Help on St. Louis neighborhoods (University City, Clayton: condo, house, safe neighborhoods)

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

There are sometimes dirty, nasty people hanging out hoping to get money. There really aren't very many of them compared to many cities, it's just that the ones that are there are especially nasty looking and honestly I'd probably have to bathe 10 times to get the stench off if one of them ever touched me. They tend to be up on higher land than the waterfront, though, most likely to see them when looking for a place to eat. If you're going to a bar in the evening there aren't many out then to begin with and the parking lots put you with only a short walk, so no real chance of encountering them. I've run into more by day.

From my personal experiences, the homeless population in St. Louis is much less substantial and the homeless here are much less aggressive than in most other cities I've spent time in and lived in. While visiting Chinatown in Chicago, a "certified" beggar (he had some license from the city) aggressively followed some of my friends and I until one of us bought a postcard off of him. I also had some very unnerving confrontations in a rough area of Washington, DC, where while at a gas station a homeless man tried to pump my gas and give me a hug. While living in Austin I watched career beggars stand on the same street corner for years at time, and they are probably still there.

I've gone weeks at a time without even seeing a homeless person while living in the city of St. Louis, and have yet to encounter an agressive panhandler. Though I did give one guy a slice of pizza as I was carrying my leftovers out of Pi, but only because he asked for some food money and I happened to have half a pizza with me.

To the OP, Washington Ave. (downtown) is pretty cool, but I'd personally choose the Central West End over downtown unless you happen to be working downtown.

[aaronstlcards]

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

I live far west of downtown (T&C) and will remain here until I move outside of the area entirely. If you want exciting city living, I would recommend Buenos Aires or Lima. I enjoyed city living in those places very much, but would not here. In the US, cities are pretty bland. Furthermore, in parts of the US, cities can have a concentration of undesirables that tend to be obnoxious, criminal, and racially intolerant. St. Louis is a city that has such a problem. The other day in Phily over 20 Asian students were selected and attacked by members of a different race (I'll let you guess which one), as just one example. The same problems exist in St. Louis as Phily. The burbs are where the good life is here imo.

[MeetMeinSTL]

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

Unless you work in downtown st. louis, I don't think there is any compelling reason to go there. If you're very young, some of the bars might be appealing. The waterfront/arch is worth a look followed by a walk and a bite to eat, but not worth living near. Once you've seen it, you've seen it.

There are sometimes dirty, nasty people hanging out hoping to get money. There really aren't very many of them compared to many cities, it's just that the ones that are there are especially nasty looking and honestly I'd probably have to bathe 10 times to get the stench off if one of them ever touched me. They tend to be up on higher land than the waterfront, though, most likely to see them when looking for a place to eat. If you're going to a bar in the evening there aren't many out then to begin with and the parking lots put you with only a short walk, so no real chance of encountering them. I've run into more by day.

In general, St. Louis Area has a lot of really nasty looking people with vile attitudes to match. They tend to congregate in certain areas, and fortunately, if you avoid those areas you don't have to see or interact with them hardly ever. Avoiding these people will reduce your risk of crime to almost zero and generally just make living here more pleasant. They are easy to identify, as are the areas they inhabit. Within a year of moving here, you'll know what the deal is... I just recommend renting wherever you feel comfortable until you get to know the area. Downtown has little to offer though unless you work down there. This is isn't a big city or anything where something exciting will always be going on. My answer to your question of where to live downtown, would be no where. I would go to a different city if downtown living is important to you. The only place I would recommend living around St. Louis is whereever the aforementioned people cannot be found.

The burbs are always a great place to live in any city, unless you want a more city downtown atmosphere. There are nasty people in every city, and St. Louis has a lot of them, but unlike a lot of cities, in St. Louis the nasty people are mostly avoidable. In New York or California the homeless people will bother you and invade your personal space in the good areas of the city. Also although the nasty people obviously aren't groomed we should probably be kinder about how we refer to them. Most are homeless and some down on their luck. I find St. Louis city to be dirty, but again, most cities are dirty unfortunately.

[billiken]

It's pretty obvious the OP is interested in city living, so enough with the bashing.

I would say the Central West End is exactly what you're looking for. Lots of shops, restaurants, bars, and very walkable with lots of rentals. Being so close to Forest Park is also nice. Also, your budget will not be a constraint anywhere in St Louis. The cost of living is a huge plus.

[BoomBoxing]

Originally Posted by billiken

It's pretty obvious the OP is interested in city living, so enough with the bashing.

I would say the Central West End is exactly what you're looking for. Lots of shops, restaurants, bars, and very walkable with lots of rentals. Being so close to Forest Park is also nice. Also, your budget will not be a constraint anywhere in St Louis. The cost of living is a huge plus.

Seriously. I hope I never have to go to any of you for advice about anything. The OP says "Hey guys I am in my 20's and want a walkable hip neighborhood!" and the consensus says "move to the suburbs!" Try and take the OP's point of view into account when responding.

There are a number of walkable city neighborhoods you should checkout, and the inner ring suburbs of U.City, parts of Clayton, Richmond Heights, and Maplewood are pretty urban and walkable too. In the city with a 2k budget you should definitely be focusing on the Central West End. I think you'd be happy with a loft on Washington in downtown as well. The third good city option would be Tower Grove South or East, near Grand blvd. There are a ton of unique international restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs, and fun stuff on South Grand. It's amazing that virtually nobody outside the city is even aware of it but it's worth checking out.

[newmba]

jlh4480, I was recently in a similar situation and heard recommendations for the Central West End. I landed here and like it quite a bit - I can walk to get to just about anything I'd like to do after work and you can't beat Forest Park. The 'Central West End' is sometimes ambiguously defined, however. The specific section you will probably find most desirable is near Euclid Ave south of McPherson. $2,000/month will get you pretty far there.

[STLMetro]

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

Unless you work in downtown st. louis, I don't think there is any compelling reason to go there. If you're very young, some of the bars might be appealing. The waterfront/arch is worth a look followed by a walk and a bite to eat, but not worth living near. Once you've seen it, you've seen it.

There are sometimes dirty, nasty people hanging out hoping to get money. There really aren't very many of them compared to many cities, it's just that the ones that are there are especially nasty looking and honestly I'd probably have to bathe 10 times to get the stench off if one of them ever touched me. They tend to be up on higher land than the waterfront, though, most likely to see them when looking for a place to eat. If you're going to a bar in the evening there aren't many out then to begin with and the parking lots put you with only a short walk, so no real chance of encountering them. I've run into more by day.

In general, St. Louis Area has a lot of really nasty looking people with vile attitudes to match. They tend to congregate in certain areas, and fortunately, if you avoid those areas you don't have to see or interact with them hardly ever. Avoiding these people will reduce your risk of crime to almost zero and generally just make living here more pleasant. They are easy to identify, as are the areas they inhabit. Within a year of moving here, you'll know what the deal is... I just recommend renting wherever you feel comfortable until you get to know the area. Downtown has little to offer though unless you work down there. This is isn't a big city or anything where something exciting will always be going on. My answer to your question of where to live downtown, would be no where. I would go to a different city if downtown living is important to you. The only place I would recommend living around St. Louis is whereever the aforementioned people cannot be found.

Thank goodness there aren't any poor in Buenos Aires or Lima! Haha, you rant about these people and then beam about two of the poorest areas in the world, with a much higher percentage of poor looking to beg for your money....

Four million live in poverty in metropolitan Buenos Aires — MercoPress


If you want to know who has the bad attitude, it's the people out in West County who peak over their walls to make sure no one who looks suspicious comes near. You have no idea what goes on in the city other than what you hear on the news, so don't pretend to and don't comment on things you don't understand, it just makes you look ignorant.

[CarrieNeno]

Wow. Just wow.

Note that I live in West Co and would move down to the city in a heartbeat, my 2 little boys in tow, if I wouldn't have to pay a fortune in private school in order to do so. So many egocentric generalizations in this thread it's terrifying.

[jules1966]

If you really want a good safe neighborhood try the hill or dogtown or even clifton heights. Those are the last of the good neighborhoods in st louis.

Ive lived in the city my whole life and downtown is not a safe place to live. Keep fooling yourselves. LOL Werent cars just recently being broke into on the landing? And how many have been mugged down there? People look at your statistics!

[BoomBoxing]

Originally Posted by jules1966

If you really want a good safe neighborhood try the hill or dogtown or even clifton heights. Those are the last of the good neighborhoods in st louis.

Ive lived in the city my whole life and downtown is not a safe place to live. Keep fooling yourselves. LOL Werent cars just recently being broke into on the landing? And how many have been mugged down there? People look at your statistics!

Ok what about Holly Hills, Boulevard Heights, St. Louis Hills, Southampton, Northampton, Lindenwood Park, Southwest Garden, Shaw, Ellendale, Lafayette Square, most of Soulard, Carondelet and Bevo? Those neighborhoods aren't safe? Statistically they are just as safe as the three good neighborhoods you listed...look it up.

Also, the landing - an isolated nightlife location on the riverfront with no residents - is hardly an indication of crime downtown. I have friends that live on Washington Ave with no problems other than the noise at night...but it's downtown and they deal with it.

What neighborhood do you live in if you don't mind me asking?