Current info on newtown st Charles... (St. Louis, St. Charles: renting, HOA fees, condo)

[Scottiegal]

Any newtown residents on here that can give info on the current status of newtown? How are the shops and restaurants doing? Is it as safe as it looks? It is still growing? I ask because my family might be renting there for a year while getting to know the area before we buy. We visited newtown this past fall. Yes it feels Truman show like but across the board looks very safe. Also are there hoa fees, and are they yearly or monthly? Thanks so much for any info!

[inahandbasket]

Originally Posted by Scottiegal

Any newtown residents on here that can give info on the current status of newtown? How are the shops and restaurants doing? Is it as safe as it looks? It is still growing? I ask because my family might be renting there for a year while getting to know the area before we buy. We visited newtown this past fall. Yes it feels Truman show like but across the board looks very safe. Also are there hoa fees, and are they yearly or monthly? Thanks so much for any info!

Safe from what? Newtown *is* the Truman Show.

Dunno if it's safe from flooding, though.

[Scottiegal]

Safe as in low crime. it seems to be, but neighborhoods can change, just wanted some info.

[glamatomic]

I took my kids to a playground in New Town not long ago- the other people there were residents and they said they loved living in New Town!

Since the trees and plants have started to grow in more in the first phases of New Town, I think it is a lot less Truman Show-esque than it was 10 years ago. A lot of it is very pretty.

As for crime, there's a website called Neighborhood Scout (I can't link it as it is considered a rival website). Google St. Charles MO Crime Map and it should come up. Surprisingly, the area encompassing New Town is a light blue which means it's considered less safe (that was surprising to me). I'm not a member of the website so I can't see the breakdown of violent versus property crime, just that the area has higher than average crime.

Good luck!

[inahandbasket]

Pretty long previous thread about Newtown:

//www.city-data.com/forum/st-lo...t-charles.html

[Someboyelse]

Careful about the crime maps, IIRC, some municipalities were accused of reclassifying crimes to avoid dips in property values and for other political motivations.

Ex. A break-in/Burglary would be classified as "Vandalism" (broken window), with other areas simply refusing to report all-together, to avoid giving a clear picture of what was actually happening in the area.

New Town could be as safe, or safer, than nearby areas if the others are intentionally under-reporting. It looks pretty safe to me.



I think New Town looks great, but it has two really strong negatives from my perspective. They may not be issues for you:

1. It isn't very accessible. The closest major (1990's style or later) grocery store is, I believe, ~20 minutes one-way if there is any traffic. Likewise, it is a decent commute from most major employment centers in the greater St. Louis area.

2. The price-per-square-foot is pretty high.

[Scottiegal]

thanks for the info!

[HowardTeam]

New Town just announced that they'll be building 800+ more houses. I know people who love it there, but those that move often do so because the HOA has oppressive rules and there's very little space between neighbors. The "urban density" thing while you're in the middle of a farm field has always been kind of weird to me, but I do think the canal is pretty and the architecture is charming. I just couldn't live that close to my neighbors and pay that much to do so!

[Scottiegal]

Originally Posted by HowardTeam

New Town just announced that they'll be building 800+ more houses. I know people who love it there, but those that move often do so because the HOA has oppressive rules and there's very little space between neighbors. The "urban density" thing while you're in the middle of a farm field has always been kind of weird to me, but I do think the canal is pretty and the architecture is charming. I just couldn't live that close to my neighbors and pay that much to do so!

We currently live in condo in the Chicago area with rules and regs and an association fee. I'm used to rules and close neighbors and fees. 😊. We are looking to move to the St. Louis area due to my husbands job. It's good to hear about the new houses going up! Love to see growth!

[glamatomic]

I hope that the 'entrance' to New Town improves eventually. There's the "long way round" from 370 via Fox Hill or Boschertown Roads but that adds about 10 mins. The most direct route via 370 and New Town Blvd is not very attractive as that stretch of New Town Blvd has you passing low density industrial and warehouses for almost the entire way.

Once you get to New Town it seems like a pleasant surprise, but I dislike the appearance of the immediate surrounds.