Moving to St. Louis - What should we know? (Oakville: homes, magnet schools)

[wacoscoob]

I'm a mother of two, my spouse works from home, and I have a job at Saint Louis University.

Our budget is $240k. Prefer a suburb, as the city seems to have poor schools. We are Hispanic but it looks like Greater St. Louis is really just Black and White. Any thoughts on that?

When we visited we liked South County and northern Jefferson County especially. Arnold in particular seems to have many affordable large homes and good schools. Extremely White though. Oakville/Lemay corridor seems a little better in diversity. Is racism prevalent against Hispanics in St. Louis? I hear a lot about how Blacks face discrimination here.

Just looking for a quiet suburb, big backyard, access to shopping not too far away, good schools, little traffic. Don't want your inner-ring suburb like Maplewood.

[STLCityMike]

It is true the St. Louis public schools are not as desirable - but there are magnet schools and I understand their enrollment is more lottery based? There is a growing Latino population, and Cherokee has a large representation of Mexican culture.

South County is likely the least diverse of the Missouri suburban areas, and regarding a commute to work, I-55 has the least volume of the 4 main highways (the others being 44, 64 and 70). The Meremac river is prone to flood in the spring, not usually effecting I-55 too much. I have friends in Jefferson County - its growing a lot.

Personally, I find the areas along I-44 more desirable. Kirkwood, Webster but the area is likely a little pricier. I feel like the area is a little more connected.

Good luck!