Gay couple considering moving to St. Louis from Maryland - questions! (Kansas City: rental car, rental)

[Someboyelse]

Hmmm, land & 40 minute drive to Wash U during M-F peak hours?

Really, it's a budget issue. There are some larger lots fairly close, but some of those neighborhoods are amazingly expensive. The farther you go, the cheaper the land gets (of course).

For the 2-4 acre range, you probably want to look at St. Charles north of 370 (~35 minutes from Wash U). There ARE other spots with affordable land, but the traffic commute length is pretty volatile (Example: Defiance, New Melle). Even some of the pricier areas can have dramatic shifts in drive-time because of an accident or lane closing. Overall, highways 40 & 44 are potential problems.

I would humbly suggest using Zillow to get an idea of property values, and Google Maps to estimate drive times (make sure to switch the departure time to match your real-world day & time expectations).

Lastly, I'm not particularly familiar with the Illinois side, or the areas of Fenton and southward, so you may want to consult with someone from those areas regarding attitudes and general disposition.


I hope you find something perfect for you.

[wustu87]

If you are working at the Danforth Campus of Wash U (i.e. the undergraduate campus west of Forest Park) remember that starting the week after graduation the parking on campus is going to be very tight as they rip up the parking lots in front of Brookings. All faculty and staff will be trying to pack into the Millbrook parking lot on the north side of campus and it may fill up unless you arrive very early (i.e. before 8:00am.) You could consider parking over at West Campus and taking the shuttle or MetroLink to Danforth, but that will add some extra time each way to your commute which you will have to factor into your commute.

[souperjen24]

Thanks everyone for all of this advice. I've been slowly looking at these areas over the last few days.

I wanted to let everyone know that I did apply for the job, and I have a phone interview for tomorrow (Thursday). SO, depending on how that goes, I might be back with more questions

P.S. - I would be working at the Medical School.

[wustu87]

If you are at the Med campus taking the Metrolink makes even more sense because the WUSM employee parking there is somewhat expensive ($850+/year) and spread out east of Taylor Ave (only nice if your department is near Taylor!) The Metrolink station is right off Euclid near just about everything.

A ton of WUSM employees use the Metrolink to get to work, both from the inner suburbs (U.City, Clayton, Richmond Hts, Brentwood, Maplewood) and the Skinker/DeBaliviere neighborhood to the west, and from midtown and further downtown to the east. A bunch of WUSM folks from suburbs further west drive to the Brentwood Garage and take the trains from there. WUSM employees cannot park at the West Campus parking in Clayton (only West Campus and Danforth Campus employees can park there) which seems a shame since that might be much closer to where they live!

I also know they are ripping up and rebuilding the Kingshighway/Forest Park interchange for much of 2017, but I have no idea how that is affecting rush hour traffic over there.

[HowardTeam]

souperjen24 - You would have lots of options in St. Louis based on your criteria. I see several posters recommended the city but you specifically said you like nature and don't really want the city, so I suggest you go farther out. Yes, the city has the largest and most visible LGBT community but there are gay people happily living all over here, even St. Charles.

To be within driving distance to Wash U, anything along the 40/141/364 corridor would be good. Closer in would be areas like Maplewood & Webster Groves, but if you really want nature/water/etc, I suggest West County around Castlewood Park, Maryland Heights/Creve Coeur near Creve Coeur Park, and St. Charles near the Katy Trail.

Personally, I used to live in Los Angeles and I absolutely LOVE the ocean. St. Louis can't really compare but we do have 2 of the largest rivers in North America, with the best access & view probably in St. Charles. And within a 1-2 hour drive, there are some large lakes worth visiting.

If you need guidance on specific zip codes, I'd be happy to help. Good luck on your job interview!

[glamatomic]

^^ The realtor above is spectacular... so if you're looking to buy, she should be your first pick

[souperjen24]

Originally Posted by HowardTeam

souperjen24 - You would have lots of options in St. Louis based on your criteria. I see several posters recommended the city but you specifically said you like nature and don't really want the city, so I suggest you go farther out. Yes, the city has the largest and most visible LGBT community but there are gay people happily living all over here, even St. Charles.

To be within driving distance to Wash U, anything along the 40/141/364 corridor would be good. Closer in would be areas like Maplewood & Webster Groves, but if you really want nature/water/etc, I suggest West County around Castlewood Park, Maryland Heights/Creve Coeur near Creve Coeur Park, and St. Charles near the Katy Trail.

Personally, I used to live in Los Angeles and I absolutely LOVE the ocean. St. Louis can't really compare but we do have 2 of the largest rivers in North America, with the best access & view probably in St. Charles. And within a 1-2 hour drive, there are some large lakes worth visiting.

If you need guidance on specific zip codes, I'd be happy to help. Good luck on your job interview!

Thanks very much! I would love some specific zip codes. Do you have a recommended site to look for rentals? I've been trying Zillow/Trulia/Craigslist, but wondering if there's something local I should try?


Also, I see there's a bit of a difference in location between Castlewood Park and St. Charles... seem to be similar distances into the city. Are they pretty much a coin toss?

[glamatomic]

Huh?

I've never thought of Maplewood as Risky... and assuming you mean everything along the 40 corridor from Boyle to the River, that includes some of the nicest areas in the city.

OP: One thing you will find if/when you move here, is that there are suburbanites who view the entirety of the city proper (and some of the inner suburbs) as no-go war zones, even the areas that have gentrified in the past couple of decades.

Please don't get the fearmongerers distort your opinion.

I'm not saying in any way that the city is immune to crime, but the areas listed by HowardTeam are absolutely fine.

[STLCityMike]

Originally Posted by glamatomic

Huh?

I've never thought of Maplewood as Risky... and assuming you mean everything along the 40 corridor from Boyle to the River, that includes some of the nicest areas in the city.

OP: One thing you will find if/when you move here, is that there are suburbanites who view the entirety of the city proper (and some of the inner suburbs) as no-go war zones, even the areas that have gentrified in the past couple of decades.

Please don't get the fearmongerers distort your opinion.

I'm not saying in any way that the city is immune to crime, but the areas listed by HowardTeam are absolutely fine.

When I moved here in 2001, I was looking at an apartment complex in Maplewood and was also told to stay away. And, perhaps at that time it was not as it is today, but Maplewood has had a lot of investment in recent years. Manchester through the Maplewood is quite the hot spot, and there has been a ton of development along Hanley as well.




Unfortunately, those who do not get off of the highway often see the undesirable areas adjacent and form opinions on the city, OR, those who hear the news don't really understand where the crime is occurring or what is the leading cause of crime that we are hearing about. Of course, there are exceptions. I was guilty of that until I moved here and really got to see the wonderful neighborhoods that exist in the city.

[HowardTeam]

Originally Posted by glamatomic

^^ The realtor above is spectacular... so if you're looking to buy, she should be your first pick

glamatomic, you're the best! We met here - what? - five years ago? Always appreciate your kind words )