Info needed on Chesterfield/STL (St. Louis, St. Charles: sales, apartments, rental) - Missouri (MO) - City-Data Forum

ska · 06-12-2012, 09:38 PM

I would like to have some info about Chesterfield, MO and cities near Chesterfield. I am thinking of moving to this place with family(myself, wife and 6 year old kid). I am basically from Asia - India. I am not familiar with the cities and states in USA. Please help

1. Hows the weather here? Does winters get very cold and snowy?
2. Is it a safe place for a family ?
2. I am considering to put my kid in first grade. Which are the good schools in this area. Are there any schools where most Indian kids attend?
3. I would like to have my kid learn hindi and some Indian classical music etc.
I have a friend living in Texas who says that the city he lives in is very lively when it comes to education and extra curricular activities for kids, and they have a pretty good asian indian community to celebrate indan festivals etc. Is it some thing I can look forward if I move here?
4. Is there a place where we can get Indian groceries and spices?
5. How is the cost of living here. I mean apartment rents, sales tax etc. How much should be the annual income to lead a decent living and ofcourse some savings!!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and replies. The replies are going to be very useful for me to decide on my next move.

Thanks,
ska

billiken · 06-12-2012, 10:16 PM

1. Winters are cold, and there's typically some snowfall--but it's not extreme. You should be fine with a shovel for the snow--heavy duty snow plows aren't really worth it here.
2. Chesterfield is very family friendly. It's one of the most desirable places for most families in the area. All the schools are very good in Chesterfield.
3. I'm not too familiar with the Indian community in STL, but I do know there's a Hindu Temple in nearby Ballwin. I'd assume they have many things going on, and it'd probably be a good way to meet people.
4. I'm not super familiar with Indian groceries. There's a great spice shop in Maplewood where I buy Indian spices, but I don't cook an intense amount of Indian food.
5. St Louis is one of the most affordable cities in the US. Chesterfield is one of the more upscale suburbs, so housing is a bit more than other locations in the St Louis area. How much money you need to have a "decent" living depends on your definition of decent. If you're looking for a 2 bedroom apartment, I've seen those as low as $715/mo in Chesterfield/Ballwin. For a single family house, I'm not really sure...I'd guess they start maybe somewhere around $1,000/mo? And of course upwards from there...you could easily spend in the mid $2000s-3,000s/mo in rent for a big nice house. Sales tax varies, seems to hover around 8%. Chesterfield is a more upper-middle class area where the median household income is around $95,000--but I know families that get by just fine on 2/3rds that amount.

ska · 06-12-2012, 10:34 PM

Thanks so much for sharing this information. This prompt reply is so welcoming!! thanks so much

aragx6 · 06-13-2012, 08:13 AM

It's pretty hard (close to impossible) these days to find a single family home in St. Charles to rent for under $1,000. I'm thinking in Chesterfield you'd need more in the $1,500/month range minimum.

edit: A quick padmapper.com search shows even at $1,500 you're still looking only at townhouses.

But other than that I agree with everything billiken said!

billiken · 06-13-2012, 09:18 AM

Yeah, I wasn't too sure on single family rental prices--I've seen prices around $1k around where I lived, and I figured it might be the same given the longer distance from STL, although I know the schools are considered stronger.

aragx6 · 06-13-2012, 09:42 AM

^I was actually stunned by how high rents are for SFHs. My mom's '70s era split level in the Francis Howell school district could be rented for $1,200 easily. I told her she shouldn't even bother to sell and simply rent instead, but she doesn't want to deal with the maintenance, which I can't blame her for!

flynavyj · 06-13-2012, 10:05 AM

I have a friend who recently rented his SFH in St. Charles for less than $1000, i think the rent was about $800 and it's currently occupied by a couple of Lindenwood Students (Two brothers). The home is small (2 Bd 1 Ba) and is close to 5th street in St. Charles public school district (not the more desirable francis howell).

Arag, depending on the finances sometimes the managing companies are a good avenue to go through for rental property management. It keeps you from dealing with the majority of maintenance concerns, but they eat away at some of the profit...if the margin isn't large enough, and she's unwilling to manage the property herself, it would likely make more sense to sell.

Ska, I'm not sure about much of the indian population around the St. Louis area. I do know I pass an Indian Grocery store named Seema daily on Page Ave, just East of Warson Rd. It's a small shop, but seems to remain fairly busy.

ska · 06-13-2012, 10:25 AM

Thanks for the replies. I have started looking for apartments in Maryland heights. The rents seem to be ok. Hope I will find one soon. Thanks once again for keeping me informed.

aragx6 · 06-13-2012, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flynavyj

I have a friend who recently rented his SFH in St. Charles for less than $1000, i think the rent was about $800 and it's currently occupied by a couple of Lindenwood Students (Two brothers). The home is small (2 Bd 1 Ba) and is close to 5th street in St. Charles public school district (not the more desirable francis howell).

Arag, depending on the finances sometimes the managing companies are a good avenue to go through for rental property management. It keeps you from dealing with the majority of maintenance concerns, but they eat away at some of the profit...if the margin isn't large enough, and she's unwilling to manage the property herself, it would likely make more sense to sell.

Ska, I'm not sure about much of the indian population around the St. Louis area. I do know I pass an Indian Grocery store named Seema daily on Page Ave, just East of Warson Rd. It's a small shop, but seems to remain fairly busy.

More than the day-to-day maintenance I think she's thinking of longer term things. She just had the kitchen redone and the roof redone -- things like that -- and she doesn't want them to be out of style or in need of replacement by the time she's ready to sell. She could probably cash flow about $200-300 a month, which is nothing to scoff at, but she's been a homeowner for almost 30 years and is really just done. She wants a nice place to rent either in Webster Groves (which she can't really afford) or on the Hill where she never has to worry about anything again.

marigolds6 · 06-13-2012, 11:51 AM

Maryland Heights has a fairly significant Indian community around the Dorsett/McKelvey area. There is a well established Indian grocery at that intersection as well as a southern Indian restaurant (Priyaa) that is very popular with Indian families in the area.
I do not know much more beyond that unfortunately. I think Indian families in apartments mostly move into the apartments south of that intersection which are located in the Parkway district (McKelvey Elementary/Parkway Northeast Middle/Parkway North High).

If you are planning to stay several years, purchasing a home is cheaper than renting in this area. We have a nice community in the unincorporated area south of Page Ave. 2 miles to Dorsett/McKelvey. Longish walk but very easy drive.
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