I think Forest Park, the Zoo, and all of the museums are extremely underrated. We have so many amazing attractions, especially the museums and the Zoo that are phenomenal and FREE! I lived in Chicago for years and everything you wanted to do cost so much. No one was just going to go to the Art Museum for a few hours on a Friday night because it’s just so expensive. Forest Park and all its amenities are very good and free.
Agree completely! I think the amenities, attractions, and arts scene of St. Louis really mimic what you'd find in a way bigger city than STL and the fact that they're free makes it all the better
As someone who lived out in McHenry county for 11 years before moving to St Louis, I couldn't agree more! I can count on one hand the number of times we went downtown Chicago while we were there. Not only was everything SO expensive, it was easily 1.5-2 hours just to get down there. I can be at the Arch or just about anywhere else in under 40 minutes from where I'm at in St Charles county.
As a Houstonian that moved to St. Louis your comment resonates with me hard! I miss some of the diversity of Houston, but there really wasn’t that much to do besides eat, drink and shop. Anything else besides that took a lot of money. I love that STL invests so much into the zoo, museums, and trails ❤
Nice areas but my small family from Oregon felt there was too much plight here. We moved to Riverview Gardens area in the sublime southern reaches of North County and could not be happier. This is the first time in decades we have gone to bed at night without feeling the need to lock our front door!
@@BigRichardHead Riverview Gardens one of the best places in the area to be. Great neighborhood and not too bad a commute to Forest Park, downtown and Illinois. I actuality looove Fairview Heights, IL. Awesome neighborhoods there.
St. Louis native here! I always like to give our traffic a big shout-out. Because we're not as densely populated as other urban areas, taffic here is more manageable. I lived in Chicago and Southern Californa and the commutes in those areas are a nightmare. Around St. Louis the heaviest traffic is either early morning or early evening of commuters.
Agree completely. I did my undergrad in Boston - traffic was BAD. You could be going 2 miles and it would take you just as much time to walk there as drive.
If we had a higher population density it would actually help reduce car traffic. So long as it is done with mixed-use walkable developments. If we continue building low-density places that require a car to perform almost any task, of course there’s going to be induced demand for more automobile travel. We should invest in rail transit if we want StL to thrive!
@@austinobst8989 Not a fan of any of those areas. I like to be close to ballpark village. The commute and traffic out there is insane. And with the cost of fuel...nope. Riverview Gardens is great, as someone mentioned and my suggestion is Fairview Heights, IL.
My wife and I lived in St. Peters/Cottleville for four years. They were wonderful places to live: Lots to do, nice people, great food. My twin daughters were born while we lived there, and two years later we decided to move back to our native Indiana. But I would recommend to anyone looking to move into that area, do it! You'll likely not regret it.
@@WBell Yes, my mom had the creek in her backyard, she died of cancer, in Florissant/Flar-sint. "2015 Health Maps - Coldwater Creek Facts" "The Poisoned Children of Coldwater Creek" Use to hike all around it as a teen down by 367 and Lindberg, in the woods going all the way down to Fort Belle Fontaine.
Fentonite here - we definitely consider ourselves south county not west, valley park to the north is kinda the border id say. Sunset hills is also south.
Agreed both geographically and the vibe. Fenton feels like SoCo to me, have worked there for years. We like Fenton, it has a good small business culture.
Good to hear your feedback as someone who lives there! I previously thought they were both Soco as well but I started seeing comments from people saying they call it "southwest" county which I hadn't heard before. The cutoff line always seemed more ambiguous in the south
I never lived in St. Louis but I’m on the Illinois side but St. Louis is so big and connects everyone im in granite city there are multiple ways to end up in places like Collinsville, Edwardsville, and of course East and main side of St. Louis depending on where like Maryland Heights I’m 22 mintues depending on traffic out but I take short cuts
Live in Kirkwood which was named by Money Magazine as , I believe, top 50 best places to live in the U.S. lived in 13 cities for 7 years. St. Louis,32 years, I love this city. So much music.
If you're younger and starting out, Dogtown is a sweet place to live in with restaurants and bars within walking distance. A perfect neighborhood for starter homes.
St. Louis is a great city. Come and check it out, we have problems yes, but it is a great place. I moved back from Georgia and have travelled internationally and it is so affordable but still has many big city amenities.
The city proper sucks, like Detroit south. The surrounding areas (West County, South County, St Charles) are pretty nice. Some notable semi-famous people live in secure enclaves in the Central West End, you couldn't pay me to live farther east than Clayton.
Great Video. I'm a lifelong resident of the south and west county (and a few years in south St. Louis city). I think this video gives a fair description of the various areas as far as housing stock and major roads are concerned. I like that your other videos address some of the concerns people have concerning safety, etc. as well.
Thank you for watching! Yes there are some recurring issues I try to address across videos without being repetitive in every single one - crime being a big one
I moved from Atlanta to the Metro East (St Clair county, IL) in 2006 and I love it. I miss some of the amenities of Atlanta, but the quality of life, salaries, and work opportunities were so much better here. And it's nice to be able to drive 20 minutes west and cross the bridge and be in the downtown of St Louis.
Jefferson county never gets talked about as suburban and exburb. Traveling all the way to Barnhart is 10 lanes of traffic on I 55 and during rush hour can get congested sometimes.
As someone who has lived all over the Stl area for my entire life this is a great 30minute respectful breakdown of all of the mentioned areas. But I have never heard of “Mid county” in my life. 😂
Thanks for watching! I tried to condense a bunch of topics I've talked about into one place so it's easier than trying to find individual videos, but I couldn't talk about everything at length :)
The River Des Peres is to St.Louis as the Seine River to Paris. Besides year round scenic views and diverse wildlife, it is among some of the best boating swimming and brown trout fishing in America! Every time I explore it I find a new body part!
We’re from California, and we absolutely love north city. Areas like goodfellow, mark twain, Ferguson, Jeff vanderlou, all great places for any Californian looking to move to our great city.
Not from California, but from Oregon. We moved to a quaint little town in North County called Riverview Gardens. Absolutely lovely area with a great vibe. I am not what one would call a "big man" at only 5 foot 3 inches, and my wife is much shorter yet is well endowed, but I can say that we truly enjoyed walking at night along the streets with our small children and small dogs while taking in the evening air while enjoying the abundant cultural enrichment. Riverview Gardens is a jewel of the midwest and we are glad we staked our claim before the inevitable rush of our former west coast sisters, brothers, and non binary allies. F off we are full! lol haha jk you are the best
FYI newbies, you may not feel you need a basement, but you will be very glad you bought a home with a basement when you go to sell. Also, pretty amazing for a town our size how near in you can buy land and have horses.
Yes!! The basement topic comes up all the time with people coming up to STL from the south. I think the best part of it is simply how much extra living space it adds (assuming its partially finished)
St. Louis City, where I've visited, is great! So much to do and do many great places to visit and eat! St. Charles seemed way too congested and didn't seem to have the exciting nightlife. Also, I was in close distance to many things! My preference is St. Louis City 💯!
I feel bad for those who think that the best nightlife is closer to the extremely cloistered centers of downtown St. Louis and the central west end. My small family moved to Riverview Gardens (after carefully considering Black Jack and just north of Delmar in University City) and can say that without a doubt we have experienced a far more enriching night life than anywhere else in the area! Plus the housing prices are, surprisingly enough, quite affordable.
Hey thank you for watching! Are these screen share map videos helpful? It’s a different creative process for me but if these vids are more helpful than the usual video directly addressing the camera I can definitely switch things up more often
Many of the suburbs of the city are great and even considered affluent. The Illinois side suburbs of O’Fallon, Mascoutah, Troy, area are pretty great as well!
Nice video, I've lived about 18 years over several stints in Maryland Heights, about 20+ years in St Charles county, and a brief stint in South City. I realize you aren't trying to deter anyone from coming here but I think a potential buyer should also be advised of crime hotspots. I'd be livid if someone sold me on a property region and didn't bother to tell me it was a high crime area just because the commute was good or the shopping was nice! Of course crime occurs everywhere but prospective new residents should be aware some neighborhoods are more prone to it than others.
Lived there for 6 years. It’s an odd place. It’s extremely segregated, not just by race (Delmar Divide), but also the 9 million different little municipalities within STL county. And then there’s the whole public/private school schism. The people are friendly for the most part but the dynamics of the area are just strange
Absolutely. When people ask about moving here I always say that the experience you can expect will be wildly different from one town to the next because there are so many individual pockets within STL that can be polar opposites from each other
@@LivingStLouis I'll say it for you since you are too scared. We have a problem with our black population in this city. Until this issue is addressed, STL will never thrive.
African American woman born in mid 1970s in Florissant (north county or NOCO). I moved to Dallas in 2001 but family still there so I visit yearly. Around 2008-ish I noticed an extreme decline in the North County area. More crime, major businesses closing, etc. Got extremely worse after pandemic. Sad because in the 80s where I grew up, Florissant/Black Jack area was a great place for middle class black families. If I ever move back, I'd probably move to Clayton, St. Peters or Lake St. Louis area. Downtown areas that are being re-built are nice too but I prefer suburban. Also like the Forest Park area. I am afraid for my elderly parents living in North county. Trying to get them to move.
@@quickpstuts412 in recent years I've noticed a decline in Clayton, Creve Coeur, and the St. Charles, Warren and Lincoln county areas. Crime has gone up and the area is becoming densely populated. There was a shootout in the Lincoln County area, car thefts, burglaries, robberies are up in all. You certainly can't leave your doors unlocked. It's no longer what they used to be 10-15 yrs ago. I keep scratching my head wondering why people move to those areas. If I move back, I'm looking at Fairview Heights, IL.
@@GingerandJuice And it's only a matter of time before they are out there. The crime is moving farther west and south. Speaking for family who live there....some simply cannot afford to live in the better areas.
I lived on the outskirts of Florissant near the old abandoned Jamestown mall for 1.5 years, and also in Bevo Mill for about 1.5 years. 2019-2021 inclusive between the two. I had 6 different jobs in that time ranging from machinist, woodworker, engineer, and pharmacy tech barely getting bills paid and living with others to help offset costs. Florissant/Jamestown was fairly pleasant and quiet. Bevo Mill - far from it, but it became the "best" place I could afford. I now understand you cannot afford to be broke. My catalytic converter was half-sawn off a truck I was borrowing at the time. I had street beggers pounding on my car windows in traffic. I called emergency services for a gunshot victim in an alley. We had homeless people squat in the house next to ours and convert it into a baby mama drama drug den. I had my hose cut up and fashioned into a noose that was hung in my yard. From the very moment I was pulling in the moving truck, having not stepped out the vehicle, and the day we were loading it in, we had neighbors screaming, "GET. THE. FUCK. OUT."
Great video. I’ve Never heard anyone refer to “mid county” If your not north/south/west you just say your city name. No one from Ladue or Frontenac says any county they say their town name and say it proud cause they know it’s $$$
That is so true about why mid county isn’t as recognized, yes hahah they definitely tend to say the name of the town rather than what part of the county!
Not gonna say where or when but I saw my parents backyard, the same I grew up in and nearly saw my house in Florissant. Have been here 32 years and have no plans of leaving
@@TyCrawford True. I'm in Dallas now and it's changed too but nothing like Florissant. Just saw a robbery at a gas station in person yesterday upon visiting so that was a little traumatizing. But I hear ya. The world has changed.
@@TyCrawford BS! You can move out 30 minutes and be in a nice neighborhood with no worries, just like it's always been.... it's just going to keep going down, by the time you get to be older, you will really be trapped.
I grew up in Overland, moved to Jeffco when I was a pre-teen, now I’m on the Illinois side. I recommend everyone who is moving here to check out the Ofallon/Shiloh area. Even Mascoutah or Trenton/Lebanon. Super nice, low crime, and your money can buy you much more house on the IL side.
MO native here: I agree. The reputation of ESTL keeps the Metro East cheap as hell, and Metro East has some really nice areas like Collinsville / Edwardsville that are super close to ESTL yet have none of those problems.
@@Sir_Austin_T_Gee yup. I’m actually on a little bit of land in Madison County now and that’s great. People will complain about the taxes in Illinois, but the fact that houses here are tens of thousands cheaper and there’s no personal property tax. It’s actually cheaper to stay here.
@@bigdaddypatty2420 my great grandpa lived in Collinsville and my great grandma lived in Belleville so I got to be fairly acquainted with the Metro East. And y’all have one huge plus over the Missouri side… y’all get that beautiful view of the city, the arch, Busch Stadium coming in on 40. The best view of the city on the MO side is coming up 44 and that’s meh 🫤
Hard to go wrong on St. Chaz side. If you need to be in STL side, Dogtown/Shrewsburry is nice to live. Florissant is nice, but avoid the neighboring cities. Creve Couer area is nice. West County is all fine to live in. Regardless of where you live, you need to make a pilgrimage to The Hill in STL atleast once and get some fantastic Italian food, get some toasted ravioli
As a Detroit native who lives in St Charles, anyone outside of this state and area should understand that the highways and drivers here treat the roads like it's a filming for Need For Speed: Ghetto Beater Edition. You will see people go 100 in a 55. You'll see people split lanes, not use turn signals, and some folks go as far as being willing to run their cars into you if you don't let them very rudely force their way into mergers. I've always enjoyed driving in Michigan, and St Lous has given me PTSD and panic attacks from how awful the drivers are. As a person who's lived in 2 murder capitals now, I don't think you have a lot to worry about for crime here, unless you decide to be a dumbass and act a fool where you shouldn't. MYOB and you're fine.
To be honest I don't know KC very well but this reddit thread on STL vs. KC may have some helpful replies depending on what you're looking for: www.reddit.com/r/SameGrassButGreener/comments/16x0mog/st_louis_missouri_vs_kansas_city_missouri_which/
At. Charles is very similar to K.C. There’s a nice dense walkable part downtown but the rest of it is just car-centric low density sprawl. You should move to StL city instead, it’s much more pleasant and interesting to live in a dense walkable community. ⚜️😉
If you're new to the area and a minority, I would stick to Saint louis County. North is mostly black. But most of the middle-class black people live in Florissant in NOCO. A lot of people send their kids to private schools.I would avoid South County. Even consider Saint clair County Illinois. Places like O'Fallon and Shiloh illinois are very welcoming areas. Saint Charles county is a lot of white flight. There are always some weird race issues in the school district. They have a lot of nicer newer homes, but it may be a challenging environment. I live in Kirkwood. Some nice areas in Saint Louis County are Maryland Heights, Creve Coeur ,Clayton, Olivette, Chesterfield, Ladue, Kirkwood, Glendale, Webster Groves, Brentwood, and Maplewood Also areas surrounding these areas. U City also, but the school district isn't great. However, there are a lot of great private schools here.
I'm in St Peters and yes, mixed or minority families will want to do some local research before moving out here. Best way if you have kids is to reach out to the activity organizations you'd be interested in for them. I've talked to multiple families like this because they contacted my scouting unit before moving to the area. The school districts also have demographic breakdowns for government reporting. Subdivisions with more recent sales will be a good option because there's going to be fewer calcified neighbor cliques. Folks I've talked to who've had the most problems moved into an area where a lot of the original White Flight builder/owners still dominate the subdivision.
I'm in St Peters. My neighbors are black lesbians and my best friend is black and lives with his white wife and hispanic mixed kid. I think people are some racist out here, not all of them are white, but I dont associate with them. Theres actually a bunch of people here and they're not all the same just because their skin color matches.
Fair points and I appreciate you for sharing. However, nothing compares to the family strolls we enjoy in Spanish Lake and Riverview Gardens. So enriching!
@@LivingStLouisI love being able to shop and eat and visit museums and stuff in St Louis but actually live in Illinois. It's also cool that the metro runs all the way out to Scott AFB so there's lots of access to it on this side.
For anyone considering relocating to St. Louis, I highly recommend looking at a crime map of the area. Crime is an enormous problem here, and knowing where you an live safely is extremely important.
To save time, avoid the city and north county. Consider St. Charles or Jefferson County. South County resident here. St. Louis County's future looks like CA.
For many people who live in Missouri mention Metro East and crime, sleazy lawyers, crooked judges, strip clubs and crime come to mind. Did I mention crime?
Avoid the entire city if you are easily annoyed by bad drivers. I drive in all cities in the Midwest and as soon as you cross the Missouri state line it’s like every driver is inbreed
@@LivingStLouis I wouldn’t really say they are bad drivers. It’s more of you guys enter a seventy mph highway at five mph and crank the wheel to the left lane before you hit the gas to go forward.
I liked the video I should have seen it before we moved. But we are in a good spot. We are in Arnold now and we are really happy so far. Not excited about the HOA but they actually seem like they are decent thankfully. I’m surprised you didn’t say anything about crime. That was the very first thing we looked into. I’m from Detroit and my wife is from São Paulo so we know a thing or two about that lol.
I'm glad you are loving Arnold!! About the crime, that's a good point. I've touched on it in some videos but try not to repeat the same things, and I don't get super in-depth about it. I'm limited in what I can say about crime since it's so subjective what is "safe" and what's not. As a licensed real estate broker I essentially have to direct people to public sources of information and recommend doing your own due diligence, which is probably not helpful to hear
@@LivingStLouis Yes, the real estate industry washed their hands of reality, took crime statistics off of their websites... why tell people the truth and sell less houses?
I travel there for work purposes. It's got nice areas, but if choosing a place to buy a home or live, I would also check the crime rate. Like the informative video and explanations!
Absolutely agree. As a licensed broker I have to direct people to public sources of information and say do your own due diligence, but it's very important to research and decide what qualifies as a "safe" area for you personally
Very nice job. Very PC assessment. I would have done it more like the Hot/Crazy Matrix. This is your no go zone. This is your trap houses, urban camping… 😂
Hahaha fair- very PC indeed. Have to be careful what I say because I’m not trying to violate fair housing in these videos! I can’t tell people there’s a no go zone!
Federal law prohibits anyone from mentioning inconvenient statistics like the probability of falling victim to nuisances like armed robbery, home invasion, or being murdered so quickly you don't realize it even happened.
A lot of talk about crime in the comments. I live in a gated mansion in Huntleigh and we have very little crime. I did think that my newspaper was stolen once, but it turned out that it was delivered to my neighbor Steve. Wouldn’t you know it, he just took it for himself. I’m watching you Steve!
As a former Illinois Refugee 17 years ago, I would not consider Belleville for the same reasons the city is not a good choice. I grew up in Edwardsville and I prefer St. Louis traffic to that parking lot.
@@tiamia2370 On the East side of the Mississippi, it has higher crime than further North in the metro east. On the east side of the Metro East, I would avoid East St. Louis, Sauget, Centreville, Venice, Madison, Washington Park, Cahokia, Belleville, and Fairview Heights. I have lived in Fairmont Park a couple of years, Collinsville a few years, and Glen Carbon around 25 years. I fled Illinois around 2007. I have lived in Missouri about 17 years.
When it comes to commute, I feel like you completely ignored the transit options that available. It felt as if you were talking as if you were assuming one might be driving. I personally dont own a car and take the train to work as my main form of commute.
Yes that's a fair point, I usually talk with the assumption most people will need a car but you're absolutely right to point out the metrolink is a viable option for getting around
The Metrolink is not a safe option for most Americans. I would prefer spending the night on a Chicago or New york subway than 15 minutes on it. I stopped using it circa 2017 and thats why I think I am still here.
Good video and all very try, been in St. Louis area since 1987. As others have commented it is a bit of a odd place that is segregated by race and money.
Came to defend Overland's honor as part of North County but you got it right. Folks seem to forget the entire strip between Page & I-70 exists. I know we're quiet and boring but come on man. If you want to avoid HOAs, a fair chunk of mid-county and southern NOCO is unaffiliated. Craftsman, magazine bungalow, art deco art nouveau, and brick are some of the keywords to look for. Some parts may have established one years after building (mostly to write segregationist residency covenants) but for the most part if it was built before the Korean War and the street looks hodge-podge you're free of HOA nonsense.
moving to st louis? things to know. your car will be broken into/ or hit by a another, people are either really nice or shitty and NEVER... travel off the free way while in the north metro area. good luck.
North County is steadily declining and has been for years. True, it is mostly do to age of the majority of the housing and after WWII when subdivisions were a new thing this area wasn't where the high dollar housing was built such as Ladue, etc. I've spent my lifetime in N. County, 65 years, my first 3 were in Ferguson and the rest in Florissant. Most (if not all.) people don't know that many, many decades ago Florissant was once named the 2nd safest city in the U.S. when compared to other cities of the same population in reported crime. Is Florissant the worse it gets when it comes to crime? No, not at all, but I do believe in 30 to 40 years this will become a challenge. All of North County will be considered a low income area such as East St. Louis, IL. today. With even older housing in 30 to 40 years (add that to some are nearing and more than 70 years old.) than it already is today and very little to no new redevelopments you'll began to see subdivisions where vacant houses demolished and others boarded-up. This already exists in parts of N. County. This is just part of the life cycle of a many areas around the U.S. and around the world. Watch "Meet Me in St. Louis" and you'll see what the housing and life once was inside 'some' of the city limits.
@@malachi- ...and you've spent your life in Florissant or any part of North St. Louis County as I have? If you have/did then are you part of the running scared White Flight? BTW, I am white. Your internet research is incomplete on Florissant. Speaking of that what in the hell does founded in the 1700s have to do with your "Gas station robberies!... etc... etc..." ? lol! In fact, if you did proper research you would have found that gas station robberies have happened in almost all areas of St. Louis County, north, west and south counties. If you watch local St. Louis news you will see stories of criminals going into upper middle class neighborhoods (not in North St. Louis County.) committing crimes, such as stealing vehicles and breaking into vehicles looking for anything to take. These are facts. You, also are uneducated in the matter of middle class cities that are among the oldest that surround major cites (population in the millions.) and what happens as the many, many decades pass with housing expansion in other parts of the metropolitan area. This happens to ALL major cities in the U.S. My first suggestion to you is to educate yourself. Then, maybe you could learn to write proper paragraphs instead meandering all over the "place." *Maybe you're the one that should "Give it a break."*
I’m gonna have to disagree with you there. When it comes to St. Louis county and St Charles county in particular, they’re very common. Perhaps in the surrounding counties less so, but those 2 are the biggest in population and we deal with them a lot.
@@LivingStLouis Sorry that has not been my experience in the STL Metro trades for 30 years. The only HOAs I have run across were in some gated communities in Chesterfield and Wildwood has some but their city rules are also extremely strict. Additionally, I have not received any HOA videos from yoootooob in the STL Metro. Same for St. Charles. OTOH some municipalities have become hard nose on appearance inspections to keep the riff raff out. lol
@@LivingStLouis I'm a bit of a dummy! It totally slipped my old mind that I have helped the HOA board at the yuppie farm I live next to! lol But They are a new development and otherwise I don't see many in the old stock neighborhoods.
Great explanation of our layout. Years ago, i lived in the City, moved away to a very small town, back to South County, and now i guess it is West St Louis County. Very happy here! 🌷🌿
@LivingStLouis Clarksville MO for about 7 years. About 600 people years ago. Way down now, I think. We had lots of house parties, Chamber of Commerce parties (painting trash cans for the city), and Boat Club parties. No fast food or pizza deliveries there, so we had to cook. Had some great times. Worked for a vocational school and then Dundee Cement, which is now closed.
@LivingStLouis I moved there in January. In April, we had a huge flood. There was a rowboat tied to a utility pole in front of the house we were renting. Now that was a shock for this city girl!
It should also be known that if you live in St. Louis city that you have to give the city 2% of your gross income at tax time for no fucking reason. They also don’t tell you this and will have the tax collector come after you three years after the fact with late fees.
1) from observation south county, st. Charles county, and east stl are the only areas I’ve seen mobile home neighborhoods… to give insight on the full range of housing options existent in metro area.. Being said, if you’re in the market for a mobile home, this guy is clearly not the RE agent to inquire towards… 💩the way he was glazing the sprawl, you’d think he was the main reason for the blood time myth in wrestling 😂... Further, its worth noting that if from like CA or FL that our elevation is generally high but varies wildly among many relative peaks and valleys throughout neighborhoods so... Flash flood weather proofing and being at a peak is ideal but theres no inherent reason NOT to have a basement. I honestly imagine many if not most of few slab foundations were paranoid movers without geographical context. Last point: there’s a lot of gentrification of more affordable areas anyway. LRA if you have the skill set… but since it’s the Midwest, know that it’s weirder to not acknowledge people so if you’re in the choose to renovate or build in a more affordable area like North STL, if anyone seems to be staring, just give them a 👌🏽 and a smile to let em know you’re friendly and mean no harm. 😬😇 happy home hunting.
It's not a safe city (except a few areas that very few can afford.) Saint Louis WAS a decent place to make money when the cost of living was low. Now with inflation it isn't worth it anymore dealing with high crime rate and safety issues. Prepare to have your car broken into even in previously known as "safe" areas. And that's not even bringing race tensions into the mix that makes STL the most segregated city in the midwest.
I drive to St Louis every day for work from Illinois, the place is a dump and crime ridden. I bet half the drivers don't even have insurance. Thank God I only have one year left until retirement!!
@LivingStLouis The same racial dynamic that played out in parts of North County appears to be starting in St. Charles. The dynamic can't be stopped once it gets going.
🔔🏠If you're moving to St. Louis, read our FULL GUIDE here: thestlrealtors.com/moving-to-st-louis-mo/
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I think Forest Park, the Zoo, and all of the museums are extremely underrated. We have so many amazing attractions, especially the museums and the Zoo that are phenomenal and FREE! I lived in Chicago for years and everything you wanted to do cost so much. No one was just going to go to the Art Museum for a few hours on a Friday night because it’s just so expensive. Forest Park and all its amenities are very good and free.
Agree completely! I think the amenities, attractions, and arts scene of St. Louis really mimic what you'd find in a way bigger city than STL and the fact that they're free makes it all the better
As someone who lived out in McHenry county for 11 years before moving to St Louis, I couldn't agree more! I can count on one hand the number of times we went downtown Chicago while we were there. Not only was everything SO expensive, it was easily 1.5-2 hours just to get down there. I can be at the Arch or just about anywhere else in under 40 minutes from where I'm at in St Charles county.
As a Houstonian that moved to St. Louis your comment resonates with me hard! I miss some of the diversity of Houston, but there really wasn’t that much to do besides eat, drink and shop. Anything else besides that took a lot of money. I love that STL invests so much into the zoo, museums, and trails ❤
Nice areas but my small family from Oregon felt there was too much plight here. We moved to Riverview Gardens area in the sublime southern reaches of North County and could not be happier. This is the first time in decades we have gone to bed at night without feeling the need to lock our front door!
@@BigRichardHead
Riverview Gardens one of the best places in the area to be. Great neighborhood and not too bad a commute to Forest Park, downtown and Illinois. I actuality looove Fairview Heights, IL. Awesome neighborhoods there.
St. Louis native here! I always like to give our traffic a big shout-out. Because we're not as densely populated as other urban areas, taffic here is more manageable. I lived in Chicago and Southern Californa and the commutes in those areas are a nightmare. Around St. Louis the heaviest traffic is either early morning or early evening of commuters.
Agree completely. I did my undergrad in Boston - traffic was BAD. You could be going 2 miles and it would take you just as much time to walk there as drive.
If we had a higher population density it would actually help reduce car traffic. So long as it is done with mixed-use walkable developments. If we continue building low-density places that require a car to perform almost any task, of course there’s going to be induced demand for more automobile travel. We should invest in rail transit if we want StL to thrive!
@@StLouis-yu9iz Definitely a very good point!
Same here! Grew up LA, Phoenix, most of my adulthood between Chicago and St. Louis. You’re 100% on that. We’re at least spoiled that way!
yes! I lived 20 years in DFW. Going to the grocery store was 15 minutes each way driving. I live in the Metro East and Schnucks is a minute drive.
I-70, aka Mad Max Fury Road
They are Kamikazes on that interstate 👍
I'm a St Louis kid from birth and raise
Now I am an old man now
Dexter Lombardo 🤠🧔
Hahah
More like "Mad Marquise Stolen Kia"
Let’s not forget it’s shorter cousin I-170
@@cptn_chromo3189yikes lol
My favorite place is North City and I recommend folks from California move there for a home like feel.
Hahaha
Lol
Lololololololololololkl
😆😆😆
Very much this! The area is so safe they can even leave their doors unlocked!
Im from St Louis, do you have a guide on how to leave?
Moving to Saint Louis in June live your videos will be using your teams help in finding a home for sure
I live in the suburbs. The towns surrounding st Louis are growing incredibly rapidly and for good reason. It's a nice place
Absolutely true, especially St. Charles & Lincoln counties which are among the fastest growing in MO
@@austinobst8989
Not a fan of any of those areas. I like to be close to ballpark village. The commute and traffic out there is insane. And with the cost of fuel...nope. Riverview Gardens is great, as someone mentioned and my suggestion is Fairview Heights, IL.
Its trash
My wife and I lived in St. Peters/Cottleville for four years. They were wonderful places to live: Lots to do, nice people, great food. My twin daughters were born while we lived there, and two years later we decided to move back to our native Indiana. But I would recommend to anyone looking to move into that area, do it! You'll likely not regret it.
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it while you were here! St. Peters & Cottleville are absolutely wonderful
Don't forget about the Nuclear superfund site and also Cold Water Creek!
Valid
Came to say this.
10 year cancer survivor who lived not far from cold water creek
I grew up by the creek
@@WBell Yes, my mom had the creek in her backyard, she died of cancer, in Florissant/Flar-sint.
"2015 Health Maps - Coldwater Creek Facts"
"The Poisoned Children of Coldwater Creek"
Use to hike all around it as a teen down by 367 and Lindberg, in the woods going all the way down to Fort Belle Fontaine.
Fentonite here - we definitely consider ourselves south county not west, valley park to the north is kinda the border id say. Sunset hills is also south.
Agreed both geographically and the vibe. Fenton feels like SoCo to me, have worked there for years. We like Fenton, it has a good small business culture.
Good to hear your feedback as someone who lives there! I previously thought they were both Soco as well but I started seeing comments from people saying they call it "southwest" county which I hadn't heard before. The cutoff line always seemed more ambiguous in the south
Same. South county vibes with some Jefferson county as you go further down hwy 30
@@meh_lady Haha... Fenton seems to have a lot of "South Siders" in it.
St. Louis native here... this is 100% accurate unbiased info in this video. Great rundown.
Thanks so much for watching and for the kind feedback!
I’d highly recommend talking about other transit options. Many new residents are looking to be car-free
I never lived in St. Louis but I’m on the Illinois side but St. Louis is so big and connects everyone im in granite city there are multiple ways to end up in places like Collinsville, Edwardsville, and of course East and main side of St. Louis depending on where like Maryland Heights I’m 22 mintues depending on traffic out but I take short cuts
Live in Kirkwood which was named by Money Magazine as , I believe, top 50 best places to live in the U.S. lived in 13 cities for 7 years. St. Louis,32 years, I love this city. So much music.
Man Ive lived in STL most of my life, this is a great breakdown of the city.
Thanks for the great feedback!
If you're younger and starting out, Dogtown is a sweet place to live in with restaurants and bars within walking distance. A perfect neighborhood for starter homes.
and when I want to go out west to St Charles/ St Peters/ Ofallon Mo, I use the Page Extension (364) coming from North County.
It is the way😊
I’ve lived in St. Peters for 12 years and I have really enjoyed it. Safe, nice houses, not too expensive and great schools
Moving to STL and your videos are soooooo helpful!!!!
Hey thank you so much for watching!! Is there anything missing that I don't have a video on that would be helpful to learn about?
@@LivingStLouis No sir from my visits and watching this with locals you really covered all of your bases!
@@lonellmacon7336 I'm so glad to hear that!!
St. Louis is a great city. Come and check it out, we have problems yes, but it is a great place. I moved back from Georgia and have travelled internationally and it is so affordable but still has many big city amenities.
Absolutely!!
The city proper sucks, like Detroit south. The surrounding areas (West County, South County, St Charles) are pretty nice. Some notable semi-famous people live in secure enclaves in the Central West End, you couldn't pay me to live farther east than Clayton.
@@sburns2421 dude what. South city is awesome you sound misinformed
@@BigThangs you can keep it
@@sburns2421 I didn't say you should come down, just that you're misinformed
Great Video. I'm a lifelong resident of the south and west county (and a few years in south St. Louis city). I think this video gives a fair description of the various areas as far as housing stock and major roads are concerned. I like that your other videos address some of the concerns people have concerning safety, etc. as well.
Thank you for watching! Yes there are some recurring issues I try to address across videos without being repetitive in every single one - crime being a big one
I moved from Atlanta to the Metro East (St Clair county, IL) in 2006 and I love it. I miss some of the amenities of Atlanta, but the quality of life, salaries, and work opportunities were so much better here. And it's nice to be able to drive 20 minutes west and cross the bridge and be in the downtown of St Louis.
Don't start crying if you get involved in the putrid justice system there.
Jefferson county never gets talked about as suburban and exburb. Traveling all the way to Barnhart is 10 lanes of traffic on I 55 and during rush hour can get congested sometimes.
As someone who has lived all over the Stl area for my entire life this is a great 30minute respectful breakdown of all of the mentioned areas. But I have never heard of “Mid county” in my life. 😂
I say his mid county is all just west county
Great Video Jacob! It looks like you made a big summary of the whole channel. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! I tried to condense a bunch of topics I've talked about into one place so it's easier than trying to find individual videos, but I couldn't talk about everything at length :)
The River Des Peres is to St.Louis as the Seine River to Paris. Besides year round scenic views and diverse wildlife, it is among some of the best boating swimming and brown trout fishing in America! Every time I explore it I find a new body part!
😂
i have lived in south county my whole life, i found this video to be spot on. well done.
Thanks for watching!! Judging by your username I’m guessing Oakville?? We just did a video there!
We’re from California, and we absolutely love north city. Areas like goodfellow, mark twain, Ferguson, Jeff vanderlou, all great places for any Californian looking to move to our great city.
Not from California, but from Oregon. We moved to a quaint little town in North County called Riverview Gardens. Absolutely lovely area with a great vibe. I am not what one would call a "big man" at only 5 foot 3 inches, and my wife is much shorter yet is well endowed, but I can say that we truly enjoyed walking at night along the streets with our small children and small dogs while taking in the evening air while enjoying the abundant cultural enrichment.
Riverview Gardens is a jewel of the midwest and we are glad we staked our claim before the inevitable rush of our former west coast sisters, brothers, and non binary allies. F off we are full! lol haha jk you are the best
Go back
@@BigRichardHead LOL... I thought you were serious up above.
FYI newbies, you may not feel you need a basement, but you will be very glad you bought a home with a basement when you go to sell. Also, pretty amazing for a town our size how near in you can buy land and have horses.
Yes!! The basement topic comes up all the time with people coming up to STL from the south. I think the best part of it is simply how much extra living space it adds (assuming its partially finished)
They'll also be glad they bought a home with a basement when severe weather strikes, like a tornado.
Very good point
Basements are also great for storing stuff, leaving your upstairs living space uncluttered.
@@mark.g.alford Really good point!
Is packed with a lot of good information. Thanks
Thank you for watching!
I just moved up here and love it here I'm in St Charles cottleville now absolutely beautiful here.
Aww I love hearing that! St. Charles & Cottleville are great. Love the historic parts of both of em!
@@LivingStLouis way nicer and easier to get around than New Orleans 👍
St. Louis City, where I've visited, is great! So much to do and do many great places to visit and eat! St. Charles seemed way too congested and didn't seem to have the exciting nightlife. Also, I was in close distance to many things! My preference is St. Louis City 💯!
@@GingerandJuice yeah the county sucks for night life and things to do
I feel bad for those who think that the best nightlife is closer to the extremely cloistered centers of downtown St. Louis and the central west end. My small family moved to Riverview Gardens (after carefully considering Black Jack and just north of Delmar in University City) and can say that without a doubt we have experienced a far more enriching night life than anywhere else in the area! Plus the housing prices are, surprisingly enough, quite affordable.
Jacob nice to see a vid with the PC and map havnt seen 1 in a while, that's y I love the diversity of your channel good job!
Hey thank you for watching! Are these screen share map videos helpful? It’s a different creative process for me but if these vids are more helpful than the usual video directly addressing the camera I can definitely switch things up more often
Yes they are very helpful, I love it all. For example at 8:48 to 8:54 is AAmazing!! Can't wait till you hit 10k subs^🙂
Thank you for the feedback!! And I'm also very excited to hit 10k!! :D
Many of the suburbs of the city are great and even considered affluent. The Illinois side suburbs of O’Fallon, Mascoutah, Troy, area are pretty great as well!
Yes absolutely! Illinois has some very charming areas that get overlooked
No mention of the inner belt?
Nice video, I've lived about 18 years over several stints in Maryland Heights, about 20+ years in St Charles county, and a brief stint in South City. I realize you aren't trying to deter anyone from coming here but I think a potential buyer should also be advised of crime hotspots. I'd be livid if someone sold me on a property region and didn't bother to tell me it was a high crime area just because the commute was good or the shopping was nice! Of course crime occurs everywhere but prospective new residents should be aware some neighborhoods are more prone to it than others.
Lived there for 6 years. It’s an odd place. It’s extremely segregated, not just by race (Delmar Divide), but also the 9 million different little municipalities within STL county. And then there’s the whole public/private school schism. The people are friendly for the most part but the dynamics of the area are just strange
Absolutely. When people ask about moving here I always say that the experience you can expect will be wildly different from one town to the next because there are so many individual pockets within STL that can be polar opposites from each other
What's that elephant, and why are you ignoring it?
?
@@LivingStLouis He means the B areas and crime.
@@Powertuber1000 does “B” stand for bad?
@@LivingStLouis I'll say it for you since you are too scared. We have a problem with our black population in this city. Until this issue is addressed, STL will never thrive.
ah so racism is a problem in STL
African American woman born in mid 1970s in Florissant (north county or NOCO). I moved to Dallas in 2001 but family still there so I visit yearly. Around 2008-ish I noticed an extreme decline in the North County area. More crime, major businesses closing, etc. Got extremely worse after pandemic.
Sad because in the 80s where I grew up, Florissant/Black Jack area was a great place for middle class black families.
If I ever move back, I'd probably move to Clayton, St. Peters or Lake St. Louis area. Downtown areas that are being re-built are nice too but I prefer suburban. Also like the Forest Park area.
I am afraid for my elderly parents living in North county. Trying to get them to move.
@@quickpstuts412 in recent years I've noticed a decline in Clayton, Creve Coeur, and the St. Charles, Warren and Lincoln county areas. Crime has gone up and the area is becoming densely populated. There was a shootout in the Lincoln County area, car thefts, burglaries, robberies are up in all. You certainly can't leave your doors unlocked. It's no longer what they used to be 10-15 yrs ago. I keep scratching my head wondering why people move to those areas. If I move back, I'm looking at Fairview Heights, IL.
@@GingerandJuice And it's only a matter of time before they are out there. The crime is moving farther west and south. Speaking for family who live there....some simply cannot afford to live in the better areas.
@@quickpstuts412 that's why I don't intend on moving to any of those areas, if I do move near the area. I was not impressed.
All fake.
St. Louis is probably one of the best cities to raise a family for sure.
I lived on the outskirts of Florissant near the old abandoned Jamestown mall for 1.5 years, and also in Bevo Mill for about 1.5 years. 2019-2021 inclusive between the two. I had 6 different jobs in that time ranging from machinist, woodworker, engineer, and pharmacy tech barely getting bills paid and living with others to help offset costs. Florissant/Jamestown was fairly pleasant and quiet. Bevo Mill - far from it, but it became the "best" place I could afford. I now understand you cannot afford to be broke.
My catalytic converter was half-sawn off a truck I was borrowing at the time. I had street beggers pounding on my car windows in traffic. I called emergency services for a gunshot victim in an alley. We had homeless people squat in the house next to ours and convert it into a baby mama drama drug den. I had my hose cut up and fashioned into a noose that was hung in my yard. From the very moment I was pulling in the moving truck, having not stepped out the vehicle, and the day we were loading it in, we had neighbors screaming, "GET. THE. FUCK. OUT."
Thank you for calling for the Central West End by it's proper name! Great breakdown!!
You bet! Thanks for watching!
There is highway 30 also on the south side of the city
Come to North County soon, its very fluid in great speaking minds.
West side, North Side, and any street named after Martin Luther King. You’ll love it
Great video. I’ve Never heard anyone refer to “mid county” If your not north/south/west you just say your city name. No one from Ladue or Frontenac says any county they say their town name and say it proud cause they know it’s $$$
That is so true about why mid county isn’t as recognized, yes hahah they definitely tend to say the name of the town rather than what part of the county!
County black dude here. From Richmond Heights. I heard someone call is mid county on the news as a kid!
Not gonna say where or when but I saw my parents backyard, the same I grew up in and nearly saw my house in Florissant. Have been here 32 years and have no plans of leaving
ARe you still in Florissant? It's changed.
@@quickpstuts412 I've been here 32 years and dont plan on leaving. Everywhere has changed.
The world we grew up in no longer exists.
@@TyCrawford True. I'm in Dallas now and it's changed too but nothing like Florissant. Just saw a robbery at a gas station in person yesterday upon visiting so that was a little traumatizing. But I hear ya. The world has changed.
@@TyCrawford
BS!
You can move out 30 minutes and be in a nice neighborhood with no worries, just like it's always been.... it's just going to keep going down, by the time you get to be older, you will really be trapped.
@@malachi- I'm already in a nice neighborhood and have no worries. Just like its always been.
I grew up in Overland, moved to Jeffco when I was a pre-teen, now I’m on the Illinois side. I recommend everyone who is moving here to check out the Ofallon/Shiloh area. Even Mascoutah or Trenton/Lebanon. Super nice, low crime, and your money can buy you much more house on the IL side.
St. Clair county is run by and for a bunch of corrupt politicians.
STAY AWAY!
MO native here: I agree. The reputation of ESTL keeps the Metro East cheap as hell, and Metro East has some really nice areas like Collinsville / Edwardsville that are super close to ESTL yet have none of those problems.
@@Sir_Austin_T_Gee yup. I’m actually on a little bit of land in Madison County now and that’s great. People will complain about the taxes in Illinois, but the fact that houses here are tens of thousands cheaper and there’s no personal property tax. It’s actually cheaper to stay here.
@@bigdaddypatty2420 my great grandpa lived in Collinsville and my great grandma lived in Belleville so I got to be fairly acquainted with the Metro East. And y’all have one huge plus over the Missouri side… y’all get that beautiful view of the city, the arch, Busch Stadium coming in on 40. The best view of the city on the MO side is coming up 44 and that’s meh 🫤
Hard to go wrong on St. Chaz side. If you need to be in STL side, Dogtown/Shrewsburry is nice to live. Florissant is nice, but avoid the neighboring cities. Creve Couer area is nice. West County is all fine to live in. Regardless of where you live, you need to make a pilgrimage to The Hill in STL atleast once and get some fantastic Italian food, get some toasted ravioli
As a Detroit native who lives in St Charles, anyone outside of this state and area should understand that the highways and drivers here treat the roads like it's a filming for Need For Speed: Ghetto Beater Edition. You will see people go 100 in a 55. You'll see people split lanes, not use turn signals, and some folks go as far as being willing to run their cars into you if you don't let them very rudely force their way into mergers. I've always enjoyed driving in Michigan, and St Lous has given me PTSD and panic attacks from how awful the drivers are.
As a person who's lived in 2 murder capitals now, I don't think you have a lot to worry about for crime here, unless you decide to be a dumbass and act a fool where you shouldn't. MYOB and you're fine.
How could you not mention hw30/gravois rd?
I'm from Fenton, and hw30 and 141 are by far the most important roads in my everyday life.
Yes those are 2 other very important arteries here!
Moving to St Charles from KC, similarities, differences?
To be honest I don't know KC very well but this reddit thread on STL vs. KC may have some helpful replies depending on what you're looking for: www.reddit.com/r/SameGrassButGreener/comments/16x0mog/st_louis_missouri_vs_kansas_city_missouri_which/
At. Charles is very similar to K.C. There’s a nice dense walkable part downtown but the rest of it is just car-centric low density sprawl. You should move to StL city instead, it’s much more pleasant and interesting to live in a dense walkable community. ⚜️😉
@@StLouis-yu9iz I live in midtown in KC I’m ready for the suburbs lol
@@StLouis-yu9iz Plus if you have a car in the city you'll probably just get carjacked anyways.
@@HeavyTopspin lol good one
If you're new to the area and a minority, I would stick to Saint louis County. North is mostly black. But most of the middle-class black people live in Florissant in NOCO. A lot of people send their kids to private schools.I would avoid South County. Even consider Saint clair County Illinois. Places like O'Fallon and Shiloh illinois are very welcoming areas. Saint Charles county is a lot of white flight. There are always some weird race issues in the school district. They have a lot of nicer newer homes, but it may be a challenging environment. I live in Kirkwood. Some nice areas in Saint Louis County are Maryland Heights, Creve Coeur ,Clayton, Olivette, Chesterfield, Ladue, Kirkwood, Glendale, Webster Groves, Brentwood, and Maplewood Also areas surrounding these areas. U City also, but the school district isn't great. However, there are a lot of great private schools here.
I'm in St Peters and yes, mixed or minority families will want to do some local research before moving out here. Best way if you have kids is to reach out to the activity organizations you'd be interested in for them. I've talked to multiple families like this because they contacted my scouting unit before moving to the area. The school districts also have demographic breakdowns for government reporting. Subdivisions with more recent sales will be a good option because there's going to be fewer calcified neighbor cliques. Folks I've talked to who've had the most problems moved into an area where a lot of the original White Flight builder/owners still dominate the subdivision.
I live by the Galleria. Love it
I'm in St Peters. My neighbors are black lesbians and my best friend is black and lives with his white wife and hispanic mixed kid. I think people are some racist out here, not all of them are white, but I dont associate with them. Theres actually a bunch of people here and they're not all the same just because their skin color matches.
Try visitation park or wells-goodfellow. Theyre safe, family friendly areas.
Fair points and I appreciate you for sharing. However, nothing compares to the family strolls we enjoy in Spanish Lake and Riverview Gardens. So enriching!
I like how all interstates stop abruptly at the river. There is no illinois.
Not in this video at least 🤣
@@LivingStLouisI love being able to shop and eat and visit museums and stuff in St Louis but actually live in Illinois. It's also cool that the metro runs all the way out to Scott AFB so there's lots of access to it on this side.
For anyone considering relocating to St. Louis, I highly recommend looking at a crime map of the area. Crime is an enormous problem here, and knowing where you an live safely is extremely important.
Very good point, it's super important to do research before committing to an area to live
To save time, avoid the city and north county. Consider St. Charles or Jefferson County. South County resident here. St. Louis County's future looks like CA.
I was kinda sorta thinking about possibly maybe considering to look for a house in and around Dutchtown.
If you’re moving to St. Louis, MO-
Don’t.
Just don’t.
What are you even thinking?
Can you show where the area hurt you on the doll?
But if we had to what 1 area/neighborhood would you suggest? Safety wise?
@@ellepatton Next door to the mayor or the police chief. Otherwise I would say STL county or St. Charles County.
eureka and its neighboring counties are all pretty safe
I live in Arnold. Pretty close.
People forget to count the metro east!
Yes some people definitely do!
@@LivingStLouis I live out near Vandalia IL!!!!
He mentioned it, but said he would focus on the MO side since he lives and works on this side of the river.
For many people who live in Missouri mention Metro East and crime, sleazy lawyers, crooked judges, strip clubs and crime come to mind. Did I mention crime?
@@JohnReitz-ps2ct not any worst then North ST Louis and North County!!! Riots and Murders!!!
'BRILLIANT SATIRICAL WRITING !
?
For us, being refugees from Illinois, STL is just too busy. We kept going west, unincorporated Warren County.
Fair enough!
What part of the city is Washington U of St. Louis?
University City
There also interstate 44 also
My favorite area is southwest
That's a good one!
Avoid the entire city if you are easily annoyed by bad drivers. I drive in all cities in the Midwest and as soon as you cross the Missouri state line it’s like every driver is inbreed
Would you say MO drivers are some of the worst relative to other states?
@@LivingStLouis I wouldn’t really say they are bad drivers. It’s more of you guys enter a seventy mph highway at five mph and crank the wheel to the left lane before you hit the gas to go forward.
@@joshmccarty8800 Hahah i know exactly what you mean - drives me crazy when people do that
i've seen this but they all usually have illinois plates so blame the flatlanders over there
My favorite place is North City
I liked the video I should have seen it before we moved. But we are in a good spot. We are in Arnold now and we are really happy so far. Not excited about the HOA but they actually seem like they are decent thankfully. I’m surprised you didn’t say anything about crime. That was the very first thing we looked into. I’m from Detroit and my wife is from São Paulo so we know a thing or two about that lol.
I'm glad you are loving Arnold!! About the crime, that's a good point. I've touched on it in some videos but try not to repeat the same things, and I don't get super in-depth about it. I'm limited in what I can say about crime since it's so subjective what is "safe" and what's not. As a licensed real estate broker I essentially have to direct people to public sources of information and recommend doing your own due diligence, which is probably not helpful to hear
Anyone trying to avoid crime should absolutely settle in North County or North St. Louis City. Don't be fooled by the surprisingly low housing prices!
@@LivingStLouis Yes, the real estate industry washed their hands of reality, took crime statistics off of their websites... why tell people the truth and sell less houses?
I travel there for work purposes. It's got nice areas, but if choosing a place to buy a home or live, I would also check the crime rate. Like the informative video and explanations!
Absolutely agree. As a licensed broker I have to direct people to public sources of information and say do your own due diligence, but it's very important to research and decide what qualifies as a "safe" area for you personally
Very nice job. Very PC assessment. I would have done it more like the Hot/Crazy Matrix. This is your no go zone. This is your trap houses, urban camping… 😂
Hahaha fair- very PC indeed. Have to be careful what I say because I’m not trying to violate fair housing in these videos! I can’t tell people there’s a no go zone!
@@LivingStLouisCompletely understandable, it’s good advertising. That video would have been HORRIBLE during the red lining days. 😳
Federal law prohibits anyone from mentioning inconvenient statistics like the probability of falling victim to nuisances like armed robbery, home invasion, or being murdered so quickly you don't realize it even happened.
A lot of talk about crime in the comments. I live in a gated mansion in Huntleigh and we have very little crime. I did think that my newspaper was stolen once, but it turned out that it was delivered to my neighbor Steve. Wouldn’t you know it, he just took it for himself. I’m watching you Steve!
If you have kids or intending to have kids and move in St.Louis city, you will be sending your kids to a private school.
If anyone is considering moving to the Metro-East, Belleville, O'Fallon, and Edwardsville are all worth considering. East St. Louis is still a no-go.
As a former Illinois Refugee 17 years ago, I would not consider Belleville for the same reasons the city is not a good choice. I grew up in Edwardsville and I prefer St. Louis traffic to that parking lot.
@@jamesalemanwhat's wrong with belleville
@@tiamia2370 On the East side of the Mississippi, it has higher crime than further North in the metro east. On the east side of the Metro East, I would avoid East St. Louis, Sauget, Centreville, Venice, Madison, Washington Park, Cahokia, Belleville, and Fairview Heights. I have lived in Fairmont Park a couple of years, Collinsville a few years, and Glen Carbon around 25 years. I fled Illinois around 2007. I have lived in Missouri about 17 years.
recommend not living near the Bridgeton dump unless you like the smell of sulfur and potentially grow a third arm!
And airplanes flying low.
Valley Park!
Just witnessed my first robbery at a NOCO gas station this weekend while visiting. Stay away from Ferguson and NOCO area.
Oh gosh
If you can drive here. You can drive anywhere.
When it comes to commute, I feel like you completely ignored the transit options that available. It felt as if you were talking as if you were assuming one might be driving. I personally dont own a car and take the train to work as my main form of commute.
Yes that's a fair point, I usually talk with the assumption most people will need a car but you're absolutely right to point out the metrolink is a viable option for getting around
The Metrolink is not a safe option for most Americans. I would prefer spending the night on a Chicago or New york subway than 15 minutes on it. I stopped using it circa 2017 and thats why I think I am still here.
St. louis I-270 loop during rush hour
This is Dynamite
🙌🙌🙌
Good video and all very try, been in St. Louis area since 1987. As others have commented it is a bit of a odd place that is segregated by race and money.
Agree. Thanks for watching!
Came to defend Overland's honor as part of North County but you got it right. Folks seem to forget the entire strip between Page & I-70 exists. I know we're quiet and boring but come on man.
If you want to avoid HOAs, a fair chunk of mid-county and southern NOCO is unaffiliated. Craftsman, magazine bungalow, art deco art nouveau, and brick are some of the keywords to look for. Some parts may have established one years after building (mostly to write segregationist residency covenants) but for the most part if it was built before the Korean War and the street looks hodge-podge you're free of HOA nonsense.
Hi.
moving to st louis? things to know. your car will be broken into/ or hit by a another, people are either really nice or shitty and NEVER... travel off the free way while in the north metro area. good luck.
Who is out here saying Mid County?
It comes up occasionally but the term doesn't get used as often as north/south/west county
North County is steadily declining and has been for years. True, it is mostly do to age of the majority of the housing and after WWII when subdivisions were a new thing this area wasn't where the high dollar housing was built such as Ladue, etc. I've spent my lifetime in N. County, 65 years, my first 3 were in Ferguson and the rest in Florissant. Most (if not all.) people don't know that many, many decades ago Florissant was once named the 2nd safest city in the U.S. when compared to other cities of the same population in reported crime. Is Florissant the worse it gets when it comes to crime? No, not at all, but I do believe in 30 to 40 years this will become a challenge.
All of North County will be considered a low income area such as East St. Louis, IL. today. With even older housing in 30 to 40 years (add that to some are nearing and more than 70 years old.) than it already is today and very little to no new redevelopments you'll began to see subdivisions where vacant houses demolished and others boarded-up. This already exists in parts of N. County. This is just part of the life cycle of a many areas around the U.S. and around the world. Watch "Meet Me in St. Louis" and you'll see what the housing and life once was inside 'some' of the city limits.
Just an older area?
Give it a break.
There are gas station robberies in Florissant now!... etc... etc... founded in the 1700s and now all wasted.
@@malachi-
...and you've spent your life in Florissant or any part of North St. Louis County as I have? If you have/did then are you part of the running scared White Flight? BTW, I am white.
Your internet research is incomplete on Florissant. Speaking of that what in the hell does founded in the 1700s have to do with your "Gas station robberies!... etc... etc..." ? lol!
In fact, if you did proper research you would have found that gas station robberies have happened in almost all areas of St. Louis County, north, west and south counties. If you watch local St. Louis news you will see stories of criminals going into upper middle class neighborhoods (not in North St. Louis County.) committing crimes, such as stealing vehicles and breaking into vehicles looking for anything to take. These are facts.
You, also are uneducated in the matter of middle class cities that are among the oldest that surround major cites (population in the millions.) and what happens as the many, many decades pass with housing expansion in other parts of the metropolitan area. This happens to ALL major cities in the U.S.
My first suggestion to you is to educate yourself. Then, maybe you could learn to write proper paragraphs instead meandering all over the "place."
*Maybe you're the one that should "Give it a break."*
Brentwood is perfect because it is exactly 20 minutes away from everything
there's a reason that part north of st. charles is all farm, its all flood plane for the Mississippi lol
Yes absolutely
St louis is a awsome place to raise a family but the city has ups and downs over the past 50 years.
Your statement about HOA's is false. They are rare in STL metro.
I’m gonna have to disagree with you there. When it comes to St. Louis county and St Charles county in particular, they’re very common. Perhaps in the surrounding counties less so, but those 2 are the biggest in population and we deal with them a lot.
@@LivingStLouis Sorry that has not been my experience in the STL Metro trades for 30 years. The only HOAs I have run across were in some gated communities in Chesterfield and Wildwood has some but their city rules are also extremely strict. Additionally, I have not received any HOA videos from yoootooob in the STL Metro. Same for St. Charles. OTOH some municipalities have become hard nose on appearance inspections to keep the riff raff out. lol
@@rcstl8815 Sounds like we have two very different experiences dealing with HOA’s then
@@LivingStLouis I'm a bit of a dummy! It totally slipped my old mind that I have helped the HOA board at the yuppie farm I live next to! lol But They are a new development and otherwise I don't see many in the old stock neighborhoods.
Great explanation of our layout. Years ago, i lived in the City, moved away to a very small town, back to South County, and now i guess it is West St Louis County. Very happy here! 🌷🌿
I'm so glad you love it! Out of curiosity, what was the small town you lived in? Somewhere near St. Louis or elsewhere?
@LivingStLouis Clarksville MO for about 7 years. About 600 people years ago. Way down now, I think. We had lots of house parties, Chamber of Commerce parties (painting trash cans for the city), and Boat Club parties. No fast food or pizza deliveries there, so we had to cook. Had some great times. Worked for a vocational school and then Dundee Cement, which is now closed.
Oh wow! Seems like a totally different lifestyle compared to being near the city but it sounds very peaceful and like a great community
@LivingStLouis I moved there in January. In April, we had a huge flood. There was a rowboat tied to a utility pole in front of the house we were renting. Now that was a shock for this city girl!
Ohh wow.. I bet that would DEFINITELY be a shock!!
It should also be known that if you live in St. Louis city that you have to give the city 2% of your gross income at tax time for no fucking reason.
They also don’t tell you this and will have the tax collector come after you three years after the fact with late fees.
1) from observation south county, st. Charles county, and east stl are the only areas I’ve seen mobile home neighborhoods… to give insight on the full range of housing options existent in metro area..
Being said, if you’re in the market for a mobile home, this guy is clearly not the RE agent to inquire towards… 💩the way he was glazing the sprawl, you’d think he was the main reason for the blood time myth in wrestling 😂...
Further, its worth noting that if from like CA or FL that our elevation is generally high but varies wildly among many relative peaks and valleys throughout neighborhoods so... Flash flood weather proofing and being at a peak is ideal but theres no inherent reason NOT to have a basement. I honestly imagine many if not most of few slab foundations were paranoid movers without geographical context.
Last point: there’s a lot of gentrification of more affordable areas anyway. LRA if you have the skill set… but since it’s the Midwest, know that it’s weirder to not acknowledge people so if you’re in the choose to renovate or build in a more affordable area like North STL, if anyone seems to be staring, just give them a 👌🏽 and a smile to let em know you’re friendly and mean no harm. 😬😇 happy home hunting.
From some of the things I've heard about St. Louis, I pass.
To each their own 😄
It's not a safe city (except a few areas that very few can afford.) Saint Louis WAS a decent place to make money when the cost of living was low. Now with inflation it isn't worth it anymore dealing with high crime rate and safety issues. Prepare to have your car broken into even in previously known as "safe" areas. And that's not even bringing race tensions into the mix that makes STL the most segregated city in the midwest.
You missed 50% of the suburbs across the river
The title of this video says St Louis, MO instead of IL for a reason and I also very explicitly explained that in the first 3 minutes
Not a mistake...
I drive to St Louis every day for work from Illinois, the place is a dump and crime ridden. I bet half the drivers don't even have insurance. Thank God I only have one year left until retirement!!
For God's sake, don't mention when you only have 2 days left until retirement, that doesn't end well in 80's horror films.
Haven't shown lemay but show Affton lmao
To be fair most areas were not shown in this vid. Very high level overview with a few highlights but I can’t do a deep dive on every single town here
I suspect that St Charles will become the next North County.
How do you mean that?
@LivingStLouis The same racial dynamic that played out in parts of North County appears to be starting in St. Charles. The dynamic can't be stopped once it gets going.
@@simonbagelst Charles Wack
Imagine raising kids out there rather stay in st.louis then st.peters/Saint Charles
MOVE TO ILLINOIS