3rd world Saint Louis! (St. Louis, Mexico: felons, law school, place to live)

[ScoPro]

There were no freeways in St.Louis when I lived there.

Some of my cousins lived in the dark red brick shotgun row houses with tiny grass plots in front & back. - almost like sardines.

A couple lived in bungalows, and one in a small ranch style house.

But everybody had a basement as I recall.

Down here in Texas, basements are extremely scarce. There are none in my "suburb" town of 100,000 people outside Austin. But then again, 98% of the homes here have been built since 1970.

Maybe it's time to go back & see St.Louis - haven't been through there since 1960.

[Old Trafford]

Originally Posted by kagicre

O.k. I read now half of the responses and here you see, how people have opinions about something they haven't really experienced. I have lived in 4 countries (lived, not visited), in London, GB, in Rhos, Wales (also GB ofcourse), in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in different cities in Germany, longest in Cologne. Non of the cities I have lived in has anything even remote like St. Louis, or other big cities in the US. They have some bad parts, of course, but nothing even compare to what I have seen when I drove through North St. Louis. It was absolutely shocking. America is one of the wealthiest "1st world" countries, we huge pockets of "3rd world". And if you think that is normal, than it is, because you are American and think it is the same in every big city. Well, it isn't!!!

Lived in the UK for several years myself... you obviously never went to Hackney or Brixton in London, rough, run down and very dangerous. And if you ever made it up to Liverpool you would have seen large scale abandonment.

So you either never went, or you only see what you want to see.

You also have to keep in mind that our free market driven real esatate and construction industry was happy to see people flee historic areas from the 40's to today because they made a ton of money on it. There was no incentive to go and renovate old buildings, and cultural market pressures along taxpayer subsudized sprawl doomed historic older cities like St. Louis.

We have a lot of work to do on the north side, but there are also large tracts of the north side that are intact.

So StlToday shuts down its anonymous posting about the same time you show up, coincidence?

[flynavyj]

Another major difference between the US and Europe is space...we simply have a ton of it compared to many European nations...we're also extremely young when compared to European Countries as well. Basically, we can expand outward and build new, as opposed to revive old...which has as much to do with urban expansion as government subsidies and personal trends/tastes/desires.

[Old Trafford]

Originally Posted by flynavyj

Another major difference between the US and Europe is space...we simply have a ton of it compared to many European nations...we're also extremely young when compared to European Countries as well. Basically, we can expand outward and build new, as opposed to revive old...which has as much to do with urban expansion as government subsidies and personal trends/tastes/desires.

yes, loads of cheap land was part of the fuel for this.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

There were no freeways in St.Louis when I lived there.

Some of my cousins lived in the dark red brick shotgun row houses with tiny grass plots in front & back. - almost like sardines.

A couple lived in bungalows, and one in a small ranch style house.

But everybody had a basement as I recall.

Down here in Texas, basements are extremely scarce. There are none in my "suburb" town of 100,000 people outside Austin. But then again, 98% of the homes here have been built since 1970.

Maybe it's time to go back & see St.Louis - haven't been through there since 1960.

Sounds like most of your family must have lived on the South Side?
A lot of those homes are still there.....my dad grew up in very cramped quarters in South City. when he married my mom in 60, they decamped for St Charles, and that even got to be too much for them.
We moved to Sainte Genevieve in 70, so glad we did, its where my mothers family comes from, getting to grow up in the same place that my family has been since 1699 gave me a sense of roots and history that being in STL could never do.
Dont get me wrong, I love the Lou, but Ste Gen is just so much more special.

[flynavyj]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

...Dont get me wrong, I love the Lou, but Ste Gen is just so much more special.

I'm sure it is pretty special, especially considering a family tie to the 17th century...you're folks have been here for a very very very long time...I'm sure most American's can't trace their families back nearly that far, and simply having a place to call home for the last century is something remarkable.

For myself, I'm grew up and currently live within 10 miles of where my great great grandmother owned property during the mid-late 1800...I found that to be pretty interesting, unfortunately all that land has been purchased by corporations and is now full of parking lots and business parks...but it's still interesting to know that on one side of the family, I was from here for more than one reason.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

Sounds like most of your family must have lived on the South Side?
A lot of those homes are still there.....my dad grew up in very cramped quarters in South City. when he married my mom in 60, they decamped for St Charles, and that even got to be too much for them.
We moved to Sainte Genevieve in 70, so glad we did, its where my mothers family comes from, getting to grow up in the same place that my family has been since 1699 gave me a sense of roots and history that being in STL could never do.
Dont get me wrong, I love the Lou, but Ste Gen is just so much more special.

The cousins were scattered all over town, and we lived in Jefferson Barracks.

My mom's family was originally from the Sainte G area (LaRose). She was born in Flat River and my grandparents are buried in Farmington.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

The cousins were scattered all over town, and we lived in Jefferson Barracks.

My mom's family was originally from the Sainte G area (LaRose). She was born in Flat River and my grandparents are buried in Farmington.

My original ancestor in Ste Gen, who was also the first settler there, was a DeGuire dit LaRose.
I think we have had this conversation before, havent we?

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by flynavyj

I'm sure it is pretty special, especially considering a family tie to the 17th century...you're folks have been here for a very very very long time...I'm sure most American's can't trace their families back nearly that far, and simply having a place to call home for the last century is something remarkable.

For myself, I'm grew up and currently live within 10 miles of where my great great grandmother owned property during the mid-late 1800...I found that to be pretty interesting, unfortunately all that land has been purchased by corporations and is now full of parking lots and business parks...but it's still interesting to know that on one side of the family, I was from here for more than one reason.

I find it remarkable to be able to trace my family back that far, and even farther.
There are quite a dew folks in Ste Gen that can do the same.
Sad to read about your families land, and what has happened to it.
My own family owned most of Kaskaskia Island during the late 19th century, I would give my eyeteeth to have just a few acres of that farmland now.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

My original ancestor in Ste Gen, who was also the first settler there, was a DeGuire dit LaRose.
I think we have had this conversation before, havent we?

Could be. My short term memory is a bit shot though.