Author: MelissaBeckoff
Date: 07/31/2006, 08:17 am
My DH and I are looking to relocate from NJ to a slower, more relaxed way of life;One where you know your neighbors and you help one another out. We are a couple in our late 40's with 2 teens.Is there any place left like that in america?
Thanks
melissa

I guess that the above post was closed as I culd not reply to it.

My husband has done some reserach and feels that he could find a job in ST Louis,MO.
What areas are good to live in and what should we avoid? We want to be 30-45 minutes outside of the city.
Thanks
Melissa

Anyone???

I am glad you may consider St.Louis as your new home.

Have you been here yet?

It really depends on Budget, School district ( or will they go Private?)
New or Old

If you could supply more details I could help. St. Louis county is HUGE!
What part of town will DH be working in do you think? You do not want a horrible commute I assume.

post back with more details, I will be happy to help.

BTW, It is my opinion that STL is not a slow and relaxed city to live in.... as compared to some other cities in the south perhaps.

Well...that is a very broad qustion, and you have not really defined what you are looking for. I think you would be much better served by knowing where your hubands job is, so that you could figure out what kind of commute he is willing to make.

The other questions involve where are you planning to send you children to school. Is this for this fall?? My son starts school on Aug. 21, so you really don't have much time. Some schools start the week before that.

It is probably too late to apply to many private schools, but maybe not if you are looking at parochial schools. There are many in St. Louis and surrounding areas.

There are good school districts in St. Louis County and St. Charles County (which fit your criteria of being outside of the city limits.) Clayton and Ladue are the two best districts in the state, have the most expensive, on average, housing, and are not nearly as far as 30-45 mins. away from the city limits. Parkway, Kirkwood, Rockwood, Francis Howell, Fort Zumwalt are all well regarded. You have to figure out what your housing price range is to figure out where you want to live.

I grew up in NYC and have been in St. Louis for almost 30 years. I do not think that we are more relaxed or slower than the East coast, or any better at knowing our neighbors than your current neighbors in NJ.

Yes...I miss the Small Town thread

My parents did live in St Louis for a time before I was born- (they say) Great place, but not slow or relaxing It's a city! (But that could just be b/c my dad hates commuting)

And obviously your first consideration should be the actual job, then the schools, and THEN the location

Best of luck!

Liz5959 - Great minds think alike!!!

....

There's also the Metro East side. As I mentioned on the small towns thread, the town where I grew up (and most of my husband's family still lives) has lots of people who commute to St. Louis to work. There are a wide range of towns and small cities in Illinois within commuting distance of St. Louis.

Why do you think any big city is going to be different?

Clayton, Ladue and west of the city are lovely areas; friends of ours still live in Ballwin, which *used* to be out in the middle of no where and is now quite suburban; they were happy with schools and services, though it's a bit "red state" for them in terms of politics.

Yeees- but part of the beauty of choosing to live in a small town(at least to me) is not having to commute!

Yes, mooselywild, but small towns usually don't have lots of employment opportunities.

I've only visited but I can't imagine thinking St. Louis is going to be slower or more relaxed! Good luck to you, though!

Joanne
http://www.vacationing-with-kids.com

Yes, Anne...we DO have great minds ! And we often seem to think alike.

Anyone who is currently commuting from the East side into STL will be moaning and complaining about the resurfacing on the Poplar St. Bridge and the incredibly increased commute times. We were at Busch Stadium last friday night, and the east bound traffic over the bridge (viewable through an interesting hole in the stadium) did not ease up until about 8:30.

And, it's still too darned HOT here!

Liz5959 - I was at that game too with my 3 children and 3 of their friends.

I have a freind who lives in Shiloh,Il because he can get so much more for the money. He loves the quiet as compared to STL but that commute over the bridge is awful.

There is a new community in St Charles or St Peters that is called something like "New Town"...or some such name.
I hear it is nice, a "planned" community. Very close to your neighbors! Literally.

I think you need to explore the area. Quite frankly, 30 minutes outside of St. Louis isn't going to be that different than where you live in NJ. Same kind of suburbs, same kind of stores, probably less affluent. If you own a home in NJ, you are going to be able to buy ALOT for your dollars.

You seem to be escaping NJ, but your criteria of what you are looking for are a little vague and, maybe, unrealistic. What are your priorities?

Well, it will only be "less affluent" in St. Louis depending on both where in St. Louis she chooses to live, and where she currently lives in NJ. The assumption that ALL suburban St. Louis housing is cheaper than ALL of NJ housing is a little skewed.

But I do agree that the OP's criteria is vague, and she would benefit from additional research and understanding of what drives her decison to consider moving to STL.

Anne...depressing game, wasn't it? But at least the Cards have won the three games since last Friday!

Liz, I very much agree with you about the OP needing to do more research to be sure that a move to St. Louis is what she's really looking for.

MikeT, I respectfully disagree with you re the similarity of suburbs 30 minutes out. Due to growth in the area, I can't speak for Missouri 30 minutes out. But I know that it's possible to get 30 minutes out on the Illinois side and not be in suburbs. The towns and small cities in the Metro East area are old, well-established entities unto themselves. They aren't suburbs. Not to mention that this is the Midwest. There are still lots of farming communities not far out of St. Louis. NJ is part of megalopolis, St. Louis isn't!

I have friends that live in Chesterfield and it was nice when we visited them. St Louis is a bustling city though, it's no NYC but it is busy. I love to visit there but have never loved there so I can't help too much.

There are still farming communities in New Jersey! My sister lives smack in the middle of one. I thought I knew "country roads" since I live in the suburbs...that is until I visited her!

Melissa if you are unhappy in your neighborhood, you really need to figure out the real reasons why. Just my 2cents.

Very good point, STW. And certainly something that should be done before a drastic move!

I know that all of NJ isn't densely populated. But don't you have to get quite a ways out of the city? Just curious! Of course, I may be assuming that Melissa lives closer to NYC than she actually does.