Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Missouri > St. Louis
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-22-2007, 12:05 AM
 
Location: Eastern Missouri
8 posts, read 24,616 times
Reputation: 21

Advertisements

Originally I was from North County - Hazelwood. I lived there till about 11 years ago, at the time I was 11 and a 1/2. I went to Armstrong Elementary in the early 90's and then a parochial school in Florissant for a couple years. Since I didn't attend public school in Florissant, I can't really comment on their system. But when I went to the Hazelwood district it was considered pretty good... not sure if it still is.

Overall, I guess parts of Hazelwood and Florissant are probably the better areas of North County. The entire area has gotten more crime problems and some houses have depreciated, or not appreciated as much as they could if it were a nicer place. My maternal grandma lived for years in Hazelwood near Hanley Road and I-270, an area I consider slightly worse than where I was. I felt less safe at that MetroLink station and also was afraid for her since she lived alone. Not that crime isn't anywhere else, just that it's more prevalent around that whole area.

I've lived many miles West of North Co. for the past decade. I know of a few people I grew up around or went to school with who've also moved further West, most of them to St. Charles County, where I'll soon be moving to.
If I were to move back to part of St. Louis County, I'd probably choose South or West.... if it wasn't as high-priced.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-22-2007, 11:03 AM
 
7,107 posts, read 8,882,143 times
Reputation: 6395
Default Impressions of North County

I personally wouldn't want to live in North County because I am looking for more of an urban lifestyle. This past weekend I visited a friend that lives off of 367 and he enlitened me on a few things with St. Louis.

You don't want to move to a part of N. County that is over-run with liquor stores and pay-day loans. Also stay away from apartment complexes and neighborhoods where there is a lot of non owner occupide properties. There is way too much section 8 in that area. (not that there is anything wrong with people that use section 8 as a stepping stone) There are too many people that use government assistance as a way of life.

On the other hand, There are some nice affordable entry-level homes in that area that are safe quiet in well established neighborhoods. Beautiful treelined streets. (gotta love how the trees form a canope over the streets) Though appreciation has been slower than St. Charles, O'fallon and St. Peters, the quality of construction is much better.

Another thing that was mentioned was stay away from Riverview Gardens School district. Hazelwood Central and West are still pretty good. (in many peoples opinions just as good as Francis Howell and St. Charles). He didn't have too much to say about Ferguson/Florissant. Pattonville is the best in north county.

I am hearing alot of people rave about St. Charles Co.. I just don't see the hype. Housing is cheaper, Schools are not all that great compared to what you get within the three rivers of St. Louis County. There is a major meth problem in St. Charles and Jefferson Co. school districts.

Out of the top 100 Highschools in the country, only 2 are in Missouri. One in Kansas City, the other is in the City of St. Louis (metro highschool). None even came close in St. Charles or Jefferson County.

St. Charles County and newer areas of Jefferson County (Arnold). Have seen a huge population explosion. But have high forclosure rates. Too many forclosures can have a negative impact on resale values. Many people that are spending 300k for homes that have been purchased within the past 5 years owe more than what the homes are worth. Developers are abandoning development in those areas due to the decline in realestate. On top of that you have many homes that just aren't quality construction and aren't going to experience the appreciation that has been seen in the past.

I guess my point is when relocating to an area, make sure you get accurate, balanced information from a variety of resources and don't allow people to misguide you to living in areas or making investments in an area that won't appreciate in value. Most people want the best that life has to offer and its imperative that you relocate to an area that will provide the opportunities for such.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-18-2007, 04:42 PM
 
14 posts, read 76,210 times
Reputation: 16
Default North County Still Sucks!

I appreciate your response, and still insist that North County is not the best place to live. I grew up in Webster Groves, and worked in Kirkwood as a teenager. I would NEVER raise a family there either! I am very familiar with the case of Shawn & Ben, and I feel bad for them. I am at peace in O'Fallon, Mo. thank you very much.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Takeoffurcool View Post
Crime happens everywhere. It is not indicitive of all the citizens in the area. There is just as much gruesome crime happening in what many would label as the so called good areas of St. Louis. Let us not forget that two teenage boys, one only 13 were kidnapped from small town St. Louis and held in a Kirkwood apartment (which is west county). One was captive for four years. Who was the abductor, a North County Resident? No! An East ST. Louis resident? NO A North City resident? No! It was a Kirkwood resident, who happened to be a Imo's pizza manager. I know you know the names of the boys, one snatched off his bike and one abducted when walking home from school; Sean Hornbeck and Ben Honby. Crime happens everywhere. A young lady just got her purse snatched and was ran over by the assailant in Brentwood, one of the more affluent areas of the city. Both the victim and assailant were young and white. You can't stereotype these things. As a young black person, you of all people should know this. We love to take isolated events and use them to turn our own opinions into fact.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-18-2007, 04:54 PM
 
14 posts, read 76,210 times
Reputation: 16
Default Don't Believe The Hype...

I agreee...St. Charles has alot of issues. That's why we moved to O'Fallon, Mo. We purchased a home for $292K, and it was worth every dime. Five bedrooms, two (2) kitchens, finished basement, basketball court, landscaped, 3.5 bathrooms. It's a beautiful home, beautiful neighborhood, nice neighbors, great school district, etc. Everything is clean, and new. There are no ignorant folks cursing their kids out at Wal-Mart. There are no dirty Shop n Save stores...just peace. It's a great area, and we love it. My son can go to school in peace, and learn without being distracted by ignorance. We are African-American, and thank God everyday that we are away from North County. Every part of North County is terrible...I don't know why everyone is trying to find good in it. Hazelwood Central is TERRIBLE, and my husband graduated from Hazelwood East in 1990. He can't believe how bad it is now!!! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, BUT I am thankful that we have been blessed.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis View Post
I personally wouldn't want to live in North County because I am looking for more of an urban lifestyle. This past weekend I visited a friend that lives off of 367 and he enlitened me on a few things with St. Louis.

You don't want to move to a part of N. County that is over-run with liquor stores and pay-day loans. Also stay away from apartment complexes and neighborhoods where there is a lot of non owner occupide properties. There is way too much section 8 in that area. (not that there is anything wrong with people that use section 8 as a stepping stone) There are too many people that use government assistance as a way of life.

On the other hand, There are some nice affordable entry-level homes in that area that are safe quiet in well established neighborhoods. Beautiful treelined streets. (gotta love how the trees form a canope over the streets) Though appreciation has been slower than St. Charles, O'fallon and St. Peters, the quality of construction is much better.

Another thing that was mentioned was stay away from Riverview Gardens School district. Hazelwood Central and West are still pretty good. (in many peoples opinions just as good as Francis Howell and St. Charles). He didn't have too much to say about Ferguson/Florissant. Pattonville is the best in north county.

I am hearing alot of people rave about St. Charles Co.. I just don't see the hype. Housing is cheaper, Schools are not all that great compared to what you get within the three rivers of St. Louis County. There is a major meth problem in St. Charles and Jefferson Co. school districts.

Out of the top 100 Highschools in the country, only 2 are in Missouri. One in Kansas City, the other is in the City of St. Louis (metro highschool). None even came close in St. Charles or Jefferson County.

St. Charles County and newer areas of Jefferson County (Arnold). Have seen a huge population explosion. But have high forclosure rates. Too many forclosures can have a negative impact on resale values. Many people that are spending 300k for homes that have been purchased within the past 5 years owe more than what the homes are worth. Developers are abandoning development in those areas due to the decline in realestate. On top of that you have many homes that just aren't quality construction and aren't going to experience the appreciation that has been seen in the past.

I guess my point is when relocating to an area, make sure you get accurate, balanced information from a variety of resources and don't allow people to misguide you to living in areas or making investments in an area that won't appreciate in value. Most people want the best that life has to offer and its imperative that you relocate to an area that will provide the opportunities for such.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-18-2007, 07:59 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
2,140 posts, read 4,431,804 times
Reputation: 1576
Just wondering if you ever lived in North County, and for how long before you hightailed it out to O'Fallon. Florissant was still a pretty nice area in the mid-1980s before my immediate family and I moved to northern CA. It's really a shame that, especially compared to O'Fallon, North County has gone so downhill.

I went to McCluer North HS. Not that long after I graduated from there, I heard about the murder that took place there in one of the restrooms by someone who obviously should never have been permitted to go to a regular public school, given his background.

Webster Groves and Kirkwood seemed so far away from Florissant when I grew up there. I would prefer O'Fallon too, but you're very down on those two places as well, and would be interested in your specific take on them. They're much older cities. You seem to get more house for your money in nearby Fenton and also O'Fallon than you do in Kirkwood. Is there more riff-raff there and in Webster Groves these days?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-19-2007, 10:13 AM
 
Location: Tower Grove East, St. Louis, MO
12,063 posts, read 31,485,827 times
Reputation: 3798
St. Charles schools are well ranked (esp. Francis Howell, which are considered great schools)

There are no meth problems in Francis Howell, and I doubt in other St. Charles schools. I graduated in '03, so I wanted to make sure I wasn't just naive, so i asked my brothers who are '06 grads and they told me they didn't know a single person that did meth at their school. They affirmed what i knew from High School- pot and alcohol are the drugs of choice. I challenge anyone to find a school where this isn't the case.

It's usually when you get farther out in the country that meth rears its ugly head. Go down to the lake of the ozarks if you want to see a meth problem. It's heartbreaking
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-19-2007, 10:15 AM
 
Location: Tower Grove East, St. Louis, MO
12,063 posts, read 31,485,827 times
Reputation: 3798
northbayeric: Kirkwood and Webster Groves are still very nice areas. No riff raff to speak of.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-01-2007, 05:32 PM
 
Location: North Idaho
2,140 posts, read 4,431,804 times
Reputation: 1576
Quote:
Originally Posted by aragx6 View Post
northbayeric: Kirkwood and Webster Groves are still very nice areas. No riff raff to speak of.
Well that's the impression I had too, so I was very surprised to read aminah's negative comments about the two places, and wanted to get her specific opinions. Maybe there were some racial issues, who knows? Well she's found the right place in O'Fallon, so that's a good thing.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-06-2007, 11:47 PM
 
287 posts, read 347,118 times
Reputation: 59
One of the worst things you can do is take seriously the misguided opinions of white suburbanites who consider a "bad" neighborhood a neighborhood with minorities.

I made that mistake for a while, and was worried sick when looking for a new home after asking. I then started asking the occasional minority from work and found that the areas I was looking in was not the burning war zone that the white suburbanites depicted it as. I finally started acting pro-city, urban people; white or black, either one.

Thankfully, within the next 30 days, I should be a happy resident of Maplewood, MO. More of a city neighborhood than a city, but that's okay. Beats the suburb I'm in now.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-07-2007, 11:16 AM
 
7,107 posts, read 8,882,143 times
Reputation: 6395
Quote:
Originally Posted by aragx6 View Post
St. Charles schools are well ranked (esp. Francis Howell, which are considered great schools)
By what/whos standards?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Missouri > St. Louis
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top