Possible relo for job-UMSl campus-want good suburbs?!? (St. Louis, St. Charles: real estate, rent)

[usernamemommy]

I am in need of your expert recommendations. Hubby interviewing for a job near UMSL. We are looking for suburbs. We have 4 kids under age 7. Our main focus is finding the best public schools. From some reading I have done, I think we are more interested in the outer ring??? Did I use that terminology correctly?
Can you help me focus my search for houses?
We want:
great schools
neighborhoods w/lots of young kids
4+ BR
community amenities, parks, playgrounds
$350-450
commute 30-45 min

What do you think? Any and all help and comments are appreciated!!

[wustu87]

First off, I am assuming for $350-450 you meant $350K-$450K for a house. Your 30-45 minute commute covers the vast majority of the metropolitan area since UMSL is pretty centrally located just off 170 and 70. If you are looking for the "best schools" (and that topic is definitely debatable), at your price point you probably could not find a 4+ BR home within Clayton schools, but you may be able to find one in the nearby Ladue, Webster or Brentwood school districts (although they would be the older homes there with smaller rooms). For more space and newer construction you could find a home in Kirkwood, Parkway, Lindbergh or Rockwood schools within your price, which are somewhat further out but still well within your 45 minutes to UMSL. Then there are the St. Charles county schools which I know many people find desirable, but which I have little knowledge about myself.

I think most people consider the Parkway and Rockwood districts more of the "outer ring" and Clayton, Ladue, Brentwood, Webster and Kirkwood schools more of the "inner ring". They are all great schools so you have plenty from which to choose.

[sixtwobaldguy]

You could go way west of UMSL where I have been pretty happy. You have a lot of options. The "West County" suburbs are a nice place to live and although many homes are *very* pricey, not all are. Shopping around, I think you can make something work for around 450k (won't be a mansion, but functional). Also, consider what you'd pay to live in a good neighborhood in other parts of the country. It's an investment that buys you peace and resale value. I've seen some fairly large homes in Webster Grooves for that price, too. You could always partition some rooms if needed to make more bedrooms.

If it were me, I'd be leary of trusting realtors for advice. They will probably tell you something like Florissant, but you won't be happy there if you have kids. Hazelwood is another place occasionally touted as OK, but tell that to the kid who was jumped on the school bus and beaten while the kids chanted racial slurs. Most people I know use private schools, so I am really a poor source of information. All I know is you don't want to send your kids to most St. Louis area public schools. You are wise to pick carefully and I wish you good luck.

One final thought, will he definitely be working on the main campus? I know they have a lot of buildings scattered around the area, in addition to their main campus.

[WalnutPark829]

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

Florissant, but you won't be happy there if you have kids.

What a ridiculous statement, to paint a town of over 50,000 with such a broad brush. There are plenty of kid friendly neighborhoods in Florissant, a wonderful Old Town district, great parks and recreational facilities, low crime rate for such a large city, and good elementary schools such as Combs, Parker Road, Russell, Lusher, and Robinwood.

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

Hazelwood is another place occasionally touted as OK, but tell that to the kid who was jumped on the school bus and beaten while the kids chanted racial slurs.

Are you thinking about the Belleville Highschool video that was shown on the news? Hazelwood West did have a recent case of a school bus attack, but no video was shown, and there was no mention of racial slurs being chanted, as was reported in the Belleville attack. The Hazelwood attack is still rephrehensible, just not sure why it was brought up. You seem to have a history of racially motivated posts/anti-north county posts.

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

I am really a poor source of information.

You can say that again.

But anyways this is all moot. I don't think a realtor would suggest Florissant/Hazelwood anyway since the OP's price range is $350-450,000.

I just think it was unfair of you to slam these two towns when there was no need too bring them into the discussion if you did not have anything positive to say.

To the Original Poster I hope you find what you are looking for, earlier suggestions of Parkway and Rockwood are good areas to start with your price range and needs.

[sixtwobaldguy]

This is going off topic a little bit but I'll kick this dead horse one last time to respond to the above poster: The Hazelwood attack on Corey Branam involved racial slurs. One of the local news stations interviewed the victim's family. It would be relevant to me if I were sending my kid there. As far as I know the second belleville attack did not involve any racial slurs (there was another attack on the same bus before it, but that one didn't make the news much). Here's the source for the racial slurs http://www.kmov.com/archive/69143747.html Could you imagine telling a black family not to worry about sending their kid to a school where a black student was recently attacked while racial slurs were flying?

OK Back to the Topic at hand: There are homes that cost that much in Florissant. There are several listed on yahoo's real estate adds for example. I just am not a fan of the area despite the fact that it has some pleasant little nooks. Ultimately, I think the best thing to do is come down to St. Louis, rent a car, and spend a couple days driving around and see for oneself. Drive in possible neighborhoods both during the day and at night, this is epecially good when it's warm outside which usually draws out the rowdy people who are less visible during the winter. Around my neighborhood at night, all I usually see is a Jewish couple walking and a few neighbors driving. In other areas, you have packs of hooligans roaming the streets because the parents just want them out of their hair at any cost. Sure is nice getting up in the morning and knowing my car will not have been broken into or vandalized.

[stlcitygirl]

I would look at Brentwood or Richmond Heights. Some of Richmond Heights is in the Clayton School District. It would be a pretty short commute to UMSL. Actually, you could take the metrolink. There are two metrolink stops on UMSL's campus, one on the North side and one on the South side.

[wustu87]

Actually the parts of Richmond Heights in the Clayton district are typically either substantially above or slightly below your $350-450K price range. The cheaper ones are probably not as large as you would like, and the expensive ones are quite pricey. When we looked 1 1/2 years ago at the bottom of your price range in Clayton schools, we were not impressed and decided to look elsewhere.

You actually get more value looking just a little further west into the Ladue district just west of the Galleria or just west of I-170. And Brentwood does have some options for 4 BR homes in your price range, but the selection will be limited just because it is a fairly small suburb.

[Azalea City Man]

Personally, I would choose Brentwood. Really nice area and it would be a straight shot down 170 to work for you.

[rayroad]

Try Chesterfield check out CBgundaker (coldwellbanker) website look north Ballwin east of the Missouri river. West of the river is St. Charles and St. Peters many subdivisions and traffic and problems that go hand in hand. Inner rings areas like Kirkwood and Webster Groves are great but you really have to search. You will be surprised by what you find in the older areas some of these homes are really nice for the price. West of the Missouri River is all mostly modern and looks like any other major city.

[usernamemommy]

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. I will look into all the areas suggested. Thanks again!!