Need advice for relocating to STL from Canada (St. Louis, Kirkwood: for sale, real estate)

[bcmom]

Hi All..My family (my husband and I and two youngs boys) are relocating to STL this summer from BC and need some advice on where to rent/buy and what the schools are like.

Our primary concerns are the quality of the schools and overall safety. We could afford rent/mortgage payments of max. $2500/mo but have never been to St. Louis before and are not familiar with the neigbourhoods. We will in all likelihood rent initially until we get a feel for the city and surrounding areas.

My husband will be working downtown and does not want to spend more then 30min commuting. He is fine with driving but is willing to take public transportation if it is faster and safe.

We tend to prefer areas that have 'healthy-living' choices (ie. organic food markets, parks, outdoor attractions for kids, bike routes etc.) and we prefer family-oriented communities. We like homes that have a yard for our kids, schools with 'green' space (fields, playgrounds etc. - that may sound strange but there are many in the city of Vancouver that lack this feature - particularly private schools whose primary focus is on academics rather than athletics.)

For schools, I see from the forum that the general consensus is with the Clayton and Ladue school districts. Can anyone tell me anything about the Brentwood or Kirkwood districts? Also, we are Catholic and are not averse to putting the boys in Catholic private school if one could be recommended

Two other considerations we have are the following:
Our boys play hockey and would like to continue so another bonus would be a community/suburb with a good hockey program for young kids.
We are Italian and would like to keep our kids in touch with the language/culture if possible. There are strong Italian communities here in BC and I'm just wondering if there are any in the St. Louis area?

I know its a lot, but I would appreciate any feedback any of you may have!

[Fishtacos]

Originally Posted by bcmom

Hi All..My family (my husband and I and two youngs boys) are relocating to STL this summer from BC and need some advice on where to rent/buy and what the schools are like.

Our primary concerns are the quality of the schools and overall safety. We could afford rent/mortgage payments of max. $2500/mo but have never been to St. Louis before and are not familiar with the neigbourhoods. We will in all likelihood rent initially until we get a feel for the city and surrounding areas.

My husband will be working downtown and does not want to spend more then 30min commuting. He is fine with driving but is willing to take public transportation if it is faster and safe.

We tend to prefer areas that have 'healthy-living' choices (ie. organic food markets, parks, outdoor attractions for kids, bike routes etc.) and we prefer family-oriented communities. We like homes that have a yard for our kids, schools with 'green' space (fields, playgrounds etc. - that may sound strange but there are many in the city of Vancouver that lack this feature - particularly private schools whose primary focus is on academics rather than athletics.)

For schools, I see from the forum that the general consensus is with the Clayton and Ladue school districts. Can anyone tell me anything about the Brentwood or Kirkwood districts? Also, we are Catholic and are not averse to putting the boys in Catholic private school if one could be recommended

Two other considerations we have are the following:
Our boys play hockey and would like to continue so another bonus would be a community/suburb with a good hockey program for young kids.
We are Italian and would like to keep our kids in touch with the language/culture if possible. There are strong Italian communities here in BC and I'm just wondering if there are any in the St. Louis area?

I know its a lot, but I would appreciate any feedback any of you may have!

1) You can bring the Sedin twins, the Blues need the offensive punch. Don't worry about their perceived lack of grit, I can teach them that part.

2) Renting first is always an acceptable choice.

3) You will have several options in your 30 minute commute time. You will have less options if your choices became public transit, as opposed to public transit and auto. However, there are some public transit options as well. You'll have a variety to choose from.

4) Healthy living choices and family oriented communities doesn't narrow it down all that much. You will find some things you like and don't like in terms of "Healthy living choices" in Stl. St. Louis is extremely family oriented. Many/most private schools in St. Louis have strong emphasis on both academics and athletics, likely much more athletically than in your past experiences in the private school setting.

5) St. Louis has a long and strong Catholic history. There are I believe, top of head...approx 128 Catholic parishes in metro Stl. In the heirarchy of the Catholic Church, St. Louis has had a long and steady pipeline to Rome. As for high schools, there is even a Metro Catholic Conference which includes only all boy schools and there are also single sex all female high schools and athletic leagues for girls in St. Louis too. There are also co-ed Catholic high schools in Stl, but most will be single sex schools. There are also other choices in terms of non-Catholic private and public schools to choose from as well.

6) Italian Communities, google "The Hill" in St. Louis.
7) Hockey, the Blues are extremely popular. The St. Louis Bandits Junior won the Robertson Cup for the third straight season this past weekend. The St. Louis Junior Blues have been one of the best Junior hockey teams in North America this past year.

[bcmom]

I think the Sedin boys have been saving their grit for the post-season -lol....You may have local help soon though - I hear Tkachuk's son is quite the little shooter with the 'select' league that he commutes to Chicago to play with My oldest son is only 6, so I'll have to do some research into hockey programs for that age group, but thanfully by the sounds of it there won't be a lack of options.

Just of of curiosity, do the hockey programs run by zip code (like the schools)? Here a kid can pretty much play on whatever team they choose providing there is room (and have either made the try-out or have coach approval.) Same with schools - pending room, parents can apply for cross-boundary schooling without having to pay anything extra for a public school.

Thanks for your comments.

[Fishtacos]

Junior Hockey programs is the same as your current situation. High school programs are kids that attend that particular high school.

Speaking of Chicago, DeSmet and CBC, the two winningest high school teams in St. Louis have won the Chicago Blackhawks Charity Christmas Tourney I believe all of the past 5 years or close to it. I know DeSmet is a long time successful participant in Loyola's Thanksgiving tourney there as well.

St. Louis Jr. Blues Home

The 1996 birth year AAA Junior Blues won the Quebec Pee Wee International Tourney this past year. The team was coached by St. Louis Blue Hall of Famer Al MacInnis. Almost 100% of the age grouped teams all live in the area within 30 miles of one another.

The Bandits web site, coached by former Blue Jeff Brown and owned by a group that includes Kelly Chase, and has included Brett Hull.
St. Louis Bandits - Jr. A hockey Club in the NAHL South Division featuring Pat Maroon, Keith Kinkaid, Tyler Elbrecht, Tom Brooks, Andrew Hamburg (http://stlbandits.com/index.php - broken link)

[STLCardsBlues1989]

The Hill is the Italian area in St. Louis. It's where Yogi Berra is from, and the Film Miracle Match was filmed there. I couldn't tell you about schools, though. But from what I've heard there are many good Catholic schools in St. Louis.

The Blues are big here, especially since their recent playoff run. With so much youth, the Blues should only get better. Baseball is still #1, but the Blues certainly have a good following.

Renting first is always an option, but if you want to browse homes for sale, I find browsing this site pretty easy, but I just search price and bedrooms in the city, I don't usually search by school district or anything. Coldwell Banker Gundaker -- Your site for St. Louis Real Estate (http://cbgundaker.com/buying/ - broken link)

Of course there are great neighborhoods other than the Hill, but the Hill may meet your needs most.