What kind of neighborhood is it near Grand Avenue and Wyoming? (St. Louis: sublets, apartments)

[southernjedi]

I apologize if there is another thread somewhere asking the same question. But, hubby and I are looking for a temporary place to stay in St. Louis and saw a couple of sublets near Grand Ave. and Wyoming. I'm not very familiar with this area as I should but all I know is that there are ton of restaurants and these apartments are close to Tower Grove Park.

Should I consider a move to this area or not? Is it safe? shootings? killings? I'm just looking for a reality dose here since I don't see anything with rose colored glasses.

Thanks!

[flynavyj]

That area is considered "South Grand" potentially "Tower Grove South" and is one of the more desirable "hip" neighborhoods in St. Louis City. I spent an awful lot of time down that way (not quite that far south though) during my youth. It's seen some great strides in gentrification, building renovations, and a general influx of residents.

You'll still deal with typical urban crimes such as car break ins, and other property crimes. But that tends to be common in any metro area, especially if you're in a rather "dense" location. Violent crimes aren't unheard of, but they're much more rare. We did have a wave of youth violence on innocent bystanders over the summer, you can google it or search the forums there was a thread. These events weren't centralized, but did seem to favor the south side of St. Louis City. Much of the violent crimes occur on the Northern side of St. Louis City, which you won't be exposed to.

I also prefer the area West of Grand to the areas to the East. Typically, if you go a couple blocks east of Grand, the gentrification ends, and you'll feel like you're in a ghetto...This seems true when I googleearth Wyoming Street going towards the East as well...but I can't guarantee when the streetview was taken, and some cleanup might have happened since the images were compiled. Hopefully someone else on here can either confirm or deny this.

Overall, I think the area is pretty good. But keep either close to grand, or a tad further West. And I wouldn't have many reservations, just keep your "city livin" wits.

[1greatcity]

^^good answer. The benefits of living within easy walking distance to a vibrant and diverse urban commercial strip (Grand South Grand) are many.
However, you also have to accept that being close to the action comes with an increased potential for noise, litter, crime, and even parking issues. As a general rule, the further away you are from a commercial strip, things become a bit quieter.

[aragx6]

I especially think having the Grand buffer is important in that particular spot at Wyoming because just east of Grand is Roosevelt High School, which is pretty rough, and keeping a couple blocks between you and it isn't a bad plan. I'm not suggesting there are shootings there on a regular basis or anything, but kids ditching school and doing a few car break ins wouldn't be unheard of either.

So, if the apartment is on Wyoming, west of Grand I say go for it. If the apartment is on Wyoming, east of Grand, I say pass. If the apartment is actually on Grand I'd have to think carefully -- if only because that' s a heckuva busy road and you're likely to hear a fair amount of noise.

Best of luck and be sure to ask any follow-up questions if you have them!

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by southernjedi

I apologize if there is another thread somewhere asking the same question. But, hubby and I are looking for a temporary place to stay in St. Louis and saw a couple of sublets near Grand Ave. and Wyoming. I'm not very familiar with this area as I should but all I know is that there are ton of restaurants and these apartments are close to Tower Grove Park.

Should I consider a move to this area or not? Is it safe? shootings? killings? I'm just looking for a reality dose here since I don't see anything with rose colored glasses.

Thanks!

Spend some time in the area, especially at night, to see if you are comfortable with the neighborhood.

Make sure that the sublets have alarm systems and the proper deadbolt locks as burglaries are an issue in the area. Also, do NOT keep any valuables in the car.

[southernjedi]

Thank you everyone for the responses!

I'm also looking at the Tower Grove park area where I saw a sublet listed on Arsenal and Kingshighway. Do you know what that neighborhood is like? I see that it's close to public transportation (we have no car at the moment so that's a good thing).

Should I worry about that part of town and taking the bus? I'm from a big city and though I want to settle in a much smaller city, right now it's not feasible.

[aragx6]

^Similar, but a little quieter and somewhat fewer amenities. There's a burgeoning strip of bars along Morganford right there, but you'll probably end up biking to South Grand fairly often for shopping and eating.

If I were going to be without a car I think I'd prefer the Wyoming and Grand apartment instead, but either will work.

[Dawn10am]

I don't think the transportation links are as good in that part of TGS. Granted, you're going to be pretty much stuck with the bus in that part of town, but at least from Grand you can take the #70 or bike right to the Grand MetroLink station. The Morgan Ford area is cool, but not as developed as Grand.

[aragx6]

^The ability to easily bike to the metro stop would be a huge plus, I totally agree.