Young Couple Relocating (St. Louis, Manchester, Memphis: real estate, apartment, condos)

[Bjack90]

Hi there! I'm a 23 year-old recent college grad, and I'm looking to relocate to St. Louis with my boyfriend this summer. He's going to be attending SLU, so we're looking at the area near the school. We've been looking to buy a small apartment in a reasonable neighborhood that's not too far from SLU. This has brought us to look at the Midtown Alley area. Anyone here have any experience living in that area? We're coming from Memphis, so we're not expecting Pleasantville, but we'd like to be able to walk to a bar or restaurant without being mugged. If that's not a good area, where would you recommend? We're trying not to spend more than 120k or so (otherwise I'd probably be looking at the Central West End).
Also, for what it's worth, we're a gay couple, so I'd prefer not to be next door to the St. Louis chapter of Westboro Baptist.
Thanks a lot guys!

[Bjack90]

Also, I hate to reply to my own post, but another semi-important thing occurred to me: Food. We're both kind of foodies, so we'd like to live within walking distance of some pretty decent restaurants and bars. He'll probably want to get a part-time job waiting tables at some point, so proximity would be a plus. We both have cars, so walkability to shopping etc isn't a dealbreaker so much as a bonus.
Also, I'm a consultant, so while I don't need to be near any major business areas, I want to make sure the area is safe enough that I'm comfortable leaving my boyfriend home alone when necessary. Like I said, we're from Memphis, so we're used to some crime in the area, and we're reasonably cautious; but it would be nice to have a place where we could go outside without fearing for our lives.
So, to summarize:
Is Midtown Alley safe, walkable to restaurants, gay-friendly, and a place worth living?
If not, what are some areas that are still near SLU that are, where I can buy a decent place for 120k?

[JuanHamez]

Welcome!

I think the area known as The Grove or equivalently, Forest Park Southeast has an established LGBTQ community. I know for sure that there are plenty of gay bars in that area. The food in that area is awesome and I go there all the time to eat and the central west end is within a few minutes drive too. It is also not super expensive.

To my knowledge, midtown has fewer residential options at the moment just because it hasn't been developed quite as much. It has a more post industrial feel to it and if you move there, you might feel a little isolated until the economy picks up and things start getting developed. However, I took a quick look at the condos available and some of them look really awesome for the price that you pay so you might be able to grab an unusually good deal. There are plenty of food options over there too, including the legendary Pappy's BBQ.

Other reasonably safe and cheap options would be towards the north or east edge of the central west end, dogtown (the area between I64 and Manchester south of Forest Park), or just west of downtown, depending on how you like the feel of those areas. These areas are all in the central corridor where it seems like most of the investment and population growth in St. Louis will be over the next few years.

[zach_33]

Agree with post above and I would add Tower Grove Park to the list-- somewhere within walking distance to Grand so that your partner can catch a quick bus ride right into the heart of campus. It's the second largest park in St. Louis I think, a "victorian walking park," and really quite nice. There are tons of bars and restaurants along Grand between Arsenal and Utah, some quite decent. Also it's where the Pride Parade is held annually, so pretty progressive area, fwiw.

[Bjack90]

Thanks guys! Your advice has sent me in some great directions. Just added another 15 possibilities to my list. My upcoming scouting trip might have to stretch for more than just one weekend! I'm getting really excited to check these places out, particularly Tower Grove East and the area near Forest Park. I hear rumblings about the Skinker area (Skinky D?). Any thoughts on that neighborhood?

[JuanHamez]

Skinker and Debilivere place are also great affordable locations. I know plenty of people who live there and they like it. They're close enough to the CWE that you can easily access the amenities but much cheaper in cost. There are lots of med students and grad students who live in that area. The downside is that it is closer to northside, so occasionally some of the rougher elements will filter down. However, the neighborhood has been extremely safe in recent years. WashU and the community has put a lot of effort into stabilizing these neighborhoods and it seems like they've been successful.

Here are my (at first glance) impressions of the various neighborhoods we discussed:
Central West End: very wealthy, very active and great food, can be pricy but great deals are still available on the edges. I hope that one day the CWE will contribute to the stabilization of the near northside and more of midtown.
Forest Park Southeast: LGBT friendly, great food, lots of investments being made, new brewery (urban chestnut) coming coming soon, quite affordable, I consider this neighborhood to be essentially stabilized now and I recommend it to friends who are looking for good deals on real estate that will likely appreciate in value. I see people walking with their dogs and their kids out on manchester all the time now. I spend lots of money there to support the restaurants and businesses.
Downtown West: Lots of development recently, could easily become a very desirable location in the near future, more urban lifestyle, close to wash ave and other amenities
Skinker-DeBaliviere: The place to be if you are willing to drive a short distance for CWE amenities and want to pay a much cheaper price. I consider this area to be essentially stabilized too with lots of med students and grad students living here. Fewer restaurant options within walking distance than the other neighborhoods. A little too close to north st. louis for some people's tastes.
Dogtown: Lots of affordable homes here with a few nice commercial centers that remind me of those of small towns. The expansion of zoo development into the site formerly occupied by Forest Park Hospital should inject some life into this area. Folks here are a little more conservative compared to forest park southeast.
Midtown: Great deals on housing but you'll be surrounded by warehouses and old industry. A great place ot be an urban pioneer but living here probably isn't for everyone.

[Dawn10am]

Welcome to St. Louis! I'm also a gay man AND I'm from Memphis originally. I think you'll find St. Louis to be infinitely better than Memphis. Bigger, more to do, more urban, and much more gay-friendly. I also feel a lot safer in STL than I do in Memphis for some reason, even though the statistics would say otherwise.

I would honestly say that you should only live in Midtown Alley if you're interested in being an "urban pioneer." It's definitely an up-and-coming area and there's a lot to do there but I'm not sure if I would be 100% comfortable living there. You can decide that for yourself when you go apartment hunting. Like the others have mentioned, I would look in Tower Grove, Skinker-DeBaliviere, the Grove (the burgeoning "Gayborhood"), and Downtown West. You should also look at Soulard and Benton Park, though the commute to SLU would be a bit longer from those places. The U-City Loop would also be a solid option.

Good luck--and congrats on "moving on up" from Memphis