ST. CHARLES or O'FALLON??? (St. Louis, Chesterfield: to rent, condo, townhome)

[molliecat1]

Hello, In the never-ending quest to find a job---my husband has one currently, but we are living/working in different states for over a year now He has a potential one in St. Louis, MO. He currently lives 3 hours away, so we have been there. The job is at a hospital downtown, but we are looking for a nice suburb to rent a home or condo (possibly townhome). Our price range would be $1100-$1500, preferably a 3 bedroom/2 bath, newer home (new to 10-20 yrs. old max.) Driving distance to downtown, hopefully not much further than 30 mins.

We looked online and St. Charles looks like it has a unique, fun historic district that looks VERY appealing. Is this area- shopping/boutiques as nice as it appears? Also, it appears to have other offerings, like lots of restaurants--we are foodies, and like trying different restaurants! Perhaps other shopping too? O'Fallon looked appealing as well. We have no school aged children, so that is not a factor. Are these areas safe and what kind of vibe do they have? We are 50/51 years old. Our son is 23 and does not drive (he is disabled with high functioning CP). We would like to have an area for a decent transit system for him to commute to a job. Anyone aware of what "areas" would have helpful disability servicing to aid us in helping our son out?

Somewhat afraid of the heat and humidity. Not that we are not used to that at all, but when I think of St. Louis, that is definitely what comes to mind! LOL!!! Any helpful information regarding these areas or other suburbs with a sense of community and/or similiar to SC or OF would be very helpful!! THANKS SO MUCH!!!

[inahandbasket]

Originally Posted by molliecat1

Hello, In the never-ending quest to find a job---my husband has one currently, but we are living/working in different states for over a year now He has a potential one in St. Louis, MO. He currently lives 3 hours away, so we have been there. The job is at a hospital downtown, but we are looking for a nice suburb to rent a home or condo (possibly townhome). Our price range would be $1100-$1500, preferably a 3 bedroom/2 bath, newer home (new to 10-20 yrs. old max.) Driving distance to downtown, hopefully not much further than 30 mins.

We looked online and St. Charles looks like it has a unique, fun historic district that looks VERY appealing. Is this area- shopping/boutiques as nice as it appears? Also, it appears to have other offerings, like lots of restaurants--we are foodies, and like trying different restaurants! Perhaps other shopping too? O'Fallon looked appealing as well. We have no school aged children, so that is not a factor. Are these areas safe and what kind of vibe do they have? We are 50/51 years old. Our son is 23 and does not drive (he is disabled with high functioning CP). We would like to have an area for a decent transit system for him to commute to a job. Anyone aware of what "areas" would have helpful disability servicing to aid us in helping our son out?

Somewhat afraid of the heat and humidity. Not that we are not used to that at all, but when I think of St. Louis, that is definitely what comes to mind! LOL!!! Any helpful information regarding these areas or other suburbs with a sense of community and/or similiar to SC or OF would be very helpful!! THANKS SO MUCH!!!

Old Town St. Charles is a fun, touristy area and the most interesting (IMHO) part of St. Charles County. Until you mentioned your need for public transportation, St. Charles would have worked for your family. St. Charles is very conservative, old school and refuses to initiate a real mass transit option. The city of St. Charles has a tiny busline called SCAT. SCAT Transit System

SCAT might serve your son's needs.

If you're a foodie, St. Charles County isn't a destination. It's archetypical suburban sprawl chain restaurant big box purgatory (again, IMHO). The farther west into the county, the more cookie cutter it gets.

Newer construction abounds but so do tornadoes. The tornadoes that hit the STL area seem to brush with some regularity St. Charles County and northwest St. Louis County. Newer construction doesn't fare very well when a F1 passes over your neighborhood. At minimum, buy a house with a basement. Here's damage to a house built on a slab from a F1 tornado: F1 Tornado Damage (Online Tornado FAQ)

If you don't mind rush hour traffic jams morning/evening and weather related delays on I-70 or I-64 then living in St. Charles and working downtown might be OK with you.*


We live in a full brick house built in 1929 that has survived whatever storms have happened since its inception. It's a lot easier to replace a roof than a whole house that can be destroyed in anything greater than a F1 twister.

Why not an inner ring suburb of St. Louis since you'll be working downtown? Richmond Heights, Brentwood, Webster Groves all have regular bus routes. The houses are older and smaller but very solidly built. There's a light rail system as well that goes downtown. Metro Transit

*Inevitably the STL area hater with the initials DP will show up in this thread declaring STL area traffic is NO BIG DEAL EVAH and Lake Saint Louis is your idyllic place to live in the vast cultural wasteland that is STL. Lake Saint Louis is in the western part of St. Charles County. It has two man made lakes and not much else. Nice houses, no restaurants or nightlife and no public transportation.

[SouthCitySam]

St. Charles is nice. The downtown has many family-friendly festivals and activities. Christmas in St. Charles is especially nice. As far as transport for your son, there is a transportation service called OATS that can provide that service. OATS Transportation

[molliecat1]

Thanks so much for the input inahandbasket, very informative! I did notice the SCAT transit, which should fit the bill. It will obviously be more apparent what we can tolerate in terms of travel/commute, noting it first hand. I appreciate the mention of the other inner ring suburbs. YEP... torandoes are not a good thing, especially with the newer built homes...

Thank YOU SouthCitySam! I loved the look of what I saw regarding Christmas in St. Charles... thanks for the confirmation! The area seems to have enough charm and then some. Thank you for the info on OATS... I had not come across that!

In terms of foodie destinations, it's not as though we cannot do some commuting either. Just trying to figure out that "right fit" possibility! Thanks much again, both of you!!

[Leo58]

I have to agree with inahandbasket. Downtown St Charles is interesting, but there's not much else around there to fit your bill. O'Fallon is a suburban wasteland, IMHO. I would check out Kirkwood, which also has an interesting downtown area, and is closer in with more public transportation. Don't know about prices, however.

[molliecat1]

Thanks Leo58 I appreciate the commentary. I will check out Kirkwood, and appreciate the vote for the downtown. It is always interesting what is considered suburban wasteland or sprawl. We are not city people, and appreciate the more close-knit setting smaller communities offer. I assume it is possible to have a mix of "amenities" or city attributes with the down home "charm" of a smaller community feel? Maybe I am wrong? Any areas like this exist? I guess that might be why I thought historic downtown St. Charles had the charm component, and it also has other city amenities as well.....?

[molliecat1]

OK, so not much in the way of response. I am also looking at Chesterfield. Again, please understand I don't have firsthand knowledge of the area. My first thought is everyone will say Chesterfield has no community feel, perhaps another suburban wasteland? I really would like to hear from people who live there or nearby as to the pros and cons. This location is definitely closer to DSL which is where the job is located. For my son especially, there appears to be a lot to do in terms of shopping, which makes for a thumbs up---- he loves The Cheesecake Factory So any input on Chesterfield--- downtown or community attributes, much appreciated!!! THANX!

[Leo58]

Originally Posted by molliecat1

Thanks Leo58 I appreciate the commentary. I will check out Kirkwood, and appreciate the vote for the downtown. It is always interesting what is considered suburban wasteland or sprawl. We are not city people, and appreciate the more close-knit setting smaller communities offer. I assume it is possible to have a mix of "amenities" or city attributes with the down home "charm" of a smaller community feel? Maybe I am wrong? Any areas like this exist? I guess that might be why I thought historic downtown St. Charles had the charm component, and it also has other city amenities as well.....?

I really have no first-hand knowledge of the Illinois side of the river, but there may be more places with that small-town feel over there. Edwardsville sounds very nice, for example. Maybe some others on this forum can fill you in.

[Minntex]

Chesterfield is ok for your needs. Pros: Lots of restaurants and shopping (the most in the STL metro.) Some bus service due to it being in St. Louis County. Probably a little better services for the disabled than you would get overall in St. Charles County, and closer to larger hospitals. Cons: Chesterfield covers a large area geographically, so different areas of Chesterfield have a different feel. It tends to be more of a "big city" suburb as far as more traffic, higher priced-homes, and higher taxes compared to St. Charles. I'm not sure where DSL is located, so I can't give you an idea as to commute.

St. Charles County also has a lot to offer, and is also a large area with several different "regions." St. Charles City is charming, especially the old town area. Pros:Lower housing prices and taxes. More of a suburban feel, less busy. Local shopping and restaurants are more than adequate, and the local hospitals are good. Cons: longer commute for sure, fewer high-end or "foodie" restaurants and specialty stores (for example, our closest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are in Chesterfield.) More of a bland suburban feel overall, much less walkable, with less diversity and a more conservative political climate than St. Louis County or City.

Kirkwood, Webster Groves, or Brentwood might be a good fit for you. Still close to lots of shopping, but definitely have their own downtown areas and strong sense of community. These communities have even more to offer in terms of mass transit, including the Metro train system, but are yet again slightly pricier than either St. Charles County or Chesterfield, and might be a little too urban for someone who describes themselves as "not city people." Your commute will figure in here, too.

I live in St. Charles County near Cottleville, with my husband and 2 school-aged boys. If I had to do it over again, I would live in Brentwood--probably would have to live in a smaller house, but would have more access to mass transit, parks, and the zoo, Forest Park, downtown. Hope this helps, unless you've already moved here since the last post!!

[Salsalera]

I'd prefer St. Charles because of all the pro reasons stated, but also, it's closer to St. Louis city. I spend a lot of time in the city because I enjoy the dining, nightlife, diverse festivals and world class performances there. I don't care for commuting 45 minutes to an hour to get to somewhere interesting, which is what you'd find if you live in O'Fallon.