Moving to St. Louis For Grad School (University City, Washington: apartments, lofts)

[NJ/Toronto]

First off, thanks to all the posters in this forum, been browising for a few days and found all sorts of helpful info about living in St. Louis!

But now down to business, I'll be moving to St Louis in mid-August for Graduate School at SLU with my girlfriend and am wondering what good safe neighborhood(s) would be suitable. While being closeish to SLU would be nice I'd happily take a nicer neigborhood farther out. We're looking to spend 500-900 a month rentwise, but safety is the key factor. I have a car, but would like to be near some transit lines as she doesn't drive much. No kids so schools make no difference, but walking distance to some amenities suitable for educated 20 somethings - Museums, Restaurants, Theaters, Bars etc. would be ideal

From my own research/browsing this forum I've been focusing heavily on the Center West End/Downtown lofts but I'd welcome any other suggestions both on suitable locations and just moving to St. Louis in general.

I've vistited for all of 1 day and was pleasantly surprised - being from New Jersey I've heard a lot of negatives but it seemed like a very pleasant smallish (I'm used to NYC/Toronto) city.

Any info, advice, tips, comments, etc. etc. would be greatly appreciated!

[flynavyj]

The CWE and Downtown would both be great options for you guys. I'd also recommend Soulard, which will get you close to bars/clubs/restaurants but won't be as near to SLU...although you'd be about a 5 minute car ride away. The other downfall of Soulard is the lack of access to the metrolink, you'd still have public transportation access via the bus lines, but they're not as desirable for most folks as the metrolink is.

You might be a bit stretched for budget in the CWE, but it's still possible. You'll likely be able to find something on Washington Ave for $900, and it'd give you access to a very "hip" and growing portion of the metro. I'd also recommend some of the craigslist finds in University City. You'd be west of SLU, but pretty near the Loop, and not to mention all the amenities of Forest Park (Zoo, Missouri History Museum, Art Museum, etc). The area around Pershing Ave might be in your price range, and would put you close to all these things...I'd highly recommend it! Good luck!

[NewStLouisan]

CWE is great, and you should be able to find a 1-bedroom for less than $700 a month, or a 2-bedroom for less than $1000. Downtown apartments might be a little more expensive, especially the nicer loft apartments. These two neighborhoods also have the advantage of being near a MetroLink station. University City (near Delmar loop) could be another great option (although you'd be surrounded by Wash U students).

You might want to look at Southwest Garden, Shaw, Soulard, Benton Park and Lafayette Square, if you're ok with living a bit away from a MetroLink station. You could find apartments here that are significantly cheaper than CWE and Downtown, and still be quite close to bars and restaurants, and < 10 minute drive away from SLU.

[stlcitygirl]

Downtown, CWE, Soulard, and Tower Grove South, Southwest Gardens and Lafayette Square are all great options.