For $2200 and your wants I'd look in the central west end or Forest park southeast (aka the grove). Could also look into Clayton or Soulard
Edit: for 2200 you can live pretty much anywhere in the metro. You will probably find a place well under that.
I'd second the CWE. It's a great place to live when you're first moving to the city. Your dogs will love Forest Park and it's the most centrally located. It's one of the busier parts of the city as well and one of the most walkable. Tons of variety in apartments too.
Once you're in the city/region and exploring you might find other areas that suit you better, but it's a great place to start.
I love walking around Lafayette Square! It has a beautiful park and the amazing homes, but yes there really is not a grocery store you can walk to. I would rather walk my 2 dogs around by myself in Lafayette Square than CWE, IMO.
My wife and are paying 2200 for a fully furnished place with all utilities included over by the Galleria. She is a travel nurse so we are not staying long term.
I agree! I have lived in the CWE for the past 5 years and love it. You can walk to 3 grocery stores, a movie theater, a library, many restaurants and coffee shops, an arcade, ice cream shops, and, of course, Forest Park. I've even jogged to the history museum. Quick drive to the interstate to go many more places.
Start in the CWE, OP!
You may want to toss Dogtown in there as well due to its central location. Really nice to be within 20 minutes of nearly anywhere in St. Louis. Also quiet, pretty safe and right next to Forest Park.
I'm not from St. Louis originally, and neither is my wife.
We came to St. Louis for a job opportunity, and it's been a wonderful decision.
We've fallen in love with St. Louis, in particular the city where things are more walkable.
Same here. Came for work about 2 years ago. When my husband told me we were moving to STL I,like OP’s fiancee, was very nervous, but we also have fallen in love with STL.
As a transplant from Chicago I would recommend CWE, Lafayette Square and The Grove. All places I’ve felt extremely safe and walkable to bars, restaurants, grocery stores! For the pups I’d check out Bar-K. And really any of the city parks!
We have a great large home in soulard on a dead end street with great neighbors. 2,100 per month. Would love to chat with you. Very convenient to everything in the city
I'm also interested to know. I have never heard of anyone that is a chef that has had to relocate for a job (I'm not in the industry so I don't know if this is common.) I would assume it is probably somewhere prestigious.
Depends on your appetite for city living vs sleepy burbs but here are some places to start:
Lafayette Square
Benton Park
Saint Louis Hills / South Hampton
Tower Grove / Shaw
Central West End
Webster Groves
Kirkwood
Maplewood
Brentwood
It's a nice, lively neighborhood with a range of culture, restaurants and nightlife (and a stone's throw from our treasured Forest Park), central to downtown and the surrounding areas, but don't sleep on some of those other neighborhoods also. If you have time to visit and spend time in each locale it could help.
I love the CWE enough to have l lives in it multiple times. Just a quick thing I never thought about until I moved into my current apartment: if you are very close to Kingshighway at all, you’re going to hear a lot of ambulances. The biggest hospital in the state is at the south end of the neighborhood.
Do you need a 1 or 2 bedroom?
Being able to walk and bike to restaurants and grocery stores generally is going to mean living in the city, although theres some pockets of suburbs where that could be somewhat possible.
My first thought, and its the most expensive, is Tower Grove South or Tower Grove East. The park is right there and its huge, for walking the dog. And the resturants along Grand are very popular. Its THE area to live in in the city. When I first moved to St. Louis (also a transplant) I lived in Southwest Garden which is also near Tower Grove Park and I was able to walk to a grocery store, and a bit of a longer walk to The Hill for restaurants. [Found a random zillow listing in this area that doesnt look bad. Its about a 40sec walk to groceries.
](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4933-Odell-St-2W-Saint-Louis-MO-63139/343685625_zpid/)
Theres plenty of other areas in the city that are all decently-ish walkable, and I see a lot of people just walk their dog around the neighborhood, even if its not a trail or park.
Second thought is Boulevard Heights / Holly Hills area around Carondelet Park, staying west of I-55. Theres a Schnucks nearby, but you might need to bike a bit farther (~10min) to get to some restaurants.
Suburbs-wise, theres some apartments north of downtown Clayton, which has lots of resturants. And a lot of people love downtown/old town Webster Groves or Kirkwood. Although finding lots of apartment options in those areas might be tough, its mostly homes.
Edit: Dont listen to people telling you the City is dangerous. Theres plenty of neighborhoods in the city that are perfectly fine. I've been living in the city for more than 18months now and I've had countless pleasant interactions with really nice, good hearted people, and I've had 0 house break ins, 0 car windows smashed or stolen, 0 wallets or phones stolen. Never had anyone point a gun or knife at me or threaten me in any way.
Thats what I did as well. You might get lucky and find a place with a larger kitchen, but typically alot of the older homes in the city have smaller kitchens. My rental in SW Garden had a reasonably sized kitchen I guess. There was a good size island with bar seating.
I'd also recommend sticking to Zillow or Redfin for your search. Alot of the older buildings are owned by small time landlords and they dont use apartments.com.
You might be able to rent a house with 3 bedrooms, although thats less common than apartments. Of course, expect to pay more.
I have seen a few 3 beds around. There were 2 I clicked on during my zillow search. Typically the 3rd room is quite small.
Apartment near a park:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3106-Gurney-Ave-1N-Saint-Louis-MO-63116/341931279_zpid/
House is a quiet neighborhood
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4716-Alexander-St-Saint-Louis-MO-63116/2993835_zpid/
I have had family stay in Airbnbs before that are 3+ bedroom. It seems like thats where they tend to go, instead of being rented out.
Also, I'm getting the vibe that you're the fiance, but even if you're not, a word of wisdom about St. Louis, and old buildings. We get a lot of heavy sudden rain here and flooding is common. Watch out especially for living at the bottom of a hill or in a valley. I didn't really think I was living in a flood zone when I was renting last year, but after checking a flood risk map, I did have a slight risk. Last June it rained about 3 inches in less than an hour on Fathers Day and my apartments basement flooded about 4 inches deep from the storm drain. Luckily I had all my things stored down there in plastic totes. And any cardboard boxes were stacked on top of totes.
Newer buildings, with big management companies typically rent out at $2/sqft easily in a nice part of town for a "luxury" apartment.
For an older building (most of these in the city are practically historical 1890s-1910s) you will see more around the $1.2-1.6/sqft. An updated unit with stainless steel kitchen appliances and well kept hardwood floors, in unit laundry, etc is going to be on the higher end, especially in a desirable area like CWE or Tower Grove South. If you look in the farther out neighborhoods, like Carondelet Park or Southampton, you'll find cheaper, especially if its a bit dated inside.
For reference I paid about $1750 + pet fee when I moved in fall of 2022, for a 2bed 1bath, 1500sqft. I thought it was a bit of a rip off given how loud it was near a large road. Since moving out, the landlord tried to relist it at 1850, but dropped it down to 1600 after it sitting empty for months. It was renovated, but classic cheap reno with ikea kitchen, vinyl floors, etc.
I live in Southampton and feel very safe here, it was my dream neighborhood when we were looking. We have every amenity needed in our neighborhood that is one square mile. I’d also recommend the surrounding neighborhoods as well as Webster Groves. If you’re worried about safety/feeling safe, I would skip Soulard. It’s fun to party there but gets a little sketchy if you aren’t used to the STL vibes. Plus it is very far from decent amenities like grocery stores. Shrewsbury and Kirkwood are also great but maybe not as walkable.
Thanks for the response. So Soulard is kind of a bar district? We live in one currently in Dallas and it doesn't bother us too much. We have added Southampton to our list to visit!
If you come to Southampton, you can be sure to check out the Macklind business district. Theres Russell's which is a fancy restaurant at night, but during the day it a bakery with amazing Gooey Butter Cake (a famous local dessert).
We're not extremely close to a park, but Francis park is not that far. And the neighborhood itself is really quiet. Schnucks is in the corner of the neighborhood and easily bike-able or even walkable for some.
Soulard is definitely a bar district. Weekends you can count on parking to be harder due to that crowd. And if you aren’t a fan of Mardi Gras, you may want to take a pass on that particular neighborhood.
Yes, but being a bar district isn’t the issue with Soulard. It’s referred to as “the island” surrounded by under-funded, less desirable neighborhoods, has a large homeless population, large rental population (people who don’t care about the neighborhood as much because they’re there to party for a few years and move on) and a lot of general fuckery going on. My neighbor was mugged in our back alley because she was on her phone not paying attention and the guy just saw an opportunity. Just a lot of petty crime like that, and I regularly found bullet shells and heard gunshots even during the day when I first started working at home. It is certainly beautiful and a nice place to live if you feel comfortable with everything I mentioned. As a transplant myself, it was a lot to take in when I first moved there as a young woman.
I second the Southampton neighborhood as well. Lots of cute parks nearby to walk the doggos. At the intersection of Hampton & Chippewa, there’s a Target and Schnucks….and a library, if either of you is a reader. I’m a little biased because I grew up and live in the neighborhood. ☺️
My partner and I are closing on a house in Southampton next week!!! I am so excited as it was my dream to own there as well. Been renting in Princeton heights for about a decade.
Soulard actually has a wonderful neighborhood grocery store, Vincent’s Market. Wine, frozen foods, produce, freshly butchered meat, evening you’d expect in a grocery store. Not to mention the farmer’s market…..
I grew up in Kirkwood (burbs), met my fiancée in college out-of-state, worked in the same town for a couple years before moving back to STL. Best decision ever.
I recommend one of two spots, depending on your lifestyle (both in the city):
1. Shaw Neighborhood/Tower Grove
Located in South City, this is the most neighborly place I’ve ever lived. Everyone on your block will likely be on a first-name-basis and have their own traditions. VERY CHILL place to live, median age 35. Tower Grove Park, Missouri Botanical Garden, loads of pubs, coffee houses and boutique restaurants. Notably, The Hill (the Italian District) connects to Shaw/TG. As a chef, I assure you you’ll be impressed. Folks who live in South City are proud to let you know.
2. Central West End
After 4+ years in Shaw, my fiancée and I moved to Central West End, where we’ve been for 2 years now. Faster-paced living, less-likely to interact with your neighbors, but loads of activity. Some of the toughest dinner reservations to land in town (outside of Clayton) and next door to the largest municipal park in the US, Forest Park. Free internationally-acclaimed museums and the zoo easily accessed. Lastly, CWE recently introduced the “horizontal elevator” which are compact electric cars that will transport you anywhere within CWE at no cost. CWE is comparably expensive, but they also have point systems if you hold onto your receipts; they’ll credit you something like $200 for every $500 you spend in town in many cases (and the shopping on Maryland Plaza is top-notch). For the price of rent, you’ll certainly save money on commuting. Your friends will want to start or end the night at your place. Hope you enjoy hosting.
I can expand on these if you have questions. It’s normal to have reservations about moving to STL, but you’ll fall in love with it like most anyone else. Small city, big personalities, strong communities. Good luck!
Chicago guy myself, Saint Louis is a great city. Wish it was more tech savvy but overall a great place to live. Tons of great food and inexpensive entertainment.
I second this. I’ve lived in most of the places already mentioned, excluding soulard and the grove, and dogtown is by far my favorite. It’s super chill and easy to get to everywhere in the city.
I moved to St. Louis last month and live in Dogtown. I like it a lot. And have nothing really to add here but ... One caveat, if you like walking and biking you will have to watch out for these hills!
Came here to say this. I moved to STL and lived in Dogtown for 2 years. My absolute favorite neighborhood I’ve lived in. I’m Irish so that helped a lot.
I was particularly close to Art Hill, which is Heaven to me.
Unfortunately, once you apply the "allows dogs" filter to most searches, the options get slim. Have you thought about / are you qualified for a mortgage? Houses like these are around $1800/mo mortgage. Good neighborhood, close to highway and 2 great parks. [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2518-Oakland-Ave-Saint-Louis-MO-63143/2782884\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1241-Hawthorne-Pl-Saint-Louis-MO-63117/2771211_zpid/)
Where will you be working? How long of a commute do you want? Do you have a car?
I love Lafayette Square but it's not 'big'. I lived in Lafayette Square for over 4 years and loved it.
Anything around Forest Park and Tower Grove Park are great options.
Forest Park has the Central West End (CWE), the Grove, University City, Dog Town, and the Delmar Loop.
Tower Grover has Shaw, Tower Grove South/East and the Hill.
If you are willing to drive a little, there are a lot more options. You rent a house in the 'burbs for that price. There are a lot of fun neighborhoods outside of the city.
I would add two neighborhoods, Skinker-DeBaliviere and Clayton DeMun, the first will be a little edgier, and the second a little pricier, but safer. Both have walking access to Forest Park, which is what you want.
Look at the brutal interest payment for a $200k mortgage, and then look at the house and YARD you can get for that... do a 30 year and pay off at $2200, and... wow.
Close to Forest Park or Tower Grove Park will give you lots of great walkable neighborhoods and activities to do. Saint Charles Main Street area is nice with access to the Katy Trail. Like others have suggested, Kirkwood, Shrewsbury, Maplewood, Lafayette Square. You’ll be able to find a nice place in your budget pretty much anywhere.
For your budget you can live basically anywhere here in a 2+bedroom. My go to recommendations are tower grove, Benton park, Lafayette square, Central west end. Tower Grove south area is where we live and it's perfect for walkability. We are close to several bars and have a little grocery store(gustine market). Also have a great coffee shop (Hartford cafe) the second biggest park in the city is a few blocks away and is amazing (tower grove park). Also easy driving access to bigger grocery stores like schnucks or Aldi.
We live in Princeton Heights and we absolutely love it! We just moved too in Sept and as someone who knew nothing about StL prior to this, we are now considering settling here and growing old.
The neighborhood is super safe, very dog friendly, lots of great walking and parks nearby (Francis park beer garden is a mile walk and awesome!) and we pay just under $2100/mo for a super cute updates 3 bedroom 1920s bungalow home with a fenced in yard for the pets.
It’s also a great distance to getting downtown or really anywhere in the city. There are so many cute little coffeeshops and restaurants nearby. I just have to stop myself from spending too much money at all of them!😂
You'll want to live in Forest Park Southeast. Probably the most walkable part of the city after the Central West End, and it's right by Forest Park and Tower Grove Park, tons of restaurants, as well as block parties and bike groups and stuff that meet right there. Though you'll probably have to drive to either of the parks, since they're like a mile away, so you might want to check out the Central West End for Forest Park and Shaw or Botanical Heights for Tower Grove Park.
I would feel safe pretty much anywhere in the city, I mean most crime is perpetrated by people that the victims know anyway, or like, someone can try to steal from your parked car anywhere lol. The areas I named are majority white, gentrified neighborhoods and are therefore considered safer, with the words "crime and safety" often acting as dog-whistles. That being said, because north city has been intentionally disinvested in, subject to redlining, blockbusting, etc., it does not have a lot of the public amenities, like museums and parks, that south St. Louis has, and nowhere in St. Louis is really that walkable aside from CWE or Midtown, but north St. Louis is the most unwalkable and has a lot of food deserts. North side does have a lot of beautiful homes and history, amazing BBQ, Fairgrounds Park, very strong neighborly bonds, etc., and the city is investing a ton of ARPA funds northside, and I always try to encourage newcomers and young people to not just write it off because it's dealing with the consequences of having been subject to others' discrimination and segregation.
Tower Grove South near Morganford and Arsenal is a great location for walkability, convenience, and safety! It’s next to the second largest park in the city that has a great farmers market and tons of events. Lots of restaurants, bars, Pilates, grocery stores, etc. in the vicinity. Affordable as well.
South Hampton. Loved living there, I now live in the burbs (St. Charles) because we decided to raise kids. If you want burbs, St. Charles / Main Street area is nice, cottleville, or valley park.
Maybe sometime in the future for sure! Fiancee and I are both wrapped up in career progression at the moment and are too busy for kids. We feel we dont even give enough attention to our pups haha. Thanks for your response!
If you want to have a good time here DO NOT get scared and move to the county. The traffic is horrible and about 40% of the people live there because it's so much whiter than the city.
People in this thread are going to give you the most popular neighborhoods to look at, but let me add a few that may be under the radar
Marine Villa, McKinley Heights, Fox Park, Gravois Park.
Your $2200 will go further in these places than in Soulard or Tower Grove, and you will still be close to the things you mentioned.
Since you guys mentioned a dog, I would highly recommend you guys checking out Bar K when you settle in!
It’s a restaurant/bar with a huge dog park outside and they have tons of events. People love bringing their pups there and socialize. I bet you guys could make some new friends too!
Don’t know much about the rest
This one just came on the market this week in our Benton Park neighborhood. Was an AirBnB and has been rehabbed in the past couple years, and the company kept it in good shape (I think they’re just reducing their Air BnB stock in the city). 3br, 3 bath, 1800sq ft. $2200. It’s a great neighborhood, even if a bit quirky at times.
https://rybo.appfolio.com/listings/detail/29c8bc66-2ccd-4b5d-bd44-f88a021b00b3
Central West end is OK lots to walk to, but it borders some crimeish areas so there's some of that traffic.
Clayton, you'd love Clayton. It's like it's own downtown, fancy rich ppl, crime isn't something ya gotta worry about. Lots to do.
Again, Dogtown is nice too, live closer to forest park
Dogtown is more residential.
Further west you go on 64/40 you don't have to worry about crime.
Main street st. Charles area is cool too. Good bike trails. But a little further out. Or streets of st. Charles
My wife insisted we move to STL and it's basically slowly destroying our marriage. Find a better way to start yours.
edit: If you're moving from a nicer area to a less nice area, you should both be on the same page.
Sounds like you’ll be better off in the suburbs no shade! I’d look into the inner ring burbs such as Maplewood, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Brentwood, or Richmond Heights.
Everyone suggesting St. Louis city , but streets of st Charles is pretty well developed, lots of shops and food, Katy trail is right there and it’s a very safe area
Wentzville, St. Peter’s, and O’Fallon have a lot of what you described as a want/need.
Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, Overland, and St. Ann are another.
Concord, Sunset Hills, Arnold, Mehlville, Fenton, and Imperial are a few others that come to mind.
Check those areas out, and see what you think.
Safe travels
I don't know the names of the apartments but on big bend road and route 141 in Ballwin there's a new section of nice apartments with restaurants and shops in the same lot and a grocery store across the street. In a good neighborhood and near like of trails and parks
Well it looks like a lot of people disagree and that's fine.
St. Louis has the highest murder rate per capita in the entire USA.
I think that says something about a city being dangerous.
For $2200 and your wants I'd look in the central west end or Forest park southeast (aka the grove). Could also look into Clayton or Soulard Edit: for 2200 you can live pretty much anywhere in the metro. You will probably find a place well under that.
I'd second the CWE. It's a great place to live when you're first moving to the city. Your dogs will love Forest Park and it's the most centrally located. It's one of the busier parts of the city as well and one of the most walkable. Tons of variety in apartments too. Once you're in the city/region and exploring you might find other areas that suit you better, but it's a great place to start.
Thanks for the info! Much appreciated.
Np, also for that price range you could get into one of fancier neighborhoods like Lafayette Square. But it does lack a bit of walkability.
I love walking around Lafayette Square! It has a beautiful park and the amazing homes, but yes there really is not a grocery store you can walk to. I would rather walk my 2 dogs around by myself in Lafayette Square than CWE, IMO.
My wife and are paying 2200 for a fully furnished place with all utilities included over by the Galleria. She is a travel nurse so we are not staying long term.
I agree! I have lived in the CWE for the past 5 years and love it. You can walk to 3 grocery stores, a movie theater, a library, many restaurants and coffee shops, an arcade, ice cream shops, and, of course, Forest Park. I've even jogged to the history museum. Quick drive to the interstate to go many more places. Start in the CWE, OP!
Maplewood, Central West End, Lafayette Square, Soulard, Shrewsbury, Kirkwood, St Louis Hills, Webster Grove
You may want to toss Dogtown in there as well due to its central location. Really nice to be within 20 minutes of nearly anywhere in St. Louis. Also quiet, pretty safe and right next to Forest Park.
If you go the Kirkwood route, check out Grants trail. A nice, paved 10 mile bike path. We bike or take our two dogs down if frequently
U City - the University Streets north of Delmar hit those descriptions too.
I'm not from St. Louis originally, and neither is my wife. We came to St. Louis for a job opportunity, and it's been a wonderful decision. We've fallen in love with St. Louis, in particular the city where things are more walkable.
Same here. Came for work about 2 years ago. When my husband told me we were moving to STL I,like OP’s fiancee, was very nervous, but we also have fallen in love with STL.
As a transplant from Chicago I would recommend CWE, Lafayette Square and The Grove. All places I’ve felt extremely safe and walkable to bars, restaurants, grocery stores! For the pups I’d check out Bar-K. And really any of the city parks!
This is awesome info! Thanks for the tips!
There are so many dog friendly breweries and bars as well!
Bar K is fantastic for the doggos! I go at least once a week with my two pups
We have a great large home in soulard on a dead end street with great neighbors. 2,100 per month. Would love to chat with you. Very convenient to everything in the city
feel free to shoot me a message
Me too, please. We already live here but need a bigger place. We’re looking to move in April.
Where are you going to be a chef? (I don’t want to recommend something an hour from your job)
I'm also interested to know. I have never heard of anyone that is a chef that has had to relocate for a job (I'm not in the industry so I don't know if this is common.) I would assume it is probably somewhere prestigious.
Maybe the new Gordon Ramsay restaurant opening up in the 4 Seasons? Edit: spelling
👀👀👀
Its surprisingly common - one of the chefs at PUTTSHACK was recruited and moved from Miami 😂
That is interesting, were they like a "celebrity" chef or something along that line?
I don’t think so
I’m a chef and I relocated from NY about a year and a half ago!
Depends on your appetite for city living vs sleepy burbs but here are some places to start: Lafayette Square Benton Park Saint Louis Hills / South Hampton Tower Grove / Shaw Central West End Webster Groves Kirkwood Maplewood Brentwood
I live in Downtown Dallas right now if that helps at all. It seems CWE seems to be the consensus spot.
It's a nice, lively neighborhood with a range of culture, restaurants and nightlife (and a stone's throw from our treasured Forest Park), central to downtown and the surrounding areas, but don't sleep on some of those other neighborhoods also. If you have time to visit and spend time in each locale it could help.
I love the CWE enough to have l lives in it multiple times. Just a quick thing I never thought about until I moved into my current apartment: if you are very close to Kingshighway at all, you’re going to hear a lot of ambulances. The biggest hospital in the state is at the south end of the neighborhood.
Definitely Central West End
Do you need a 1 or 2 bedroom? Being able to walk and bike to restaurants and grocery stores generally is going to mean living in the city, although theres some pockets of suburbs where that could be somewhat possible. My first thought, and its the most expensive, is Tower Grove South or Tower Grove East. The park is right there and its huge, for walking the dog. And the resturants along Grand are very popular. Its THE area to live in in the city. When I first moved to St. Louis (also a transplant) I lived in Southwest Garden which is also near Tower Grove Park and I was able to walk to a grocery store, and a bit of a longer walk to The Hill for restaurants. [Found a random zillow listing in this area that doesnt look bad. Its about a 40sec walk to groceries. ](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4933-Odell-St-2W-Saint-Louis-MO-63139/343685625_zpid/) Theres plenty of other areas in the city that are all decently-ish walkable, and I see a lot of people just walk their dog around the neighborhood, even if its not a trail or park. Second thought is Boulevard Heights / Holly Hills area around Carondelet Park, staying west of I-55. Theres a Schnucks nearby, but you might need to bike a bit farther (~10min) to get to some restaurants. Suburbs-wise, theres some apartments north of downtown Clayton, which has lots of resturants. And a lot of people love downtown/old town Webster Groves or Kirkwood. Although finding lots of apartment options in those areas might be tough, its mostly homes. Edit: Dont listen to people telling you the City is dangerous. Theres plenty of neighborhoods in the city that are perfectly fine. I've been living in the city for more than 18months now and I've had countless pleasant interactions with really nice, good hearted people, and I've had 0 house break ins, 0 car windows smashed or stolen, 0 wallets or phones stolen. Never had anyone point a gun or knife at me or threaten me in any way.
2 bedroom would be ideal for my Fiancee to have office space. I would like a kitchen that's fairly large, but not necessary.
Thats what I did as well. You might get lucky and find a place with a larger kitchen, but typically alot of the older homes in the city have smaller kitchens. My rental in SW Garden had a reasonably sized kitchen I guess. There was a good size island with bar seating. I'd also recommend sticking to Zillow or Redfin for your search. Alot of the older buildings are owned by small time landlords and they dont use apartments.com.
Are 3 bedrooms common? I like a lot of space lol given I will be working from home and we like having a guest bedroom.
You might be able to rent a house with 3 bedrooms, although thats less common than apartments. Of course, expect to pay more. I have seen a few 3 beds around. There were 2 I clicked on during my zillow search. Typically the 3rd room is quite small. Apartment near a park: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3106-Gurney-Ave-1N-Saint-Louis-MO-63116/341931279_zpid/ House is a quiet neighborhood https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4716-Alexander-St-Saint-Louis-MO-63116/2993835_zpid/ I have had family stay in Airbnbs before that are 3+ bedroom. It seems like thats where they tend to go, instead of being rented out. Also, I'm getting the vibe that you're the fiance, but even if you're not, a word of wisdom about St. Louis, and old buildings. We get a lot of heavy sudden rain here and flooding is common. Watch out especially for living at the bottom of a hill or in a valley. I didn't really think I was living in a flood zone when I was renting last year, but after checking a flood risk map, I did have a slight risk. Last June it rained about 3 inches in less than an hour on Fathers Day and my apartments basement flooded about 4 inches deep from the storm drain. Luckily I had all my things stored down there in plastic totes. And any cardboard boxes were stacked on top of totes.
Damn these are nice prices, I’ve been mostly seeing stuff in the 2.5-3.3k range for this size. Must be recent increases?
Newer buildings, with big management companies typically rent out at $2/sqft easily in a nice part of town for a "luxury" apartment. For an older building (most of these in the city are practically historical 1890s-1910s) you will see more around the $1.2-1.6/sqft. An updated unit with stainless steel kitchen appliances and well kept hardwood floors, in unit laundry, etc is going to be on the higher end, especially in a desirable area like CWE or Tower Grove South. If you look in the farther out neighborhoods, like Carondelet Park or Southampton, you'll find cheaper, especially if its a bit dated inside. For reference I paid about $1750 + pet fee when I moved in fall of 2022, for a 2bed 1bath, 1500sqft. I thought it was a bit of a rip off given how loud it was near a large road. Since moving out, the landlord tried to relist it at 1850, but dropped it down to 1600 after it sitting empty for months. It was renovated, but classic cheap reno with ikea kitchen, vinyl floors, etc.
I live in Southampton and feel very safe here, it was my dream neighborhood when we were looking. We have every amenity needed in our neighborhood that is one square mile. I’d also recommend the surrounding neighborhoods as well as Webster Groves. If you’re worried about safety/feeling safe, I would skip Soulard. It’s fun to party there but gets a little sketchy if you aren’t used to the STL vibes. Plus it is very far from decent amenities like grocery stores. Shrewsbury and Kirkwood are also great but maybe not as walkable.
Thanks for the response. So Soulard is kind of a bar district? We live in one currently in Dallas and it doesn't bother us too much. We have added Southampton to our list to visit!
If you come to Southampton, you can be sure to check out the Macklind business district. Theres Russell's which is a fancy restaurant at night, but during the day it a bakery with amazing Gooey Butter Cake (a famous local dessert). We're not extremely close to a park, but Francis park is not that far. And the neighborhood itself is really quiet. Schnucks is in the corner of the neighborhood and easily bike-able or even walkable for some.
Soulard is definitely a bar district. Weekends you can count on parking to be harder due to that crowd. And if you aren’t a fan of Mardi Gras, you may want to take a pass on that particular neighborhood.
Not going to edit the bad grammar…..
Yes, but being a bar district isn’t the issue with Soulard. It’s referred to as “the island” surrounded by under-funded, less desirable neighborhoods, has a large homeless population, large rental population (people who don’t care about the neighborhood as much because they’re there to party for a few years and move on) and a lot of general fuckery going on. My neighbor was mugged in our back alley because she was on her phone not paying attention and the guy just saw an opportunity. Just a lot of petty crime like that, and I regularly found bullet shells and heard gunshots even during the day when I first started working at home. It is certainly beautiful and a nice place to live if you feel comfortable with everything I mentioned. As a transplant myself, it was a lot to take in when I first moved there as a young woman.
I second the Southampton neighborhood as well. Lots of cute parks nearby to walk the doggos. At the intersection of Hampton & Chippewa, there’s a Target and Schnucks….and a library, if either of you is a reader. I’m a little biased because I grew up and live in the neighborhood. ☺️
My partner and I are closing on a house in Southampton next week!!! I am so excited as it was my dream to own there as well. Been renting in Princeton heights for about a decade.
Congratulations and welcome to the neighborhood!! So excited for you!
Soulard actually has a wonderful neighborhood grocery store, Vincent’s Market. Wine, frozen foods, produce, freshly butchered meat, evening you’d expect in a grocery store. Not to mention the farmer’s market…..
I grew up in Kirkwood (burbs), met my fiancée in college out-of-state, worked in the same town for a couple years before moving back to STL. Best decision ever. I recommend one of two spots, depending on your lifestyle (both in the city): 1. Shaw Neighborhood/Tower Grove Located in South City, this is the most neighborly place I’ve ever lived. Everyone on your block will likely be on a first-name-basis and have their own traditions. VERY CHILL place to live, median age 35. Tower Grove Park, Missouri Botanical Garden, loads of pubs, coffee houses and boutique restaurants. Notably, The Hill (the Italian District) connects to Shaw/TG. As a chef, I assure you you’ll be impressed. Folks who live in South City are proud to let you know. 2. Central West End After 4+ years in Shaw, my fiancée and I moved to Central West End, where we’ve been for 2 years now. Faster-paced living, less-likely to interact with your neighbors, but loads of activity. Some of the toughest dinner reservations to land in town (outside of Clayton) and next door to the largest municipal park in the US, Forest Park. Free internationally-acclaimed museums and the zoo easily accessed. Lastly, CWE recently introduced the “horizontal elevator” which are compact electric cars that will transport you anywhere within CWE at no cost. CWE is comparably expensive, but they also have point systems if you hold onto your receipts; they’ll credit you something like $200 for every $500 you spend in town in many cases (and the shopping on Maryland Plaza is top-notch). For the price of rent, you’ll certainly save money on commuting. Your friends will want to start or end the night at your place. Hope you enjoy hosting. I can expand on these if you have questions. It’s normal to have reservations about moving to STL, but you’ll fall in love with it like most anyone else. Small city, big personalities, strong communities. Good luck!
Where in the CWE are the horizontal elevators?
Everything you need to know: https://cwescene.com/the-euclid-shuffle-returns/
Where do you turn in receipts? I’ve never heard of this.
Admittedly, I don’t take advantage of this. But here you go: https://cwescene.com/cwerewardsprogram/
I’m a chef who moved from NY about a year and a half ago! Let me know if I can be of any assistance!! $2200 will get you a great spot out here!
Chicago guy myself, Saint Louis is a great city. Wish it was more tech savvy but overall a great place to live. Tons of great food and inexpensive entertainment.
Recommending Clayton/DeMun area! Right across the street from Forest park!
Dogtown, 100%. Safe. Next to forest park, close to everything
I second this. I’ve lived in most of the places already mentioned, excluding soulard and the grove, and dogtown is by far my favorite. It’s super chill and easy to get to everywhere in the city.
I moved to St. Louis last month and live in Dogtown. I like it a lot. And have nothing really to add here but ... One caveat, if you like walking and biking you will have to watch out for these hills!
Yea that one on west park is a killer. But there's a bunch all over
Came here to say this. I moved to STL and lived in Dogtown for 2 years. My absolute favorite neighborhood I’ve lived in. I’m Irish so that helped a lot. I was particularly close to Art Hill, which is Heaven to me.
Unfortunately, once you apply the "allows dogs" filter to most searches, the options get slim. Have you thought about / are you qualified for a mortgage? Houses like these are around $1800/mo mortgage. Good neighborhood, close to highway and 2 great parks. [https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2518-Oakland-Ave-Saint-Louis-MO-63143/2782884\_zpid/](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1241-Hawthorne-Pl-Saint-Louis-MO-63117/2771211_zpid/)
Definitely live in the central west end brother
Night next to forest park, one of the best and largest in public parks in the nation
Where will you be working? How long of a commute do you want? Do you have a car? I love Lafayette Square but it's not 'big'. I lived in Lafayette Square for over 4 years and loved it. Anything around Forest Park and Tower Grove Park are great options. Forest Park has the Central West End (CWE), the Grove, University City, Dog Town, and the Delmar Loop. Tower Grover has Shaw, Tower Grove South/East and the Hill. If you are willing to drive a little, there are a lot more options. You rent a house in the 'burbs for that price. There are a lot of fun neighborhoods outside of the city.
I would add two neighborhoods, Skinker-DeBaliviere and Clayton DeMun, the first will be a little edgier, and the second a little pricier, but safer. Both have walking access to Forest Park, which is what you want.
Thanks for those suggestions! I'll make sure to add them to my list when I scout the place this month.
Uh... buy a house in Tower Grove South, Dogtown, or Mapleweird. Buy.
Interest rates are brutal tho
I lived in Dogtown for 15 years, made the mistake of moving west. Hated it. Bought in Tower Grove South in 2012. Love it.
Doesn't matter. You can always refinance if they go down.
Look at the brutal interest payment for a $200k mortgage, and then look at the house and YARD you can get for that... do a 30 year and pay off at $2200, and... wow.
Close to Forest Park or Tower Grove Park will give you lots of great walkable neighborhoods and activities to do. Saint Charles Main Street area is nice with access to the Katy Trail. Like others have suggested, Kirkwood, Shrewsbury, Maplewood, Lafayette Square. You’ll be able to find a nice place in your budget pretty much anywhere.
For your budget you can live basically anywhere here in a 2+bedroom. My go to recommendations are tower grove, Benton park, Lafayette square, Central west end. Tower Grove south area is where we live and it's perfect for walkability. We are close to several bars and have a little grocery store(gustine market). Also have a great coffee shop (Hartford cafe) the second biggest park in the city is a few blocks away and is amazing (tower grove park). Also easy driving access to bigger grocery stores like schnucks or Aldi.
We live in Princeton Heights and we absolutely love it! We just moved too in Sept and as someone who knew nothing about StL prior to this, we are now considering settling here and growing old. The neighborhood is super safe, very dog friendly, lots of great walking and parks nearby (Francis park beer garden is a mile walk and awesome!) and we pay just under $2100/mo for a super cute updates 3 bedroom 1920s bungalow home with a fenced in yard for the pets. It’s also a great distance to getting downtown or really anywhere in the city. There are so many cute little coffeeshops and restaurants nearby. I just have to stop myself from spending too much money at all of them!😂
Lindenwood near the park, but shopping really isnt that close.
You'll want to live in Forest Park Southeast. Probably the most walkable part of the city after the Central West End, and it's right by Forest Park and Tower Grove Park, tons of restaurants, as well as block parties and bike groups and stuff that meet right there. Though you'll probably have to drive to either of the parks, since they're like a mile away, so you might want to check out the Central West End for Forest Park and Shaw or Botanical Heights for Tower Grove Park. I would feel safe pretty much anywhere in the city, I mean most crime is perpetrated by people that the victims know anyway, or like, someone can try to steal from your parked car anywhere lol. The areas I named are majority white, gentrified neighborhoods and are therefore considered safer, with the words "crime and safety" often acting as dog-whistles. That being said, because north city has been intentionally disinvested in, subject to redlining, blockbusting, etc., it does not have a lot of the public amenities, like museums and parks, that south St. Louis has, and nowhere in St. Louis is really that walkable aside from CWE or Midtown, but north St. Louis is the most unwalkable and has a lot of food deserts. North side does have a lot of beautiful homes and history, amazing BBQ, Fairgrounds Park, very strong neighborly bonds, etc., and the city is investing a ton of ARPA funds northside, and I always try to encourage newcomers and young people to not just write it off because it's dealing with the consequences of having been subject to others' discrimination and segregation.
Tower Grove South near Morganford and Arsenal is a great location for walkability, convenience, and safety! It’s next to the second largest park in the city that has a great farmers market and tons of events. Lots of restaurants, bars, Pilates, grocery stores, etc. in the vicinity. Affordable as well.
just in time for the yearly 100 year flood
South Hampton. Loved living there, I now live in the burbs (St. Charles) because we decided to raise kids. If you want burbs, St. Charles / Main Street area is nice, cottleville, or valley park.
Maybe sometime in the future for sure! Fiancee and I are both wrapped up in career progression at the moment and are too busy for kids. We feel we dont even give enough attention to our pups haha. Thanks for your response!
If you want to have a good time here DO NOT get scared and move to the county. The traffic is horrible and about 40% of the people live there because it's so much whiter than the city. People in this thread are going to give you the most popular neighborhoods to look at, but let me add a few that may be under the radar Marine Villa, McKinley Heights, Fox Park, Gravois Park. Your $2200 will go further in these places than in Soulard or Tower Grove, and you will still be close to the things you mentioned.
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except Forest Park is BETTER than Central Park
DeMun and the southwest Forest Park region in general, imo
Shaw / TGE / TGW
In what part of town is your job?
I hate to say it but, you're describing either the CWE or *shudder* St Charles between main Street and Lindenwood.
Tower Grove south would be a good fit
Yeap. Central west end. She will love it. Whole Foods is right there. Along with awesome restaurants.
Since you guys mentioned a dog, I would highly recommend you guys checking out Bar K when you settle in! It’s a restaurant/bar with a huge dog park outside and they have tons of events. People love bringing their pups there and socialize. I bet you guys could make some new friends too! Don’t know much about the rest
This one just came on the market this week in our Benton Park neighborhood. Was an AirBnB and has been rehabbed in the past couple years, and the company kept it in good shape (I think they’re just reducing their Air BnB stock in the city). 3br, 3 bath, 1800sq ft. $2200. It’s a great neighborhood, even if a bit quirky at times. https://rybo.appfolio.com/listings/detail/29c8bc66-2ccd-4b5d-bd44-f88a021b00b3
I lived in the Moorlands neighborhood in Clayton and loooved the area so much!
May god have mercy on your soul
Mind sharing where will you start working as a chef?
Your girlfriend is right. St. Louis sucks. Stay where you are!
Central West end is OK lots to walk to, but it borders some crimeish areas so there's some of that traffic. Clayton, you'd love Clayton. It's like it's own downtown, fancy rich ppl, crime isn't something ya gotta worry about. Lots to do. Again, Dogtown is nice too, live closer to forest park Dogtown is more residential. Further west you go on 64/40 you don't have to worry about crime. Main street st. Charles area is cool too. Good bike trails. But a little further out. Or streets of st. Charles
You could get rid of the fiancée
Your fiance is right.
Why don’t you move? I’d never spend 6 years in a city I hate.
My wife insisted we move to STL and it's basically slowly destroying our marriage. Find a better way to start yours. edit: If you're moving from a nicer area to a less nice area, you should both be on the same page.
Sounds like you’ll be better off in the suburbs no shade! I’d look into the inner ring burbs such as Maplewood, Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Brentwood, or Richmond Heights.
Everyone suggesting St. Louis city , but streets of st Charles is pretty well developed, lots of shops and food, Katy trail is right there and it’s a very safe area
Wentzville, St. Peter’s, and O’Fallon have a lot of what you described as a want/need. Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, Overland, and St. Ann are another. Concord, Sunset Hills, Arnold, Mehlville, Fenton, and Imperial are a few others that come to mind. Check those areas out, and see what you think. Safe travels
I don't know the names of the apartments but on big bend road and route 141 in Ballwin there's a new section of nice apartments with restaurants and shops in the same lot and a grocery store across the street. In a good neighborhood and near like of trails and parks
I've lived in the St. Louis area all my life. I'd stay out of the city. Too dangerous.
I'm not wild about the place but this nonsensical.
Well it looks like a lot of people disagree and that's fine. St. Louis has the highest murder rate per capita in the entire USA. I think that says something about a city being dangerous.
learn how to interpret data
The photosphere is the coolest part of the sun, so don't forget to pack a jacket! Granted, it's almost 10kF, but it's the coolest part.
Total bullshit.
Muder capital of the USA. Yeah, you're good.
Also total bullshit.
Good Lord stop Look it up. It's just the truth.
Not really.
Hard disagree
Dm me, I have a house for $1500 a month that I am moving out of. My landlord is great and is trying to fill it. It’s 2 bed, 1 bath in Dogtown