If you are considering St Charles county be aware of the fact that it is across the Missouri River-the traffic on the freeways and bridges trying to get to St Charles can be a nightmare. But as the above poster mentioned you can get housing and acerage at a very attractive cost.

I am surprised to hear about the high priced houses in the midwest...I thought they were the kinds of prices one saw on the West and East coasts. I also expected to see the acreage in the midwest that one doesn't usually find on the heavily populated coasts.
I'm getting a lot of advice on different areas, but how far (miles or timewise) are they from St. Louis itself?
Sheila, my concern about school systems matches yours...we purchased our house in "one of the best school systems" (rated #2, I believe) in the area, and found it lacking; that's why my kids are in private school. The public schools "play to the average" so if your child is bright and likes the challenges of extra work, many teachers won't put in the time for it because they have to control the ADD kids or kids with other "issues". I only found one teacher in our system who gave my kids the extra work they wanted and kept the class interested in everything, no matter how many kinds of kids there were in the classroom.
PS My kids want to know...do you get a lot of tornadoes in Missouri?

Catherine,we are in Wildwood, which is the Rockwood School District. We are about 30 miles west of the city. It takes approx. 45-50 minutes during rush hour to get home. On the weekend it takes only about 30 minutes to get downtown. I have lived in other areas of St Louis-Richmond Heights and North County, I far prefer West County because of the schools. My children attend public schools;I have been very pleased with their progress.

Caterine I forgot to address your childrens question. Yes, we get tornadoes in Mo. but they touch down rarely. I've been in St Louis 45 years and have only seen a tornado touch down once. It is an element of nature that we cannot control.

I found this post and found it quite useful. However, I wonder if anyone can update the information on real estate prices, school systems, etc. Has much changed since 9/00? We may be moving to the St. Louis area in the next year or so and it would be useful to have updated information.
Thanks.

I know this is an old post - but wondered if some St. Louis natives would care to update some information? We have children in the middle school/high school range that we would be considering. Based on prior posts - I would prefer the Clayton area - being more central. Yet I think I"d prefer having the larger house/pay for private schools vs. smaller house/good public schools. I would prefer a more central location vs. the 'burbs. Any recommendations on the top private/parochial middle/high schools?

Hi:

I grew up in St. Louis, but, have been away for many years. I still, however, have family that lives there. They are scattered...some in Frontenac, some in Creve Coeur and others in Chesterfield.

I graduated from Ladue High School. Have you considered
perhaps, Frontenac? Very high end..with private schools and LARGE homes.

Although in the suburbs, if not previously mentioned...what about Chesterfield? I believe that would be the Parkway School District. You should be able to get a nice, large house there.

Regardless, it's a Buyer's Market...now would be the time to buy!

Hello Again BlueSlipper:

My brother, who lives in St. Louis, forwarded this list of Private Parochial Schools.. Middle/High Schools in St. Louis. Hope this helps.

1) MICDS ---MARY INSTITUTE / COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
2) JOHN BURROUGHS SCHOOL
3) CBC HIGH SCHOOL--CHRISTIAN BROTHERS PREPATORY COLLEGE
4) DESMET
5) PRIORY
6) CHAMINADE

Thanks Welig12 - I appreciate the information! From re-reading my prior post - I don't want to give the impression we're anything but middle class. We would be moving from an average sized town with excellent schools - so I'm anticipating housing might be higher than we experience now. The priority is good schools - but of course, want a few more amenities in the "next" house than we currently have. I would love a swimming pool for those humid summers...but not sure if that is realistic $$. Thanks again for any "insider scoop."

Hi Blueslipper:

As mentioned previously, I grew up in St. Louis. I am
currently a realtor in SE Florida. I have a contact realtor that I work with for helping family and friends with their housing needs in the St Louis area. She would be quite helpful. If you are interested..please contact me for further information. [email protected]

Blue Slipper - I am happy to answer questions - I have and had children at several of those private schools.

I grew up in Clayton and live very close to there now. I also used to sell realestate in this area and could lend you some opinions.

Please feel to email me at:
annsherrodat hotmail.com