Questions about St. Louis Suburbs in MO & IL (Columbia: real estate, rental)

[NaturalARMO]

I am seriously considering a move to St. Louis Metro from Little Rock, AR within a year or two.

I prefer to live somewhere that isn't full of rednecks (no offense) and within 35 minutes away from Downtown.

Based on my research, Arnold/Fenton both sound affordable and Chesterfield/Ballwin/Des Peres/Kirkwood all look like cheaper alternatives for Town and Country.

Clayton is too expensive. Are Webster Groves and Sunset Hills/Crestwood still expensive?

I wouldn't mind living on Illinois side. Edwardsville seems to be a little too far but Glen Carbon and Columbia aren't too far with quick access to the interstate.

What are your recommendations for St. Louis suburbs based on my descriptions above?

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by NaturalARMO

I am seriously considering a move to St. Louis Metro from Little Rock, AR within a year or two.

I prefer to live somewhere that isn't full of rednecks (no offense) and within 35 minutes away from Downtown.

Based on my research, Arnold/Fenton both sound affordable and Chesterfield/Ballwin/Des Peres/Kirkwood all look like cheaper alternatives for Town and Country.

Clayton is too expensive. Are Webster Groves and Sunset Hills/Crestwood still expensive?

I wouldn't mind living on Illinois side. Edwardsville seems to be a little too far but Glen Carbon and Columbia aren't too far with quick access to the interstate.

What are your recommendations for St. Louis suburbs based on my descriptions above?

Webster Groves can be expensive, it just depends. It is an older, inner ring suburb. It has a number of turn of the century victorian homes that are quite expensive, but also some smaller homes that are more affordable. Kirkwood is similar to Webster in that regard.

Crestwood is probably more reasonable, but also is an older burb with a lot of brick ranch type houses. Sunset Hills is similar to Crestwood, but has a number of newer, larger more expensive homes.

It kind of depends on your budget and what you want in terms of newer/older homes, are school districts important, do you want as more walkable area or do you want to live in a subdivision, etc.

[NaturalARMO]

Originally Posted by MUTGR

Webster Groves can be expensive, it just depends. It is an older, inner ring suburb. It has a number of turn of the century victorian homes that are quite expensive, but also some smaller homes that are more affordable. Kirkwood is similar to Webster in that regard.

Crestwood is probably more reasonable, but also is an older burb with a lot of brick ranch type houses. Sunset Hills is similar to Crestwood, but has a number of newer, larger more expensive homes.

It kind of depends on your budget and what you want in terms of newer/older homes, are school districts important, do you want as more walkable area or do you want to live in a subdivision, etc.

I prefer walkable neighborhoods with decent to luxurious affordable rental houses or townhouses that are no more than 35 minutes away from Downtown/Busch Stadium.

I do not have any children so school districts isn't my priority. Family-oriented neigbhorhoods are fine as long there are singles available without having to go to the city for single scenes.

If I get a job transfer, MO pays more than Arkansas so my salary is more likely to be between $37,000 to $44,000 based on the job descriptions I read. Everything I have (furnitures and vehicles) is paid for so I do live comfortably without a tight budget.

I hope this helps to narrow down the choices for me. I look forward to your suggestions.

[ProgMichael]

NaturalARMO, why not move to the City itself? I bet you can get a beautiful home in Lafayette Square for about $200k or less. You could walk to Busch Stadium and Downtown on a nice day, and would be in a neighborhood with a wonderful park and some great shops/bars/cafes/restaurants.

[Old Trafford]

Originally Posted by NaturalARMO

I am seriously considering a move to St. Louis Metro from Little Rock, AR within a year or two.

I prefer to live somewhere that isn't full of rednecks (no offense) and within 35 minutes away from Downtown.

Based on my research, Arnold/Fenton both sound affordable and Chesterfield/Ballwin/Des Peres/Kirkwood all look like cheaper alternatives for Town and Country.

Clayton is too expensive. Are Webster Groves and Sunset Hills/Crestwood still expensive?

I wouldn't mind living on Illinois side. Edwardsville seems to be a little too far but Glen Carbon and Columbia aren't too far with quick access to the interstate.

What are your recommendations for St. Louis suburbs based on my descriptions above?

Check out Maplewood / Richmond Heights

City of Maplewood - Official Website

Richmond Heights MO - Official Website

Maplewood has a nice walkable downtown - the housing is older, but cheaper than Webster - close to the city, close to Clayton and U-City -Richmond Heights is just to the north of Maplewood and reaches west all the way to the Galleria

[jribe]

i would second the city itself for the OP. Doesn't seem like you have any reason not to consider the city- most people that have small kids or other reasons prefer the burbs, but it sounds like you would like some of the neighborhoods in the city. I enjoyed living in the Demun area of St Louis- slightly walkable and close to forest park with 5 minutes to downtown

[Dawn10am]

There's really no reason to live as far out as Chesterfield or Illinois if you don't have kids. The outer burbs aren't redneck by any means but you can still see signs of country creeping in every now and then. Try looking in St. Louis proper or the inner ring suburbs (Clayton, University City, Brentwood, Maplewood, Richmond Heights).

[billiken]

Originally Posted by ProgMichael

NaturalARMO, why not move to the City itself? I bet you can get a beautiful home in Lafayette Square for about $200k or less. You could walk to Busch Stadium and Downtown on a nice day, and would be in a neighborhood with a wonderful park and some great shops/bars/cafes/restaurants.

A 2bd/1bath townhome for under $200k, yes. Bigger places are more. And definitely no SFH that cheap. I've always got my eye on real estate in that area, love it.

Anyways, the guy specifically mentioned the suburbs. I'd try Creve Coeur. I just saw some article that mentioned that 30ish% of that town in single.

[pianist1972]

One would be hard pressed to find many homes in LS, as opposed to townhouses or condos, for less than $200,000 unless significant upgrades are involved. There is an 1000 sq. ft townhouse near me listed for $160,000.

[zach_33]

Originally Posted by NaturalARMO

I prefer to live somewhere that isn't full of rednecks.... Based on my research, Arnold/Fenton both sound affordable

You would definitely encounter folks in Arnold who "cling to guns and religion" to borrow one of Obama's funnier statements. Fenton is more suburban, but it blends right into Arnold. Both cities are less than 1% African American. I spent a lot of time in Fenton and many people I knew from there seemed to believe St. Louis city is a crime ridden hell hole which is only safe to visit when watching a Cardinals games (I'm only slightly exaggerating). There are communities in west county that are just as lily-white and crime fearful as Fenton/Arnold, but they tend to be less culturally rural than south county and jeff co.