General info on St. Louis (University City, Washington: loft, theater, high school)

[greenlite]

I live in the NYC metro area and looking to move soon for better QOL. I realize nothing is gon be like NYC, and I don't want it to be. I also realize that no place is perfect, but I am quite open minded. I used to live in Portland, OR so wondering how STL compares to it. I actually don't like Portland and think it's boring and corny with all the hipster nonsense, but I am used to that kinda slower pace and high QOL comparing to NYC. Other questions:

What's the vibe like?
Would it be a culture shock to someone coming from Portland?
I like diversity and am liberal leaning . How is the overall culture and mindset of people and race relations? Are there diverse suburbs?
Are there many things to do in the city and suburbs? How do people spend time usually?
How's nightlife? Are there good museums, strip clubs, concerts, restaurants?
Are there any good Hip Hop clubs, events, parties?
How's the women?
How are immigrants looked at? (I'm Russian)

Any other relevant info will be helpful.

[marigolds6]

At least as far as culture shock goes, I moved here from Corvallis and had no issues adjusting at all.

[greenlite]

O ok, is STL more Midwestern or Southern? Do people have any accent?

[TheCatsMeoww]

Originally Posted by greenlite

I live in the NYC metro area and looking to move soon for better QOL. I realize nothing is gon be like NYC, and I don't want it to be. I also realize that no place is perfect, but I am quite open minded. I used to live in Portland, OR so wondering how STL compares to it. I actually don't like Portland and think it's boring and corny with all the hipster nonsense, but I am used to that kinda slower pace and high QOL comparing to NYC. Other questions:

What's the vibe like?
Would it be a culture shock to someone coming from Portland?
I like diversity and am liberal leaning . How is the overall culture and mindset of people and race relations? Are there diverse suburbs?
Are there many things to do in the city and suburbs? How do people spend time usually?
How's nightlife? Are there good museums, strip clubs, concerts, restaurants?
Are there any good Hip Hop clubs, events, parties?
How's the women?
How are immigrants looked at? (I'm Russian)

Any other relevant info will be helpful.

I'm in Washington now...I know what you mean about the hipster thing, lol. Born in St. Louis and lived there a long time, up until a couple of years ago, so here is my input

Slower paced, yes. The questions you ask depend on city versus county. Vibe in most of the county is laid back although there are areas in the county that are more happening, when there are a lot of restaurants/bar areas for example. In the city, there are some fun areas. If you want to go out, there are places to go, no doubt. I had quite a partying experience in my 20s, it is there if you want it.

As far as liberal thinking...there are a lot of different cultures in St. Louis. It is the midwest, so there are a lot of conservatives, but I never noticed any racial or cultural problems, with the possible exception of in high school when they bused city students in...that did cause some tension, but kids are stupid sometimes. Great museums, the Fox theater has great entertainment, Powell Symphony Hall is wonderful, tons of restaurants, many of them excellent and in various price ranges.

Strip clubs, not in St. Louis but over the river in Illinois you'll find plenty. You might find some bars with scantily dressed staff. Casinos are in a few places and are nice ones. Not sure about Hip Hop. The girls are cute, lol. I'm female so I can only answer from that perspective. Most St. Louisans are very welcoming, there are problem people everywhere, but your nationality should be no big deal. Downtown is more diverse just as a generalization.

I don't know your budget, but you might want to look at Soulard, or the Central West End. If you decide you want to be in the county, maybe by Westport.

[TheCatsMeoww]

Originally Posted by greenlite

O ok, is STL more Midwestern or Southern? Do people have any accent?

St. Louis is not Southern...you'll hear more of a country accent from people living in distant counties though. I didn't think we had an accent until we moved here, when my children's classmates pointed out their accent. So apparently we do

[greenlite]

Cool, good to know

[Old Trafford]

Originally Posted by greenlite

I live in the NYC metro area and looking to move soon for better QOL. I realize nothing is gon be like NYC, and I don't want it to be. I also realize that no place is perfect, but I am quite open minded. I used to live in Portland, OR so wondering how STL compares to it. I actually don't like Portland and think it's boring and corny with all the hipster nonsense, but I am used to that kinda slower pace and high QOL comparing to NYC. Other questions:

What's the vibe like?
Would it be a culture shock to someone coming from Portland?
I like diversity and am liberal leaning . How is the overall culture and mindset of people and race relations? Are there diverse suburbs?
Are there many things to do in the city and suburbs? How do people spend time usually?
How's nightlife? Are there good museums, strip clubs, concerts, restaurants?
Are there any good Hip Hop clubs, events, parties?
How's the women?
How are immigrants looked at? (I'm Russian)

Any other relevant info will be helpful.

Vibe - Midwestern -Polite, reserved (sometimes confused with unsocial) Midwestern culture maybe the least understood in the US

Culture Shock From Portland - Probably not as vibrant, Older with an old city mindset - St. Louis is a city you meet halfway, it does not "open up" to you like younger or transient cities. For those who seek it, they end up liking it

Diversity/Liberal - The city is pretty liberal, the county is moderate, the outlining counties lean conservative, you will not find the diversity of Portland, but it is by no means monolithic. University City is a suburb that is very liberal and pretty diverse - Large Black, Jewish and Asian population. There is some racism, but to be honest with you I have lived in 2 other US cities England, and continental Europe - there is no more racism here then I have found in other places, including places that were suppose to be more open minded

Things to do - What do you like to do? Culture, symphony, opera, museums, shopping, bars, food, beer, festivals, concerts, local music scene, blues, jazz, alt rock, alt country, NHL, MLB (almost a religion here) NFL, College sports, Bike trails, hiking in state parks canoeing, wine country (a day in wine country is great)

There are about 11 or 12 distinct bar and entrainment districts spread throughout the metro. Strip joints are on the East side (home of the Sauget Ballet)

Hip hop clubs - They are here, I don't know much more about them

Women - been a while since I was single but there were all flavors out there - and you know, chicks are chicks

Immigrants - Large Bosnian community that seems to have assimilated well (said to be 70,000) Southeast and South Asians,

There is a Russian community in the West End - Here is a website devoted to St. Louis Russians
RussianMidwest.com :: Index

And no, St. Louis is not really Southern, most southern influences here probably came from the "great migration" and not really part of the bedrock of local culture, which is a historic Midwestern city largely shaped by 19th century European immigration, hence large Catholic and Lutheran communities, with sizeable Jewish (orthodox, reformed and secular) and Eastern Orthodox populations. Since American has a hard time remembering its history (and when we do attempt it is through skewed movies) We have hard time reconciling the many groups and subcultures which constitute the great tapestry of American culture. And the costal based (particularly west coast) media shapers have a hard time telling Midwestern culture from Southern even though they are a different as distinct as any other culture in the US.

[marigolds6]

Originally Posted by Old Trafford

Diversity/Liberal - The city is pretty liberal, the county is moderate, the outlining counties lean conservative, you will not find the diversity of Portland, but it is by no means monolithic. University City is a suburb that is very liberal and pretty diverse - Large Black, Jewish and Asian population. There is some racism, but to be honest with you I have lived in 2 other US cities England, and continental Europe - there is no more racism here then I have found in other places, including places that were suppose to be more open minded

I found St Louis to be much more diverse than Portland. Portland has more immigrants, but otherwise struck me as one of the most homogeneous major metros. I found the racism to be stronger here, but that is mostly because of the geographic divides that exist here. Portland has geographic divides, but they are not as strongly centered on race as here (due to the long lasting legacy of redlining here couple with some white flight).

[DinsdalePirahna]

I moved from California (I am a native NYer) and it was a major cultural shock for me.
I never had a problem adjusting anywhere else (including West Virginia)

[Dawn10am]

St. Louis generally has a very laid back, liberal-leaning, old rust belt vibe. Catholic culture is big here. And by that I don't mean that people are any more religious than anywhere else, but that there is a pretty laissez-faire attitude toward drinking, dancing, gambling, and having a good time all around. This town looks for any excuse to throw a party.

As far as things to do--it's pretty much what you'd expect from a metro area of 3 million people. Most of the "things to do" are concentrated in St. Louis proper and the inner ring suburbs, from the Washington Ave loft district, Soulard, the Grove, Grand Center, the Central West End, Tower Grove, and Cherokee Street in the City, to Clayton, the Delmar Loop, and Maplewood in the County. Forest Park is in the geographic center of all of these places and has the Art Museum, Missouri History Museum, Science Center, and the Muny, not to mention it's a spectacularly beautiful park. The strip clubs are on the other side of the river in Illinois.

You shouldn't have any problem being an immigrant. St. Louis is behind the curve on attracting immigrants to boost our local economy, so we tend to welcome them with open arms.

The bottom line with St. Louis is that it's big enough to have a big city buzz but still small enough to be affordable and offer a great quality of life, and the people here are some of the nicest and friendliest in the country.