Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Any information would be really helpful. My partner and I are considering a move to St. Louis. I am Caucasian, my partner is Latin. We have two adopted children, both are African-American. And as I said, we are considering moving to St. Louis. But before we do, we would like opinions on how we as a family, and my kids - who have gay parents would be treated. We are partial to areas in the Webster, Kirkwood, Lindbergh, Parkway, and Rockwood districts because of the qualities of the school, so we would not be living down in the more gay-friendly Central West End or Tower Grove. We would love to hear from other gay parents in St. Louis about their experiences as well as anyone else who has information/opinion/experiences. That would really help us know if this is a smart move for our family or not. Thank you in advance.
Based on your criteria, Webster and Kirkwood seem to fit you much more than Lindberg, Parkway, and Rockwood. They are more diverse, more urban and more liberal meaning you would be welcomed and accepted more.
I still think though that Tower Grove ,or if you earn a higher income the Central West End would be your best bet. Tower Grove and the Central West End: 1. host many great festivals that draw great, diverse crowds (including the Gay Pride Parade/Festival in Tower Grove Park) 2. have more diverse people including many more gay and/or interracial couples 3. are more liberal 4. are just a better place to live if you like urban, city life. I assume you know this but just because you live in the city doesn't mean you have to send your kids to school there. Many people that live in the city just send their kids to private schools which will cost but enable you to live in the city.
Despite MO being a traditionally conservative state, I think that St. Louis is fairly gay-friendly. That being said, the bulk of my friends who are gay live in South City, Soulard, the CWE, and U-City regions. We only have 1 set of friends with a school aged child. They live in the CWE and send their son to the New City School- an AMAZING school with a HORRIBLE waiting list as a result, unfortunately. That being said, they love it there.
Living in the county was never an option for them when house hunting. They came from Chicago and wouldn't even look!! I'm not sure if they gravitated towards the CWE in fear of experiencing bigotry in the county, as much as preferring a community that is not only accepting but extremely welcoming. One where they didn't feel like the "token gay family".
As a whole, the further east and central you stay... the more politically liberal the community, as they are centered around the universities and Barnes hospital. We live in West County, in the Parkway district. We actually have 2 sets of neighbor friends within 3 houses that are gay. That being said, they are very much on the down low as the bulk of the neighborhood is EXTREMELY conservative. They know who they can be themselves with and who they can’t without receiving dirty looks. It’s not a volatile situation, and we all try to laugh it off, but it’s present. They don't have children, but having raised my kids out here particularly in the craziness of the last election, I would assume that you could encounter some snobbery. If you consider west county, I would probably avoid Parkway South and West and concentrate on POSSIBLY Marquette and more so Parkway Central and Parkway North.
If it were myself, however, I would focus on Kirkwood, Webster, Brentwood, Clayton, and Ladue. Brentwood being my top choice.
If you have specific questions, you can dm me... =)
Despite MO being a traditionally conservative state, I think that St. Louis is fairly gay-friendly. That being said, the bulk of my friends who are gay live in South City, Soulard, the CWE, and U-City regions. We only have 1 set of friends with a school aged child. They live in the CWE and send their son to the New City School- an AMAZING school with a HORRIBLE waiting list as a result, unfortunately. That being said, they love it there.
Living in the county was never an option for them when house hunting. They came from Chicago and wouldn't even look!! I'm not sure if they gravitated towards the CWE in fear of experiencing bigotry in the county, as much as preferring a community that is not only accepting but extremely welcoming. One where they didn't feel like the "token gay family".
As a whole, the further east and central you stay... the more politically liberal the community, as they are centered around the universities and Barnes hospital. We live in West County, in the Parkway district. We actually have 2 sets of neighbor friends within 3 houses that are gay. That being said, they are very much on the down low as the bulk of the neighborhood is EXTREMELY conservative. They know who they can be themselves with and who they can’t without receiving dirty looks. It’s not a volatile situation, and we all try to laugh it off, but it’s present. They don't have children, but having raised my kids out here particularly in the craziness of the last election, I would assume that you could encounter some snobbery. If you consider west county, I would probably avoid Parkway South and West and concentrate on POSSIBLY Marquette and more so Parkway Central and Parkway North.
If it were myself, however, I would focus on Kirkwood, Webster, Brentwood, Clayton, and Ladue. Brentwood being my top choice.
If you have specific questions, you can dm me... =)
My partner and I have been living in West County since 2002. Although we would have loved to move right into the city, we have two children. We believe in public education but weren't able to get our oldest child into the city magnet middle school, Kennard, because of the waiting list.
We looked at houses in Webster Groves to be closer to the city but couldn't find the space we needed for the amount of $ we were willing to spend, so we looked further out.
Since we couldn't find a house that suited us closer in, we moved specifically to the Parkway district because of Parkway's excellent reputation. We were looking for a house in either Parkway Central or West High areas. We've not been disappointed. Out oldest graduated last year from Parkway West High and is a freshman nuclear engineering major at Missouri S&T. Her West High academics prepared her very well for S&T - she 'complains' that so far, classes are easier than she anticipated. (That'll change pretty soon...)
Our youngest is a junior this year at the same HS. She loves the school, her teachers are great with us, her parents. We are totally out with her teachers, always have been since we moved here. We are out in our neighborhood, whatever that means. We don't fly a rainbow flag but we don't hide who we are. Our neighborhood has a lot of senior citizens - the houses are a little over 30 years old - so I expect a fair amount of turnover in the next few years as the oldsters transition to assisted living situations.
We have never felt unsafe because of our relationship. It might be because we're two women which is a lot less "threatening" to some folks. Our next door neighbors are very conservative but are friendly. Our neighborhood vibe is one of neighborliness and safe.
A neat story: about three years ago there was an article in the STL Post-Dispatch about a teenage boy with two moms living in suburbia. We showed the article to out girls. There was a photo w/ the article. Our older girl said, "I know that boy. He rides our bus!" Turns out this family lived less than a mile from us. We got in contact w/ them and have been close friends ever since. Their boy became friends w/ our girls. When he graduated last year, his moms moved to Tower Grove South. Boo hoo - we miss them being so close. But we visit them often.
Regarding political affiliations: during the 2004 election we didn't put out Kerry for President sign on the lawn because we feared it would be vandalized. Fast forward to 2008: we saw far more Obama signs around our neighborhood than McCain! Our Obama sign was one of them. And nothing happened to it, either.
So at least the area of West County we're in (Fox Creek Estates) seems to be a very live-and-let-live attitude. BTW: we live within a mile to the new Town & Country Whole Foods store, the rooty toot T&C Schnucks, the new mega-super-duper-over-the-top Walmart which is right next to the soon-to-be-open Costco. I'm hoping when WE move into the city after our youngest graduates from HS (2011) all of those big boxes will be a selling point to those who love suburbia.
Bartshd, if you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to PM me.
We're practically neighbors! Relieved to hear that your experience has been a good one! That's awesome. Sometimes I worry that my boys are too sheltered in West County. That's great news. It's a tough call out here?! Particularly as my Obama sign was stolen 3 times, but probably b/c it was only 1 of 2 in the whole hood...
Quote:
Originally Posted by inahandbasket
My partner and I have been living in West County since 2002. Although we would have loved to move right into the city, we have two children. We believe in public education but weren't able to get our oldest child into the city magnet middle school, Kennard, because of the waiting list.
We looked at houses in Webster Groves to be closer to the city but couldn't find the space we needed for the amount of $ we were willing to spend, so we looked further out.
Since we couldn't find a house that suited us closer in, we moved specifically to the Parkway district because of Parkway's excellent reputation. We were looking for a house in either Parkway Central or West High areas. We've not been disappointed. Out oldest graduated last year from Parkway West High and is a freshman nuclear engineering major at Missouri S&T. Her West High academics prepared her very well for S&T - she 'complains' that so far, classes are easier than she anticipated. (That'll change pretty soon...)
Our youngest is a junior this year at the same HS. She loves the school, her teachers are great with us, her parents. We are totally out with her teachers, always have been since we moved here. We are out in our neighborhood, whatever that means. We don't fly a rainbow flag but we don't hide who we are. Our neighborhood has a lot of senior citizens - the houses are a little over 30 years old - so I expect a fair amount of turnover in the next few years as the oldsters transition to assisted living situations.
We have never felt unsafe because of our relationship. It might be because we're two women which is a lot less "threatening" to some folks. Our next door neighbors are very conservative but are friendly. Our neighborhood vibe is one of neighborliness and safe.
A neat story: about three years ago there was an article in the STL Post-Dispatch about a teenage boy with two moms living in suburbia. We showed the article to out girls. There was a photo w/ the article. Our older girl said, "I know that boy. He rides our bus!" Turns out this family lived less than a mile from us. We got in contact w/ them and have been close friends ever since. Their boy became friends w/ our girls. When he graduated last year, his moms moved to Tower Grove South. Boo hoo - we miss them being so close. But we visit them often.
Regarding political affiliations: during the 2004 election we didn't put out Kerry for President sign on the lawn because we feared it would be vandalized. Fast forward to 2008: we saw far more Obama signs around our neighborhood than McCain! Our Obama sign was one of them. And nothing happened to it, either.
So at least the area of West County we're in (Fox Creek Estates) seems to be a very live-and-let-live attitude. BTW: we live within a mile to the new Town & Country Whole Foods store, the rooty toot T&C Schnucks, the new mega-super-duper-over-the-top Walmart which is right next to the soon-to-be-open Costco. I'm hoping when WE move into the city after our youngest graduates from HS (2011) all of those big boxes will be a selling point to those who love suburbia.
Bartshd, if you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to PM me.
My partner and I have been living in West County since 2002. Although we would have loved to move right into the city, we have two children. We believe in public education but weren't able to get our oldest child into the city magnet middle school, Kennard, because of the waiting list.
We looked at houses in Webster Groves to be closer to the city but couldn't find the space we needed for the amount of $ we were willing to spend, so we looked further out.
Since we couldn't find a house that suited us closer in, we moved specifically to the Parkway district because of Parkway's excellent reputation. We were looking for a house in either Parkway Central or West High areas. We've not been disappointed. Out oldest graduated last year from Parkway West High and is a freshman nuclear engineering major at Missouri S&T. Her West High academics prepared her very well for S&T - she 'complains' that so far, classes are easier than she anticipated. (That'll change pretty soon...)
Our youngest is a junior this year at the same HS. She loves the school, her teachers are great with us, her parents. We are totally out with her teachers, always have been since we moved here. We are out in our neighborhood, whatever that means. We don't fly a rainbow flag but we don't hide who we are. Our neighborhood has a lot of senior citizens - the houses are a little over 30 years old - so I expect a fair amount of turnover in the next few years as the oldsters transition to assisted living situations.
We have never felt unsafe because of our relationship. It might be because we're two women which is a lot less "threatening" to some folks. Our next door neighbors are very conservative but are friendly. Our neighborhood vibe is one of neighborliness and safe.
A neat story: about three years ago there was an article in the STL Post-Dispatch about a teenage boy with two moms living in suburbia. We showed the article to out girls. There was a photo w/ the article. Our older girl said, "I know that boy. He rides our bus!" Turns out this family lived less than a mile from us. We got in contact w/ them and have been close friends ever since. Their boy became friends w/ our girls. When he graduated last year, his moms moved to Tower Grove South. Boo hoo - we miss them being so close. But we visit them often.
Regarding political affiliations: during the 2004 election we didn't put out Kerry for President sign on the lawn because we feared it would be vandalized. Fast forward to 2008: we saw far more Obama signs around our neighborhood than McCain! Our Obama sign was one of them. And nothing happened to it, either.
So at least the area of West County we're in (Fox Creek Estates) seems to be a very live-and-let-live attitude. BTW: we live within a mile to the new Town & Country Whole Foods store, the rooty toot T&C Schnucks, the new mega-super-duper-over-the-top Walmart which is right next to the soon-to-be-open Costco. I'm hoping when WE move into the city after our youngest graduates from HS (2011) all of those big boxes will be a selling point to those who love suburbia.
Bartshd, if you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to PM me.
inahandbasket
I don't have anything to add, except to tell you that your story made me smile.
I really appreciate everyone's response. It's extremely helpful as this move is getting closer. With both my boys being African-American (black) is there any schools that are say, "less friendly" and should be avoided. As my partner and I are moving to St. Louis because we believe the education is far better there than where we are, moving to the Central West End or Tower Grove or Soulard, is pretty much out of the question because of the quality of the schools out there. But as we get into districts out west which are far better schools, I do not want my boys to be the only black kids. They will have the "two dads" issue already to deal with...so I'm trying to balance a great eduaction with a more liberal, open minded area where diversity is more accepted. Again, any thoughts, help, suggestions are greatly appreciated. And to all of you who replied, THANK YOU.
I really appreciate everyone's response. It's extremely helpful as this move is getting closer. With both my boys being African-American (black) is there any schools that are say, "less friendly" and should be avoided. As my partner and I are moving to St. Louis because we believe the education is far better there than where we are, moving to the Central West End or Tower Grove or Soulard, is pretty much out of the question because of the quality of the schools out there. But as we get into districts out west which are far better schools, I do not want my boys to be the only black kids. They will have the "two dads" issue already to deal with...so I'm trying to balance a great eduaction with a more liberal, open minded area where diversity is more accepted. Again, any thoughts, help, suggestions are greatly appreciated. And to all of you who replied, THANK YOU.
First, you could live in the city and participate in the desegregation program. Since your boys are African-American city residents, they would be then be eligible to attend certain county school districts. Parkway, Rockwood, Clayton, Ladue, Brentwood, Kirkwood, and Webster Groves all participate in desegregation. Personally, I would choose Clayton, Kirkwood, or Webster just to keep the commute down.
Second, the city magnet schools include some of the highest-scoring schools in the state. The magnet schools are required to be racially balanced, and for the gifted magnet schools, there are long waiting lists for non-African-American students; for AA students, the wait list is either short or non-existent. The reverse is true for the other magnet schools, but as long as you don't limit yourself to one school, you should be able to find a magnet school opening for them somewhere. All you have to do is call up the magnet office and bug them until they let you know which schools have openings right away.
Third, there are a few good charter schools. St. Louis Charter School on Fyler has a great reputation, and has a good mix of students from all over the city and from all races and classes. If your sons are very young, there are some new charter schools that opened that have real promise, such as the language immersion schools.
Fourth, you should check out the private Catholic schools. There are a few in the city that are inexpensive, racially diverse, and gay-friendly.
If none of those options would work for you, then you should also check out the school districts of Maplewood-Richmond Heights or University City. Both do not participate in the desegregation program because their regular student population is already diverse (MRH is about 50% AA, and UCity is about 75% AA). These areas have a large AA middle class. Academically they don't have the reputations of the other districts you are considering, but they aren't bad either. These areas are also significantly more liberal and gay-friendly than the deep county districts.
Good luck!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
