STL? I never would have thought... (St. Louis, St. Charles: appointed, real estate, apartments)

[Scorpio1978]

My fiance and I live in Charlotte, NC right now and DO NOT like it here. I know it's supposed to be the "place to be" right now, but not for us. We had a "Top 5" list of states we were considering moving to ~Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, (my fiance is from NY/Mass so he's a little bias I'm from Louisiana/Florida so I like the idea of having snow for Christmas ) Colorado & Washington were the last 2, but I think those are both pretty much ruled out. Someone suggested St. Louis and I looked at a few websites and have been pleasantly surprised by what I found! We lived in Brooklyn for a year before we moved to NC and LOVED it. It was a little too expensive for us to buy something there though. I would have never thought about Missouri, but St. Louis has alot of the things we're looking for, I think....So here's where you come in Do you think St. Louis would fit us based on ~

1.) We're in our 20's and love all the attractions STL has to offer (what are some of your favorites?)
2.) My fiance is in the flooring business, mainly ceramic tile (any info on jobs/pay?)
3.) We don't have or plan to have, any children, so school districts aren't that big of a deal
4.) Right now we would only be able to afford about $125,000 for a house, so we will probably rent for a little while & save up some more $$$. So, will we be able to find something in a nice part of town for $850 or less?
5.) What are the best parts of town? In or out of the city, doesn't matter. I've been warned not to look at East St. Louis or North City, what other NO's should I put on the list?

Thanks in advance!

[la_missourienne]

Well, I haven't lived in STL long (1 yr), but I can tell you I and my fiancé love it (he's been here for over 10 yrs)--we are 29 & 33 and it seems like there are so many options on what to do and where to eat that we never run out of "fun"; of course, our kind of fun might be different from yours, so it's hard to say if you'd like it the same (my guess is yes b/c STL does have a lot to offer and a lot of stuff we haven't even gotten around to doing yet).
Sorry I can't help to know about a job, don't know much about that category (we are in education, so flooring jobs aren't something we hear much about...)
Without school districts being an issue, and considering your budget, I'd say you will end up having to look outside of "the city" and you won't be able to afford the pricey suburbs (the "best parts of town") by a long shot. You might be interested to look out around where we live--houses in our neighborhood are on the mark for price range you quoted. We're right next to the St. Louis county line (but on the other side, so taxes are considerably less) but we are also really close to the interstate (1.5 mi), so downtown is only about 20-25mn from us (depending on traffic, of course). Let me know if you would like more details (send pv or email )

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Scorpio1978

My fiance and I live in Charlotte, NC right now and DO NOT like it here. I know it's supposed to be the "place to be" right now, but not for us. We had a "Top 5" list of states we were considering moving to ~Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, (my fiance is from NY/Mass so he's a little bias I'm from Louisiana/Florida so I like the idea of having snow for Christmas ) Colorado & Washington were the last 2, but I think those are both pretty much ruled out. Someone suggested St. Louis and I looked at a few websites and have been pleasantly surprised by what I found! We lived in Brooklyn for a year before we moved to NC and LOVED it. It was a little too expensive for us to buy something there though. I would have never thought about Missouri, but St. Louis has alot of the things we're looking for, I think....So here's where you come in Do you think St. Louis would fit us based on ~

1.) We're in our 20's and love all the attractions STL has to offer (what are some of your favorites?)
2.) My fiance is in the flooring business, mainly ceramic tile (any info on jobs/pay?)
3.) We don't have or plan to have, any children, so school districts aren't that big of a deal
4.) Right now we would only be able to afford about $125,000 for a house, so we will probably rent for a little while & save up some more $$$. So, will we be able to find something in a nice part of town for $850 or less?
5.) What are the best parts of town? In or out of the city, doesn't matter. I've been warned not to look at East St. Louis or North City, what other NO's should I put on the list?

Thanks in advance!

Well, if you want my advice, I'd recommend trying to avoid areas due South of the city. Maybe places like St. Charles or Chesterfield would be good...they are both accessible to Downtown St. Louis via Interstate 70 or Interstate 64, or Missouri State Highway 364 (future Interstate 364). It only takes 20 minutes tops to get downtown, but the advantage is these are newly developing areas of the St. louis suburbs which means you can get a nice house at a cheap value. We're talking big houses for small bucks. places south of St. Louis on I-55 tend to be more poor and run-down at least from what i've noticed. You could also consider Eureka along I-44. either St. Louis County or St. Charles County should be good for you. East St. Louis and North City are some of the most crime-ridden areas in the country, DO NOT move there. If you're into living on the Illinois side, try maybe Collinsville, Troy, or O'Fallon. I'd also check out Alton if I were you. these are the only St. Louis 'burbs in Illinois I would recommend. Almost anywhere in St. Louis County or St. Charles County would be good.

[ShadowCaver]

Some food for thought:

St. Louis Communities - Downtown Lofts and Urban Living (http://www.stlcity.com/living.htm - broken link) and Living in St. Louis

If you look at a map, you will see I-270 looping around the North-West-South sides of the outer fringes of the 'city' [actually StL County]. I would recommend anything south of where I-370 joins I-270, if desire to be in those areas [not in the city itself]. If do desire the city, there are 'bad' and 'good' areas in multiple places - sometimes upon each other. For example, near Forest Park, just to the east of there, nice. Yet to the south, not so much. And then to the NW of the park you have University City - a quite vibrant and dynamic fun section, yet also w/ pocks of areas where be advised to take care. I heard sometime back that the city itself was offering various packages to those interested in actually living downtown. Don't know if still being offered.

There is one rule tho', and that is no matter where you end up living, you MUST become a fan of the bestest hockey team - and do not be scared to see your blood turn Blue - it shall happen. Otherwise, you will be sent packing down the river.

Seriously, there is a wealth of very cool things to do w/in the city itself - there is a lot to offer. However, I am yet disappointed in the waterfront area, as there is much potential to really shine there, as have many other cities have. But in their defense, they are kinda hurt tho' what w/ the interstate and RR's and bridges right there too.

One warning - the interstates can come to a dead stop during rush hours. Each and every i'state w/in that area - even I-44 out to Eureka/Pacific will be touch and go at times. So, grab your map and think about travel times/distance too.


BTW, areas near Lindbergh Avenue, such as Sappington and then even further south towards the Arnold area along Lemay Ferry Rd, south of the city proper, are attractive areas. Just depends upon how far you desire to be out of the city itself, and then what particular area you thing yas will fancy.

[Scorpio1978]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I think we would love to live in the city. It's almost like we want Brooklyn, but on a different scale. I'll have to check on pricing. We are both over "the 'burbs" and would like to be somewhere that has "blocks" not "strips". We hate having everything close at 6:00PM and all day on Sunday. We want streets that go somewhere and not just dead end into a cul-du-sac. We are SICK of fast food & chain restuarants, we want some deli's, diner's, and "mom & pop" places. Really the only 2 things I don't like about "city living" is if it can't give me off-street parking and a place for my dog. (he's only 11 lbs, but somewhere to walk him/take him potty) Since we're going to rent for a little while, I thought maybe we should rent some thing right in the middle of the city (not literally, but you know) and check the areas out to see if we want to buy in the 'burbs or not. Do you think we could get a 1 bdrm apt/condo/loft for under $900 in a decent area? I don't expect/want to live in "the Ritz" but I don't want to be able to buy drugs from my neighbor either. LOL Any suggestions?

[ShadowCaver]

The more I think about it, plus given your follow-up post, and granted I am somewhat biased towards this particular area, but I would really recommend again that ya take a look at the U City area - many activities & cool restaurants in the area [Pageant, soda microbrewery, Blueberry Hill , foreign cuisine, etc.], close to Forest Park/Zoo, and just a few minutes [via car, metrolink] from downtown and other points of interest. Plus, being an area near various colleges, should be able to find place to rent for awhile. Again, just a suggestion.

[Inoxkeeper]

Make sure to check out the city of parks...Fenton! It's right at 44 and 270.

[Scorpio1978]

Thanks for all your replies! We are 95% sure we want to move to St. Louis. I know a lot of people talk about the crime rate and are actually quite negative about STL, but I think we'll love it! There is so much to do and see! I always felt safe in Brooklyn and it doesn't exactly scream "safe, family living". We've decided that we definately want to live in the city. We're young and don't have any kids, so why not "live it up in the big city" before we settle down in the 'burbs. We would love to rent a loft/apt/condo in downtown/metropolitain. Where should I look for info on what areas of downtown are safest, nicest, ect... *Let's pretend price isn't a huge factor. I want to look at all the properties I can and then decide wether we will be willing (and able) to pay that much $$$ for rent. Do you know a website I could/should go to that has listings for downtown/metro area rental properties? Thank you in advance!

[ShadowCaver]

Did ya happen to check out the pair of sites posted above - a little diggin in them might help you find that what you are seeking... Besides them, there is the local city paper that is on-line: STLtoday - Homes and then this too: St Louis Missouri Apartments For Rent | St Louis Apartment Rentals | Apartments.com

[2beamissourian]

There is a real estate book you can pick up at the grocery store ... has lots of apartments and such in them...Im sure if you called a real estate person they may mail u one. I think it might be called Real Estate Today St. Louis ... I pick them up for decorating ideas / landscaping.

I know st.l but am not in it .. I couldn't live there ... I like the country life and the quiet life! lol