Rolla neighborhoods (St. Louis, St. James, St. Robert: crimes, mortgage, buying a house)

[pademelon]

Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about buying a house in Rolla, and would really appreciate some info about the different neighborhoods there.

The first question: which areas still get flooding after rainstorms? I found this page from last summer, but are there any parts of town that usually still have problems?

City of Rolla, Missouri: City's Storm Water Retention system holds during heavy rains

The other question I have is about crime. Rolla seems like a pretty safe place, but are there any specific neighborhoods/streets to stay away from? And in general, is there any area of town that isn't safe for a woman to walk alone in at night?

Thanks for your help!

[ozarksboy]

Rolla is still a small town (although the leaders really want us to think of it as a big city and are encouraging urban sprawl) so there are no neighborhoods to stay away from because of fear. I live in about the oldest part of town and I get out and walk at night. Granted, I am a big ole redneck man, not a woman.

Several years ago when lived in a little big newer part of town I was walking with my wife along Soest Road for our evening exercise. It was after dark. We saw the silhouettes of a couple of people against the street lights, so we crossed the street. They came across the street and commenced to start hitting me. They were teen-age boys, so it didn't hurt me; I didn't fight back because my wife was with me and I didn't know if they were armed. I didn't want her to get hurt. A car drove by on Soest and we got away from them. We walked up LaGuille, knocked on a door and called the police. They caught one of the boys and he ratted on the other. Turned out one of them was a Latin King from the Chicago area and the other was a local ne'er-do-well who liked rap music and wanted to be a gangsta. They got bonded out and the Latin King went back to Chicago; the other kid eventually got sent to prison on a couple of other charges unrelated to the attack on me.

The day after the attack, I went out and bought a big Maglite like the Highway Patrol carry or at least used to carry. It's made of metal and holds four D batteries. It makes an effective club. We continued our evening walks. Eventually I quit carrying the Maglite.

I'm not sure I would recommend a woman walk anywhere at night in any city, town or burg without a concealed carry permit and a firearm.

[pademelon]

Hi ozarksboy,

Thanks for the information, and the ideas!

Your story made me think of something else. I guess there isn't a gang problem in Rolla, but are there many (possibly illegal) Mexicans moving in to the area? Or illegals from any country, really. I don't mind living close by to legal immigrants, but it just seems that many of the illegals don't care about the laws and that they commit more crimes--maybe they figure they can be deported for any or no reason at all, so it doesn't much matter.

Are there any small areas of town or specific streets that "maybe-illegals" have been moving to, or is this not really a problem in Rolla?

[ozarksboy]

Silvermouse, Beth and others may correct me, but I don't think we have a problem with illegals, because we don't have any employers with jobs to give away to illegals, like poultry processing plants.

[BethP]

I haven't noticed a problem with illegals, either, and probably because of what OB said about places of employment. We have our fair share of fast food/minimum wage places, etc. but I'd say the biggest employers here are the university, the hospital, USGS, and Brewer Science (though I'm only guessing about those). We have the WalMart DC over in St. James that employs a lot of people, but I doubt there's illegals there, either. I'd say the foreign accent I hear most around here is Asian -- either Chinese or Indian -- and that's due to UMR...I mean Missouri S&T. Whatever...

As far as safe neighborhoods go, I agree with what OB said. I can't think of any certain section of town that's "bad", although I wouldn't walk around at night alone, regardless of where I lived.

[yumlicious]

Hi, I used to live in Rolla (for 12 years). My mother owns a home in the Oak Knoll subdivision and Its pretty nice over there. My grandmother lives off Highway E, which is also a pretty nice area. Rolla is for the most part a really safe place.

There are areas, like Woodcrest and such, and I would never go to that part of the town. When I first got my license two years ago, she like banned from driving in that trailer park area. I did drive through it once as a shortcut to my friends house, and it is pretty scary.

The area near The Centre/Ber Jaun Park, around Truman elementary, the movie theater, and that are is also kind of iffy, down trodden.

Those two areas are the first that come to mind when I think of "bad".

Of course, for the most part, as a single mother she never let me out after dark unless supervised or if I was at friend's house and such.

I recommend look at houses in the area in between 72 and S Bishop(63), near Lions Club, behind K-Mart, Wyman Elementary, Winchester Drive, Lions Club drive, etc. That's a pretty nice area.

Also the area around E 10th St (Highway BB), past Country Mart and the USGS. A lot of the County Roads out are pretty nice. College Hills Drive (a lot of the "Lane Roads" have nice homes), Sholtz Drive, etc.

I was pretty much raised in Rolla (except that I was born out of country, moved there when my mother decided to settle down where she was born/raised). The two areas that I described are where most of my family lives. I have an aunt who has a farm out near Vichy and an Aunt/Uncle that lives out near Edgar Springs.

St. James has some nice areas as well. Rolla is a nice town to settle down in. Great schools, decent weather, has some okay amenities, etc. It just doesn't have a lot to do, like a mall and a decent theater, etc.

I moved to Cleveland (Moreland Hills) to live with my father before eleventh grade, but I'm still in Rolla often. Pretty much my entire maternal family lives in that area.

Good luck .

[ozarksboy]

Originally Posted by yumlicious

Rolla is for the most part a really safe place.

St. James has some nice areas as well. Rolla is a nice town to settle down in. Great schools, decent weather, has some okay amenities, etc. It just doesn't have a lot to do, like a mall and a decent theater, etc.

Oak Knoll, known by many Rolla residents as Snob Knob or Mortgage Mountain, is quite nice.

Woodcrest trailer park, unfortunately, has become a blight, from what I gather, in the years since the former owner died.

I would not fear living in the areas mentioned around The Centre or the theater. There are some poor people there, because of the public housing, but I don't think it's unsafe. Of course, I could be wrong.

So far, we're living without a mall. I hope I do not live to see one built here. Once that happens, there will be a lot of blighted areas, starting with downtown. We've got one closed and rotting shopping center on Highway 72. A mall will destroy The Forum and Southside Shoppers World.

[BethP]

Originally Posted by yumlicious

Rolla is a nice town to settle down in. Great schools, decent weather, has some okay amenities, etc. It just doesn't have a lot to do, like a mall and a decent theater, etc.

For some of us, having no mall is a good thing! If Rolla ever does get a mall, I'll be moving out...Rolla would then no longer be the "small" town I love to live in now.

[imperialmog]

Originally Posted by BethP

For some of us, having no mall is a good thing! If Rolla ever does get a mall, I'll be moving out...Rolla would then no longer be the "small" town I love to live in now.

Isn't that small town debate the big issue in the area? I remember going to college 5 years ago and the idea that Rolla will have have a change in feel in the future seemed to be a large issue amongst people. I know that in terms of threshold population it is either will soon or just now pass 20000 which will make the idea of a small town feel very hard to sustain.

In terms of a mall or other similar retail establishment, I see one being proposed in the area in either Rolla or St. Robert since population numbers are starting to make one feasable. Another issue is longer term the St. Louis exurbs will be as close to Rolla as Ft. Leonard Wood which will start drawing retail traffic in.

[ozarksboy]

Originally Posted by imperialmog

the St. Louis exurbs will be as close to Rolla as Ft. Leonard Wood .

A vision of hell.

Thank the Lord, I'm an old man and I'll be in heaven long before that happens.