Belleville, IL vs Edwardsville, IL (St. Louis, O'Fallon: real estate, homes, safe area)

[bblawsonuk]

I realize this is a St Louis forum and I have posted this in the IL section as well. Just hoping to get better input from this forum due to the locality. Thank you.

Can anyone do a comparison between these two cities for me? Thanks.[LEFT]

[/LEFT]

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by bblawsonuk

I realize this is a St Louis forum and I have posted this in the IL section as well. Just hoping to get better input from this forum due to the locality. Thank you.

Can anyone do a comparison between these two cities for me? Thanks.[LEFT]

[/LEFT]

I'm a non-resident who travels to both with some regularity for business so these are just my impressions. Both are older cities with heavy German influence historically speaking, particularly in Belleville. Neat old downtown areas with older homes, some bigger, a lot smaller near downtown. While they are both considered part of the St. Louis Metro area, they are really stand alone older cities. Both are county seats of their respective counties.

My impression is Edwardsville overall is doing better. Parts of Belleville look shabbier to me than Edwardsville. I think there is a bit more decline in Belleville proper, I also think there is more white flight out of Belleville proper (Monroe county to the south is growing, while St. Clair County is shrinking in population last I checked). I also think the public school district in Edwardsville is more highly regarded. With that said, there are great neighborhoods still in Belleville and I really like its downtown area. I think historically Belleville has been the bigger and more prominent city of the two but Edwardsville has seen more growth I think in recent decades. Belleville is closer to Scott Air Force Base, while Edwardsville has SIUE campus on its outskirts.

[PerseusVeil]

To build onto what MUTGR said, Edwardsville is currently the nicer of two. Belleville's population has declined by about 2,000 people since 2010 when it peaked at about 44,500 people. There's some white flight out of Belleville into the surrounding smaller cities and towns. When I was younger the west end of Belleville was a lot nicer than it currently is. My guess would be that parts of Belleville are seeing an economic shift to a lower bracket from what they used to be. That being said, however, downtown Belleville certainly looks far better now than when it did when I was growing up. The city has spent a lot of time and money rejuvenating its downtown. Belleville also has two MetroLink light rail stations if that's something that interests you, as I know some people prefer using MetroLink in order to commute to work downtown, to go to sporting events, etc.

That being said, looking at the long term, I'd look more at Edwardsville than Belleville. It too has a nice little downtown, and overall I'd say the city is healthier with better upkeep. I don't think the bottom is going to come off on Belleville the same way it has other places in the metro, namely E St. Louis, but Edwardsville seems more on the up and up these days.

If you're relocating due to a job on the Missouri side of the river, there are some other nice places in the Metro East that you should also consider.

[Hector2]

The previous posters have been very accurate in my opinion. I would add that the restaurant/bakery/coffee selection in Edwardsville exceeds Belleville in every way. I would also add that it seems like it's easier to get around Edwardsville. The west side of Belleville is serviced by the Frank Scott Parkway which is more a half-assed parkway than a real parkway or not a parkway at all. In many places, it's only one lane in each direction with no turn lanes. This is what connects Belleville to the big box retail meccas of O'Fallon and Fairview Heights and it can be a headache.

If you get a chance, just walk through the Schnucks grocery store in Edwardsville and then walk though the one on the Beltline in Belleville to see for yourself the different directions the two cities are heading.

[1grin_g0]

All the posters above have pretty much nailed it. In Belleville you will find very affordable housing, but obviously there is a reason for that. Belleville has been in steady decline for years. Money is moving out, and folks from East St. Louis are moving in. Edwardsville has much more going for it.

[RisingAurvandil]

When comparing Belleville proper to Edwardsville, I agree with the previous posters.

However...

If you're considering a more suburban environment, the areas surrounding Belleville are every bit as nice as suburban Edwardsville. O'Fallon and Shiloh, in particular, are on the upswing.

There is another thing to consider about Belleville that previous posters have missed: the school districts. Like StL County, the school district boundary defines the boundary between decent areas and poorer areas. Belleville East is the poorer district. Belleville West is still relatively decent.

[bblawsonuk]

Thanks, all, for the information. It is appreciated. The job would be in St Louis proper, but I want to live in a less urban environment. I think the IL side would suit our needs slightly more than the MO side, but if you have better information, then by all means - please share!

Schools are not too much of a concern as I am homeschooling my 8th grader. Lifestyle is a better decision maker for us at this point in our lives.

Is there a place to look for information on what amenities Edwardsville offers? Shopping, etc. . . .

[StLouisWinner2017]

South St. Louis County would be optimal for your considerations (safe area, great schools, low taxes), but if it's Illinois, I would take Edwardsville over Belleville in a heartbeat. Just prep for high real estate taxes from a cash-strapped state.

[Hector2]

Originally Posted by bblawsonuk

Thanks, all, for the information. It is appreciated. The job would be in St Louis proper, but I want to live in a less urban environment. I think the IL side would suit our needs slightly more than the MO side, but if you have better information, then by all means - please share!

Schools are not too much of a concern as I am homeschooling my 8th grader. Lifestyle is a better decision maker for us at this point in our lives.

Is there a place to look for information on what amenities Edwardsville offers? Shopping, etc. . . .

There are plenty of "less urban" options on the Missouri side, too. Check west county and south county (hard to be more specific without an idea of budget). As pointed out, real property taxes in Illinois are considerably higher and probably only going to get worse.

[bblawsonuk]

Budget is no more than $220,000. We would wish to avoid cookie cutter suburbia in that price range, but I know it won't be easy. Optimally, we would like to keep the work commute to no more than 30 minutes.
The more I read here and the more research I do, the more I am beginning the see the wisdom of purchasing on the MO side.