1 reply to this topic

[henderson]

There is a possibility that I could be relocating to St. Louis.  I just applied for a job at the Washington University Medical School Library. I haven't heard anything yet.   The main things I want to know is what is the city like culturaly, How high is the crime rate, what is the climate like and where is the best area to live in.  I plan on renting an apartment.

[Gary_Kreie]

henderson, on Oct 16 2007, 09:35 PM, said:

There is a possibility that I could be relocating to St. Louis.  I just applied for a job at the Washington University Medical School Library. I haven't heard anything yet.   The main things I want to know is what is the city like culturaly, How high is the crime rate, what is the climate like and where is the best area to live in.  I plan on renting an apartment.

If I were moving to St. Louis now, I would look at the loft boom going on in the old Garment District on Washington street downtown. That is the hip place for young people and empty-nesters for purchase and renting.  Besides old building conversions, there are a lot of newer highrise condo's available or on the drawing boards including some at Ballpark Village next to the Baseball Stadium.  There is easy Metro-Link light rail access to the Washington Universiy Medical Center, and the University.  Another option is the Central West End or the U. City Loop.  Both are close to Wash U. and the Medical Center.

St. Louis has a rich cultural history going back to the boom time at the turn of the 20th century when it was the 4th largest city in the nation.  Now it prides itself on stability -- not a boom and bust city -- and has settled into a confident Savannah-like comfort level with a lot of rich people who do not advertise themselves in highly visible Dallas Mega-Mansions on the freeway.  They are more likely to have mansions hidden in the trees of Ladue.  The infra-structure has been in place for a long time so it can easily keep up with the growth.  Few traffic problems - no diamond lanes needed here.  The city has a height limit on skyscrapers -- none taller than the Arch.  Sports venues are all downtown, Fine Arts in the Grand Center Arts district just West of Downtown, Forest Park and the Central West End have a NY feel of a large city park and outdoor street dining.  And Clayton is the second skyscraper/business town just West of Forest Park.  The Muny outdoor Summer Musical amphitheater is the largest and oldest in the country for this purpose, and draws 10,000 every night in the summer for musical theater classics.  The fine Arts museum is in Forest Park and was part of the 1904 World's Fair.  Science Center and Zoo in the park are ranked among the best in the country, as are the Orchestra (Grand Center) and Botanical Garden - just south of Forest Park.

St. Louis City got some bad PR for crime, but the Morgan Quitno "cities" report has been largely discredited by the FBI for its "cities" methodology.  St. Louis City is only 12% of the metro population, and happens to contain all the metro area core crime pockets, and none of the lower crime suburbs.  So the crime rate is distored compared to other cities, such as Houston, whose core crime is diluted by inclusion of suburbs.  In Morgan Quitno metro-area rankings, St. Louis is ranked much better -- #129, vs. #22 for Houston, I believe -- more what you would expect for a stable Midwestern city.

The climate is 4 seasons with a fairly high level of humidity in the summer.  Lots of swimming pools here.  Little severe weather or high winds compared to the plains.  It ranks closer to a Southern city, since the altitude is only 400' above sea level compared to KC or Denver.  St. Louis is adjacent to the Ozarks with lots of forests, hills, and excellent floating streams and rivers -- a popular summer pastime.

Here is a link to Explore St. Louis Visitor Info:

Explore St. Louis

Edited by Gary_Kreie, 22 October 2007 - 10:13 PM.