Portis Avenue & Flad - good area to live? (St. Louis: apartments, for rent)

[nodehunter]

I will be moving to St. Louis this December and I've found a few apartments I like in the vicinity of Portis Avenue & Flad. I see the area is within walking distance of Missouri Botanical Garden and Tower Grove Park, both places I loved when I visited St. Louis before. It seems like a good area that would be close to work (St. Louis University Hospital) and a lot of great things to do, but I just wanted to check in with those of you who know the area well.

First, is the area reasonably safe? I'm used to city living in Pittsburgh, PA where there might be the occasional car break-in but generally no violent crime to worry about as long as one uses common sense. I just thought I'd add that to give you some frame of reference as to what my idea of "safe" is. Also, is this neighborhood fairly quiet? I will be working pretty long hours and I do want to be sure that I can rest easily during my time off. Finally, the area seemed pretty gay-friendly when I visited last (for the Japanese festival); is that an accurate assessment? Are there any other areas nearby I might want to consider (can go up to $800/month for rent but would prefer to stay around $650)?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[Dawn10am]

Sounds like you found a winner for what you're after. That area is called Botanical Heights and yes, it is reasonably safe and quiet for city living. Not a whole lot to walk to though, if that's important to you. Most of St. Louis is very gay friendly, so I don't see why Botanical Heights would be any different. That whole part of South City has a lot of young people, bohemians, and hipsters living there. You could also check out the adjacent neighborhoods of Shaw and Tower Grove South, and Tower Grove East if you want a similar neighborhood feel.

[zach_33]

That's a nice area. There would be a good deal of traffic noise on the major thourougfares nearby (Magnolia, Shaw, Kingshighway) but in that pocket you should be relatively serene. Agree with Dawn's comments. You might also add the Hill neighborhood to your list, just west of there, west of Kingshighway to be exact. Smaller, less ornate homes on average, but more corner restaurants and bars throughout with a super safe, neighborhoody feel.

[NewStLouisan]

Southwest Garden is on of the nicest, safest neighborhoods in St. Louis. If you like the apartment itself (facilities, architecture, rent, etc.), I'd say go for it! I moved to Shaw (from CWE) recently, and I like it a lot.

[NewStLouisan]

Originally Posted by Dawn10am

Sounds like you found a winner for what you're after. That area is called Botanical Heights and yes, it is reasonably safe and quiet for city living.

Isn't Portis and Flad in Southwest Garden, not Botanical Heights? Regardless, OP found a very good neighborhood to live in.

[Dawn10am]

Originally Posted by NewStLouisan

Isn't Portis and Flad in Southwest Garden, not Botanical Heights? Regardless, OP found a very good neighborhood to live in.

Oops! You're right. Seems like that neighborhood should be called Botanical Heights. Since, ya know...it's right by MOBOT.

[billiken]

I like that area a lot. I'd consider it reasonably safe--right around the time I moved away, there were some "knock out" game incidents in the area, but other than that you don't really hear about random violence. The Schnucks on Arsenal a mile or so away is the best one in the city, in my opinion.

[nodehunter]

Thanks for the information, everyone; I genuinely appreciate your help!