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Moving to St. Louis...
Hey Ladies, My DH is getting transferred from Minneapolis to St. Louis. We will be heading down in Feb to look for places. I am hoping you will be able to offer some advice on living areas. We are city people and like to be able to walk to places...restaurants, shops bars etc. Some neighborhoods we are looking into Central West End, Soulard and Clayton (but it is very pricey) We want to buy hopefully a house. Any ideas? On realtors, places to live etc?
I am also a teacher, which leads us to not buy right away but I need a job before we can get a mortage. Does anyone have any tips on school districts? I have taught kindergarten and am in my second year of first grade. I am also very interesed in the program First Steps the birth to three program MO has. But I am having a hard time finding agencies that provide those services.
Any advice on anything about St. Louis would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
Re: Moving to St. Louis...
Welcome to Saint Louis!!!! A few things, that pop into my head while reading your post...
First off, Saint Louis, as you'll begin to notice, is very spread out. Where is your DH being transferred to, you might want to choose that "part" of Saint Louis to live in. Traffic is horrible...I know, personally I cannot work too far from home because I have a hard time sitting in traffic.
As far as finding a teaching job......Saint Louis has a few different "types" of schools..
1. Public Schools - Our city is mixed with so many school districts it's somewhat overwhelming. My first step for you would be looking into MOREAP.net This is a central location where "most" districts post their openings.
2. Private Schools - this is a huge catholic area with a catholic grade school on every other corner..or at least it seems like that at times. I'd look on the Arch Diocese of St. Louis's website
http://www.archstl.org/education/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=209
3. Charter schools - Our city has many charter schools that have been popping up all over the place. These are all located in the city, and are an alternative to the public school in the city. You'll see some of the job openings on moreap, but i've seen them advertise in other locations.
As far as what school districts to work for, people on this board can be very passionate about the districts they went to school or where they live. If you have a particular question about a school district you're interested in, just post it and we'll do our best to give you the good and bad
I would start monitoring Moreap for job openings, as many districts are starting to post their openings NOW for next year.
I hope this helps!!!
The places you mentioned are exactly where you'd want to be if you want to walk around. Another place you can look into is Kirkwood. Also, there are a bunch of lofts going in downtown along Washington Avenue, so you can consider that too.
We are actaully selling our house right now and I'd be happy to send you the link, but we're in the subarbs, so I don't know that it is in a location you would prefer.
Best school districts: Clayton, Ladue, Parkway, Rockwood, Lindbergh. There are definitely more districts that are good, but I guess those would be "the best". I'm not sure what First Steps is, sorry.
Welcome to St Louis! Laura
I agree with PPs. If you're looking at public schools, I've heard wonderful things about Rockwood, but that area is definitely not city living. Parkway schools seem to have a good reputation as well. There are a LOT of private schools and I have friends who work for a few who say they wouldn't go anywhere else.?
One area to consider, while definitely not city living, is Chesterfield. They are completely expanding part of the town near the Chesterfield Mall to have a nice park/lake area with trails and I believe the intent is to have shopping and restaurants in that area, too. However, I don't know to what extent and how long it will take for them to complete this. Chesterfield is much more suburban living for sure.?
I think Webster Groves or Kirkwood are nice areas. It gives you the city feel, but you're not "in" the city. Nice options as far as architecture, though they are much older homes. I also love University City as far as walking and being close to things. However, the school district there is not great, and there are some rough spots so you need to be careful about what parts you'd look to buy. It is right next to Clayton and some parts of UCity are walking distance to Clayton as well. I would say though taxes tend to be a lot higher in UCity than other areas, and you don't get a whole lot for them (from what I'm told). ?
I lived in 4 different states and I absolutely love St. Louis. I hope you love it as much as I do! ?
I forgot to mention that while there are lofts downtown, the downtown area is pretty much dead after 5pm unless there is a Rams, Blues or Cards game. Wash Ave has great restaurants and bars; however, if you're looking for a city night life, it's really only on the weekends.?
Central West End is a neat area as well given its proximity to restaurants, bars, boutiques and Forest Park (one of my favorite things about St. Louis). However, again, you really need to be careful about where you'd consider living. There are some nice sections, but one block away can be quite dangerous. I lived in that area for 7 of the 11 years I was in STL. I saw it getting progressively less safe in the same neighborhood as the years went on. Not saying all are dangerous, but a lot of car break ins if you don't have a garage. ?
I moved here from Minneapolis too! Where in Mpls do you live? I was living near Nokomis and DH was in St. Paul/Grand Ave. area. (we weren't married yet) We live in University City now and love the "city feel," but agree that the schools aren't great so if you have kids that is something to consider. Previous posts have given great advice about where to look for homes and school districts.
Good luck in your house hunting and welcome!
As for City neighborhoods to live in, the ones you mentioned are great. Clayton is suburban, but you've got the ability to walk places, etc. You might want to consider DeMun--it's the neighborhood on the edge of the City limits that borders Clayton. You've got some neat shops/restaurants right there, Forest Park is right there, but it's not quite as expensive as Clayton. Webster Groves and Kirkwood are two very walkable suburbs with lots of restaurants and shops. University City is awesome, too--very ecclectic, lots of ethnic restaurants. Parts of University City are also within walking distance to downtown Clayton--a good way to get close to Clayton without the Clayton prices. Two other City neighborhoods to consider: Lafayette Square and Benton Park. Lafayette Square is the more established and expensive of the areas. It's northwest of Soulard--just a little closer to downtown. There are restaurants, bars, shops, etc. It's my favorite City neighborhood. Benton Park has quite a few restaurants and bars, a few shops springing up, but it's still a little more on the "transitional" side. Soulard is great, but just know that there are a TON of bars in the area, and there are lots of young people, so if you're looking for quiet, it's probably not your best option!
I assume you're looking for school districts to teach in and not to live in. The districts mentioned by PP are all good. Kirkwood and Webster Groves are also top districts, as is Lindbergh (can't remember if anyone mentioned that before).
Thank you thank you for all of the information! We are going down in two weeks so we will have a short term lease and then hoping to buy. RIght now we are really leaning on not living in the suburbs but University City, Clayton and Kirkwood so seem really nice, we will check into that!
What areas are definite no no's? Is there a part of Central WEst end that is bad? And University CIty is it the north or east/west or south that have sketchy areas? Same with the Soulard/Lafayette Square area?
As far as jobs, I have been looking at MOREAP for all of one day
I will keep looking. I noticed on some district websites you guys had a snowday. I am super jealous. We never have them in my district!!
First steps is an early intervention program for kids birth to 2 with developmental delays. In Iowa and MInnesota it's in the school systems but I've noticed in Illinois and Missouri it is through agencies. I'd love to get back into doing that but am just looking for leads.
Right now we are living in St. Louis Park right by Uptown. It's not as much as close to the city as I would like. In Des MOines I lived off of Grand by Ingersoll and loved wlaking everywhere.
Thanks again...I need all the help I can get!
When looking in U City stick to the southern areas. I would say a good place to start is south of Olive (a major east/west road) and west of Skinker. Good Luck!
Agree with PP on UCity area. Stay south of Olive. Don't go east of Skinker. Good rule of thumb.
As for CWE - hmmm...the closer you get to Delmar, the worse it will get (again stay south). There are some gated areas, which are nice as well. Look for something with a garage. Car break-ins, even in a nice area, are a regular occurrence.
In Kirkwood, stay away from Meacham Park. There are some "new" houses in that area. They are trying to clean it up, but it is still not a safe area.
I live in the suburbs, so I know nothing about the areas you want to live, but I AM a teacher, so I know about the job process.
All of the public schools require you to post your info on MOREAP. Also, most of the hard copies of paperwork districts want include the same info as MOREAP. It's not hard to fill out, just time consuming.
The Catholic schools that are part of the archdiocese school system do not pay as much as public schools. However, some of the independent schools do pay pretty well.
Good Luck with the move :-)