If you have children, I d suggest St. Louis County unless you plan to send them to private schools. The housing in the city is great and city living is fun but what you save on houses you will spend on private schools. If you choose the county I would suggest either West or South. West is more expensive than South but you can still find some good buys especially in this economy. Both the West and South County areas have good schools. If you are considering Washington University it is easier to access from West County using Highway 40/64. The city is safe but you do have to be careful of some areas. You dont want to be in north city. North county also has some problems so I d probably steer clear of that area too.
As a real estate agent myself this is really a loaded question St. Louis is a combination of St. Louis City and St. Louis County which is a collection on a great number of municipality s, some of which have their own school systems, police, fire etc, and some do not. The St. Louis City website has a map service which will show all the crime stats and where they occurred. Like any city there are areas to avoid and areas that are very affluent. However St. Louis is kinda strange in that one block can make that difference. The questions I would ask are how old are the kids (grades k- 8, high school, or soon on to college)? What University are you talking about, and what is your budget, for a home. The good news here is St. Louis has some of the most affordable housing for a large city in the country. A nice middle of the road home 3 bed 2 bath could be anywhere from 120,000 - 170,000 on average. Any high than this and you start get get into nicer and nicer homes. Also speaking from personal experience driving in other cities, you can get almost anywhere in about 30 - 40 minutes. Finally I would ask where are you coming from? what is the average price of a home there. I would be happy to help you figure this out on a one on one basis. Feel free to give me a call and we can go from there. BTW my name is Daniel Kahmke with Coldwell Banker Premier Group 314-446-7549, dkahmke@topproducer.com. Thanks and I ll look for your call/e-mail.
I have heard there is a side of town to be on and one not too. Personally, a realator could address your concerns. But having had children I can tell you the school district is everything and even now I would do private if I could do it over.
It depends on what part of the city you move to. Right around the university maybe, but St.Charles area is better than St. Louis city as far as crime. I have lived here for 17 yrs. Some communities around Stlouis are great to live in also.
Nowhere in St. Louis city is good for children in regard to schools or going to parks, riding bikes, etc.The only part of the city I would recommend would be in the area of St. Louis Hills.
The Western part of St. Louis County is safer the the CBD. The CWE was pretty safe for the two years I lived there are it is near the Hospital District.