Young Professionals Moving to St. Louis (Richmond Heights, Maplewood: apartments, rent, loft)

[TheDeveloper]

My wife and I (no kids) are both in our mid 20's and moving from San Diego, Ca to St. Louis, Mo this summer. We chose St. Louis because we want to be closer to our families in central Illinois without giving up the benefits of living in a large city (culture, night life, public transportation).

Anyway, we're looking for areas of the city to live in that are relatively safe, within walking distance of a decent nightlife and are pretty inexpensive (by St. Louis standards). Can anyone recommend parts of the city to check out?

I appreciate it!

[pianist1972]

Lots of possibilities. Most everything will be inexpensive by San Diego standards. You could look at the loft district downtown, Central West End, Tower Grove area, Lafayette Square, or Benton Park. All have a different mix of amenities, just depends on likes and dislikes.

[TheDeveloper]

Ideally we can keep rent at around 600-700/month for a one bedroom. Is the downtown area safe to live in? Neighborhood scout makes it seem a little sketchy, but I've heard that STL crime reporting isn't accurate.

Anyway, we LOVE the charm of loft apartments. Does anyone know if one building or another is particularly great?

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[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by TheDeveloper

Ideally we can keep rent at around 600-700/month for a one bedroom. Is the downtown area safe to live in? Neighborhood scout makes it seem a little sketchy, but I've heard that STL crime reporting isn't accurate.

Anyway, we LOVE the charm of loft apartments. Does anyone know if one building or another is particularly great?
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I live Downtown and love it. I think the crime is more of an issue than it should be in Downtown but we aren't dodging bullets every time we walk out the door.

St. Louis crime stats is all about how the city limits is only 60 sq. miles and isn't drawn to include wealthier areas that are just outside the city limits. Where as Indianapolis, Atlanta and Memphis (for example) have much larger city limits that includes more wealth.

I've lived all over the country and can say that I feel safer here than I do in many places.

Your budget is do able for Tower Grove and the Loop. Both are great areas where you can get a lot of apartment for your money. Both also has good parks lots of convenience and an interesting population. The Loop has easy access to Light Rail and Tower Grove has decent bus service.

[jribe]

Originally Posted by TheDeveloper

My wife and I (no kids) are both in our mid 20's and moving from San Diego, Ca to St. Louis, Mo this summer. We chose St. Louis because we want to be closer to our families in central Illinois without giving up the benefits of living in a large city (culture, night life, public transportation).

Anyway, we're looking for areas of the city to live in that are relatively safe, within walking distance of a decent nightlife and are pretty inexpensive (by St. Louis standards). Can anyone recommend parts of the city to check out?

I appreciate it!

From CA? I'd say don't. I'm from there and we're looking to move after 4 years... various reasons.. But racial crimes are a major consideration at this point- being from CA you'd think it wouldn't be an issue but it's not the same.. It's black vs white here- not just everyone's different, no big deal from CA.

[FrankMiller]

Originally Posted by TheDeveloper

Ideally we can keep rent at around 600-700/month for a one bedroom. Is the downtown area safe to live in? Neighborhood scout makes it seem a little sketchy, but I've heard that STL crime reporting isn't accurate.

Anyway, we LOVE the charm of loft apartments. Does anyone know if one building or another is particularly great?
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Downtown always feels a bit corporate/commercial to me. I've had a few coworkers live there who liked it, but I can't see the appeal compared to some of the more residential neighborhoods like Tower Grove or CWE.

[bella84]

You'll find the most nightlife in downtown, but there are small sections of nightlife elsewhere (Tower Grove South, Soulard, Maplewood, Central West End, Delmar Loop, Shaw). I personally would feel safest in Maplewood, out of those areas, but that is not technically in the city limits. Public transportation is really not very good in STL. It exists, but it just isn't up to par with that of other cities. You will definitely need to own a car. You should be able to find an apartment in your price range, but for just a little bit more (up to $800), you'll be able to get something much nicer than you will at $600-$700, if you can afford it. It will all be much cheaper than in CA.

Do you know where you'll be working? Do you know other people in STL? Those things may play a role in where you choose to live.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by jribe

. But racial crimes are a major consideration at this point- being from CA you'd think it wouldn't be an issue but it's not the same.. It's black vs white here- not just everyone's different, no big deal from CA.

That is sad for St. Louis.

Do you fear for your safety because of racial tensions? Have you personally been a victim of a crime? I hope not. I know Los Angeles is different but I have a hard time believing there are not tensions there as any other place.

[jribe]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

That is sad for St. Louis.

Do you fear for your safety because of racial tensions? Have you personally been a victim of a crime? I hope not. I know Los Angeles is different but I have a hard time believing there are not tensions there as any other place.

i'm saying that CA is so diverse that there really aren't any issues. Here, it's different and it's a culture shock.

[IAMDWRECK]

Originally Posted by bella84

You'll find the most nightlife in downtown, but there are small sections of nightlife elsewhere (Tower Grove South, Soulard, Maplewood, Central West End, Delmar Loop, Shaw). I personally would feel safest in Maplewood, out of those areas, but that is not technically in the city limits. Public transportation is really not very good in STL. It exists, but it just isn't up to par with that of other cities. You will definitely need to own a car. You should be able to find an apartment in your price range, but for just a little bit more (up to $800), you'll be able to get something much nicer than you will at $600-$700, if you can afford it. It will all be much cheaper than in CA.

Do you know where you'll be working? Do you know other people in STL? Those things may play a role in where you choose to live.

I find it hilarious that you would even group MapleWood aka MapleHood in with those up-and-coming areas like CWE and the Loop (which technically isn't in the city limits either, it's located in university city.) Maplewood is super residential, slummy with no night life. If i were to live in that area I'd choose Richmond Heights.