kids are excellent skiers...I'm even halfway decent). So give me a break. Just like any other metro area, you will see more activity in educated populations and less so in blue collar areas. So I guess what kind of people you run into when visiting depends on what you do for work.
I don't know enough about San Jose to really make comparisons, but not surprised that people would choose it and also not surprised how little people know or how much they rely on stereotypes about St. Louis.
First, the area that Shakeesha and others mentioned being run down, crime ridden and economically depressed has less than 50k residents in a area of 2.8 million folks.
DT St. Louis has its moments of being vibrant and does have just as much going on as other cities that people claim are better. DT is too big and would take a lot more people to give an eye popping sense of vibrancy. It has a long way to go but it is heading that way.
St Louis is hot and humid! I strongly disagree with you on that one.
Most people repopulating the vibrant neighborhoods are singles or households with 1 or 2 people. There are the exceptions but families usually look for better schools. I will say I am shocked sometimes by the number of strollers being pushed around Lafayette Square, Tower Grove and other urban neighborhoods now. So you may be on to something.
I deleted my post because it’s divisive and I don’t need to put St. Louis down. I definitely think the city is improving. If you’re starting to see more young families with kids in the city, that’s the area to start buying up property.
It is waaaay too humid and hot for this Colorado guy though. That’s not changing. I didn’t know what a heat index was until I went to Missouri.
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