St. Louis Neighborhood Advice

I had the same issue when I moved to the STL area five years ago. The better areas were out of my price range, so I ended up buying a house on the Illinois side of the river. The commute isn't as bad as I had anticipated and the property values are sooooo much better. The real estate taxes are higher, but I could get a 3 bedroom house with a big lot of land in a safe smaller town for the same price as a small two bedroom with no land in a questionable neighborhood. You might try just browsing on realtor.com for areas such as Belleville, O'Fallon, Shiloh, and Fairview Heights. Stay about 10 miles in to avoid the East St. Louis area, but all is pretty safe over here.

Also, I remember our realtor telling us that we could call the local police departments to ask about crime in certain areas - I did this a few times. I asked if it was a quiet neighborhood, if they patroled there often, etc.

Wish you the best - and welcome to the Lou!

I will support the advice of Kara and Jo, and suggest you also look a little more south - like Tower Grove South, bounded by the park, Grand and say, Morganford. We have lived here for more than 15 years and have witnessed the renaissance of that neighborhood. It is in a more established status than FPSE and the proximity to the park and Grand's amenities and restaurants is just unbeatable. Crime happens (it is an urban area!) but occasionally, and we feel pretty safe here. Lots of gut-rehabbed houses ($$$), and lots of houses that need some improvement. Good luck!

I dont know where that is either.. but if it is by DeBalliver sp?..as another person said.. I lived there.. NOT SAFE! STL is hit or miss..but i would look south before looking north! :) Good Luck! Try Soulard!

Well, Forest Park Southeast (the neighborhood where Norfolk is) isn't the worst neighborhood around, but it's not the greatest either. You could definitely pick scarier parts of town. It is going through some revitalization right now, but it's slowed down a bit because of the economy. There are plans for a new park in the neighborhood and a new charter school opened up in the area this fall, so you've got that. FPSE is also pretty well known for its gay-friendly business district along Manchester (couple of bars, couple of restaurants) and there are a few food factories on the eastern part of the neighborhood. It's kind of oddly-placed geographically, since the neighborhood's between two highways. If you want more established neighborhoods that aren't stale, check out the Tower Grove neighborhood to the south of FPSE or the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood (north of Forest Park along the city's western border). I hope this helps!

I have no idea where Norfolk is which leads me to believe that it is a bad neighborhood. South and Southwest StL are the better parts of the city. Downtown is hit or miss. You may not want to limit yourself to the city proper. We have a strange honor of being the only city that is separate from the county in the US. So what you may have thought is part of the city would not be considered part of StL.

If you like the older housing stock and the neighborhood feeling--I would also suggest checking out the Shaw neighborhood. It's just south of Forest Park Southeast, and just south of hwy 44.

It is situated between Tower Grove Park and hwy 44, with the Missouri Botanical Garden at the west end. There are beautiful houses and a mix of young families, young couples, retired-age couples, and rental property with a variety of working people. There is some urban crime in these city neighborhoods--like car theft and property crimes--but to check the stats yourself, STL has a great website you should look at before you buy.
http://safecity.slmpd.org/

Best of luck in your search!