Best Apartments near Clayton, CWE, or WashU (St. Louis, University City: lofts, condos)

[senescu]

Hello,
Like many others on this forum I will be relocating to St. Louis and am seeking some advice. I am 23 years old and looking for a lively area with a nightlife, but safety is of utmost importance. I visited St. Louis for the first time and looked at lofts on Washington Ave. and loved the lofts and liked the area a lot. Since then I have been told by many that I would be better suited in Clayton, CWE, or University City. Does anyone have any suggestions for good apartments in that area? I can't seem to find apartments that look quite as nice as the downtown apartments or lofts, but I am sure there are many. Any suggestions and advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[moorlander]

Why would you discount DT StL?
There are simply too many to name in the CWE... Some of the premiere properties that come to mind are the Chase Park Plaza, Park East Tower, and Park East Lots. A google search for CWE apartments should return a ton of leads.

Since you mention Clayton... I will do a plug for my neighborhood. The Moorlands. I have been a property owner here for 5+ years and I could not be happier. Check out my Moorlands photo thread
here
IMO the Moorlands is as beautiful a neighborhood as you'll find anywhere in the country.


here is a link to an apt building near me. There are plenty of more affordable options also.
http://klmrproperties.com/Photos.aspx (broken link)

[senescu]

I actually don't want to discount downtown. I spent a little time looking at lofts on Washington ave. and really liked the area, but all the feedback I have heard from this website and a few friends who have lived in the area suggest CWE and Clayton area is safer and a little nicer. I am not sure because I have not been to that area, but it has been an overwhelming majority suggesting that I should look there.

I realize that there are a ton of apartments in that area, and I was having trouble narrowing down a few to take a look at, so that's why I was seeing if anyone had really strong feelings towards a particular building. The Parkdale does look very nice and I will look into that. Anyone have positive or negative feelings towards highland lofts or west end lofts? Looking to spend no more than $1300 for a 2 bedroom (ideally would like around 1100). Thanks.

[BoomBoxing]

I think you will find a lot more apartment options in the CWE and surrounding areas than Washington or Clayton. A lot of Washington Ave and Clayton buildings are condos, where the owners prefer buyers than renters. There are some apartment buildings, to be sure, but you will find more condos than apartments.

As far as "nicer" is concerned, I'd consider all three to be about on the same level, with Clayton being the safest, CWE being the most cosmopolitan, and Washington being the most urban. Washington is still in the up and coming stage...10 years ago it was a bunch of empty factories, so being a part of the resurgance of the area might be an advantage if you are into that sort of thing.

While I don't have have any opinions about specific buildings you're looking at, I think good advice is to look on apartmentratings.com and see what tenants are saying about it. Oh and if you love big old buildings check out the Continental Life building.

[billiken]

The West End Lofts are nice, I have a friend there. However, it doesn't really have the "in the middle of all the action" feel. They're located on Forest Park Pkwy, which has tons of street traffic (6 lanes wide). To get the best of CWE, I would look North of Forest Park Pkwy, and close to Euclid.

I've lived in Clayton, and while there are bars in the downtown area that are fine, I found myself heading to the CWE or Soulard a lot anyways. Clayton has much more of an upscale vibe than downtown or the CWE, in my opinion, and is more of a happy hour area for people after work than a "nightlife" kind of area.

Lastly, Continental Life is nice. It's more in the theatre district though, and it's quite a hike to the best of the CWE or Downtown. It's also right across the street from Saint Louis University.

[cword]

Hi,

I am about to move to St. Louis in six months, but I have different things I am looking for. I haven't really been to the St. Louis area, so all my research has told me to lean more towards CWE, Soulard, or downtown. I am looking for a 1 bedroom that allows pets and is under 1300 preferably. I also want a safe place, mansion house was in my sights until I saw some reviews about the surrounding area. I am 21 years old and am looking for a nightlife vibe, but I don't want to live where off-campus students live. Could anyone help me? Also, I hear Clayton is nice, but isn't it more surburban? I haven't found much about Soulard.

So far I have found York House, Paul Brown lofts, Park Pacific, Laurel

Thanks!

[billiken]

I think Soulard is great for nightlife + less students. It's not near the universities, so there's less students. Lots of bars, and has a more laid back bar scene than downtown, which you may or may not prefer.