63118 zip code (St. Louis, Benton: apartment, renting, crime rates)

[kmark]

Can anyone tell me about this area? Is it safe? Close to any parks/stores/other attractions? Quiet or busy? I am looking on renting an apartment in this zip code.

[moorlander]

Benton Park is awesome. Some areas are still in transition. Minutes to great restaurants and nightlife in Soulard and Downtown.

[BoomBoxing]

Yeah if being close to bars/cafes/restaurants is important you, then this is an excellent area. Many of St. Louis' nicest bars and restaurants are in this area. Benton park has some bad blocks still but I would say the good majority are healthy, vibrant, and safe. Benton Park itself is a very nice park.

[stlcitygirl]

I know in previous posts you said you are not a city person, this is very much a city neighborhood. I live very close. It has gorgeous architecture, lots to do and a great location. I would consider the area pretty busy in most parts. You can definitely find a few quiet blocks. Some blocks are much safer than others.

[st. louie louie]

I love the area. It has a great urban, historic, city feel but...it can be not only a block by block - good to bad but also a house by house. Look at your neighbors next door, across the street and across the alley. I hope you like it and move there.

[wustu87]

Isn't Gravois Park in 63118 too? (I believe the zip code covers a pretty big area) The OP shouldn't think that all of that zip code is Benton Park (it covers Tower Grove East and some of Soulard too.) If it were me I would look primarily around Arsenal and North from there, especially since they mentioned they were studying at SLU. The closer to Grand and the further north the better. In the city it is better to search via neighborhood as opposed to zip code. Having said that, there are definitely some neat streets to live on in that zip code, but unfortunately the nicer they are the more expensive they get!

[TGS]

Some areas in 63118 are safe and nice, some areas in the zip code are a war zone. It is a pretty big zip code. If you post a street name and block number, it will be pretty easy to give you an idea where on the spectrum your proposed apartment falls.

[aaronstlcards]

Originally Posted by TGS

Some areas in 63118 are safe and nice, some areas in the zip code are a war zone. It is a pretty big zip code. If you post a street name and block number, it will be pretty easy to give you an idea where on the spectrum your proposed apartment falls.

I wouldn't quite say a war zone, but yes, unfortunately some select areas of the Southside aren't perfect.

[ktCakes]

Here's the SLPD's crime mapping site. But, remember that multiple crimes can come from one incident (such as burglary and larceny. or car theft and larceny) and many of the aggravated assault incidents are domestic in nature.
St Louis Police Dept SafeCity2 (http://safecity.slmpd.org/MapMain.htm - broken link)

[TGS]

Originally Posted by aaronstlcards

I wouldn't quite say a war zone, but yes, unfortunately some select areas of the Southside aren't perfect.

I do consider Gravois Park a war zone. There have been multiple murders there in the last few years that were a result of gang activity, the drug trade, and prostitution. Kids have been shot by errant bullets. There was a serial rapist operating that neighborhood (thankfully he was caught). Many of the armed robberies that occur in the good neighborhoods nearby are committed by people who live in Gravois Park.

Gravois Park has one of the highest crime rates in the city. Ask any city police officer. There are a lot of good people in that neighborhood that are working to turn the area around, and since the housing stock is pretty good I have no doubt it will get there eventually. However, I would never suggest that any person move there that isn't fully aware of the situation and up to the challenge.