Nice St. Louis area (Ballwin, Manchester: houses, neighborhoods, luxury)

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Central West End is the area just east of Forest Park. Barnes-Jewish Hospital is in the area also. It may have a lot of variety, but it may be filled with too many young people for you. It's not as quiet. But it has a large selection. University City is a suburb, but I think is pretty similar to Central West End. The Central West End MetroLink station is right next to Barnes-Jewish. You could live a few blocks from there. Apartment buildings range from new construction to buildings from the early 20th century. Some beautiful apartment buildings there. If you want more modern residences, 4545 Lindell might be for you. It's surrounded by historic apartment buildings also. Hawthorne Apartments (4475 W Pine Blvd) is one of my favorites architecturally, but I don't know anything beyond that.

There are some nice apartments downtown. There may be some for $800 or less, especially in a down market. There are projects still ongoing. Downtown should not be as dangerous as past years (it's down over 20% from 2 years ago), but it may still be too dangerous for you.

Lafayette Park is beautiful and more of a slower-paced area, I think. But it's more pricey. Soulard also has some flavor, but can get wild during Mardi Gras.

Some other neighborhoods (may not have MetroLink, but may have buses):
The Hill - known for Italian cuisine. Charming, though hard to get into apparently. Seems to be mostly single-family houses. Not as many apartment buildings.
Dogtown - Known as an Irish neighborhood. Has the St. Patrick's Day Parade (also one Downtown). I'm not sure Dogtown is designated as an official neighborhood.
St. Louis Hills/Holly Hills - Southwest St. Louis, No MetroLink as far as I know. But a family feel and perhaps slower paced. Should be safer. On their website it says:

St. Louis Hills still holds distinction as the last, large subdivision created in the city.

St. Louis Hills Location (http://stlouis.missouri.org/stlouishills/location.htm - broken link) But there are beautiful homes there. Again, maybe not as many apartments.
Holly Hills has some pretty houses that are often brick with gray stone around the corners of the facade and sometimes around the door, as well as pointy roofs. You find these kinds of houses more here than anywhere else.
Tower Grove East and South are options as well. Seem to be more oriented toward young people as well. Maybe higher crime than areas such as Lafayette Square, but still worth looking to.

Here's a neighborhood list. It may be overwhelming, but good for browsing. Different neighborhoods offer different amenities and housing and public transportation options.
St. Louis Neighborhoods: A to Z Listing (http://stlouis.missouri.org/neighborhoods/alphaindex.html - broken link)

MetroLink Map as well. http://www.urbanrail.net/am/slou/saint-louis-map.gif (broken link)
By the way, the "convention" stop there near Downtown is where the Edward Jones Dome (NFL - Rams) is.
Metro (http://www.metrostlouis.org/default.asp - broken link) Website of MetroLink (light rail) and MetroBus. Has maps as well as schedules. MetroLink costs $2 each way to ride.
MetroLink is facing some budget problems, but hopefully the taxpayers will do what they need to do to see it expanded and stabilized.

There are many more neighborhoods I don't know much about. Certainly other members can help also. Good luck!

Richmond Heights may be quiet enough for you. It's just south of Clayton. And it does have MetroLink service. Shrewsbury is nice as well.

[aragx6]

Also, if you lived in Shrewsbury you can take the #11 bus down Watson to visit your friend in Crestwood.

[Hazel W]

Again, thanks. I am saving all of these for investigation. Hazel

[STLCardsBlues1989]

I'd say Shrewsbury sounds about right. Good suggestion aragx!

Maplewood and Richmond Heights (MetroLink stop is called Brentwood) have MetroLink as well. I don't really know any differences between them. Both are north of Shrewsbury.

[Hazel W]

We're narrowing them down. Thanks.

[aragx6]

I agree that both Maplewood and Richmond Heights would also work just fine for the OP. There's three things I liked about Shrewsbury for the OP
1. It's very safe. All three are pretty safe, but Shrewsbury is really in a league of its own with crime rates.
2. The bus down Watson to Crestwood seems to make a lot of sense because she'll want to see her friend
3. That apartment looks like a really good fit!

[Azalea City Man]

I would suggest 3 stops to live by, for your wants.

Central West End (part near Banres-Jewish): I live there, and it is quiet, except on weekend nights (and it's just bar-goers then). By quiet though, I mean "not rowdy". There are always alot of people walking around though. There is a Straubs grocery, a library, a chain bookstore, and indapendent book store, and then there are numerous bars/eateries on Euclid. The Metrolink is right by the hospital. The only drawback is that you will have to rent in a vintage building (which I like, but some might not). It's a decent area though, albiet pretty "city".

The New Apartments/Condos at Hanley & I-64: These are located right next to the Brentwood/64 Metrolink stop. You can walk to a McDonalds, Lion's Choice, Walmart, Lowes, Target, Best Buy, Chain Grocery Store, Office Max, Trader Joes, Pet Smart, etc. A bit more suburban, but still very close to the city.

Apartments near the Shewsbury Metro stop: Even more suburban, but a quiet, decent area that will give you no problems. I am not too familiar with this area specifically, but have driven through / taken the metro through.


Hope this helps!

[Hazel W]

Thanks. Your description of the shopping at Hanley and I-64 sounds like a replica of where I was yesterday. Cookie-cutter shopping strips across the country!

I am saving all of these for my friend in Crestwood. Right now, she is in Scotland. Well, actually, she is due home today now that I think about it. We shall see what we shall see.

[TGS]

I think that the Hill neighborhood would probably be the best, since it is very quiet, has many small grocery stores right in the neighborhood, and a Wallgreens and library near the corner of Kingshighway and Southwest Boulevard. It is serviced by multiple bus lines and is also close to Forest Park and the Central West End. However, there are very few decent rentals on the Hill.

For the best apartment selection, look at St. Louis Hills. The Hill and St. Louis Hills are different neighborhoods, with the Hill having more of mix of blue and white collar families, most of whom have been there forever (and really, really care about the neighborhood), and St. Louis Hills being a more upscale area with mostly white collar families. St Louis Hills also has a lot more apartment buildings.

I don't know how much you want to spend on an apartment, but here are a few nice ones that I found at all price points:
Huge Duplex, Fireplace, Dishwasher, Dining Room, Central Air, Hdwd Flr (http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/835007402.html - broken link)
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/836200469.html (broken link)
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/836826068.html (broken link)
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/831113160.html (broken link)
St Louis Hills charmer call Mark 314 276 3066 (http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/833193248.html - broken link)
One-bedroom Apartment Near St. Louis Hills (http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/831225552.html - broken link)
Spectacular Apartment Across From Francis Park! (http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/824044612.html - broken link)
We believe Air Conditioning should be *FREE*! (http://stlouis.craigslist.org/apa/817013119.html - broken link)

There are a ton of other apartments in this area on craigslist. There is a Target, Walgreens, and a large grocery store (Shnucks) at the intersection of Hampton and Chippewa. There is also a small local grocery (Tomboy) at the corner of Donovan and Chippewa. Within a mile or two there are discount grocery stores like Aldi and Shop n' Save. There are two great parks in the area (Francis and Wilmore). Bus service is pretty good on Hampton, Chippewa, Gravois, and Jamison streets. There aren't any bookstores that I know of, but there is an excellent library branch on Hampton just south of Chippewa.

Some neighborhoods that also would work are Lindenwood Park, Southampton, and Northampton. Look for the places closest to the intersection of Hampton and Chippewa.

I think that Shrewsbury is very nice, but I don't think it is going to give your the same access to walkable amenities that you will find in St. Louis Hills. Also, the #11 Bus line referenced in a previous post runs on Chippewa, so you can catch it at the intersection of Chippewa and Hampton or Jamison and take it all the way to Crestwood. Here is a map to the bus system:
http://www.metrostlouis.org/MetroBus/Maps/SystemMaps/MOSystemMap082508.pdf (broken link)

Good luck!

[Hazel W]

Thanks much.