Seeking Advice on Moving from St Louis City to the County

Greetings! I moved from the city to the county in September 2007. My experience has been positive. Although I miss my big older home, my new home doesn't need the kinds of maintenance it did. I also enjoy the closeness of stores and businesses for shopping and other services. I'm not so sure about my school district at this point. I really would like for my daughter to be able to go somewhere else besides Hazelwood East because of some of the negative comments I've gotten from neighbors (it has gone down, not what it used to be, etc.) but I have to do more research. Good luck on your house-hunting decision.

We moved from the city to Illinois. About 20 minutes from Downtown. I really like the quiet and no random people walking up and down the street. Also, rarely is something totally crazy going on where you need to call police or get involved. This also sounds strange, but grocery shopping is nicer too. The stores have so much food, they're clean and not as crowded.

The downside. We are so far from everything fun! There are great parks, but as far as things to do with children when it's cold for little/no money there is nothing. It's all things that you have to join like little gym and places like that. They have "Farmer's Markets," but not in any way like Soulard's and international markets are almost non-existant. Street festivals are pretty blah and are more centered around buying things than an actual event. Neighbors are so far away from your house. You really have to work a lot harder to get to know them. Especially since you don't rely on them as neighborhood watch. We have a neighborhood organization in our new home, but they are all older and don't plan events. You get my point, the county is a cultural void.

I understand what you mean about the schools. That's one of the BIG reasons we moved.

Taxes. Our taxes quadrupled.

The library is a joke compared to what the city offeres.

As a compromise you could move to the county, but not quite so far west. We used to live in Chesterfield but now we live more east, but still the county schools. The houses may not be new (which is a drawback in terms of maintenance) but we are still close to all the city has to offer with the benefits of the county things, too.

If money is a factor prices change greatly in some school districts the difference of tax can mean $100's to $1000's a year.

I've never lived in the city but I always loved the extra's the counties had like better libraries & family centers, skating rinks, swimming pools. I live in Jeff county now and it's missing those things.

I too moved out of the city when my children became school age. I had a hard adjustment at first, because I was raised in a city environment and had lived in the city all my life. However, I felt that all I was giving up was really better for my children. If there is something going on, or a restaurant we miss going to we still make the drive to the city. Seeing my kids able to play outside with the neighbor's kids and going to a school near by was payment enough for me.

Hi S.. We recently moved from your exact area (I miss Francis Park) to Chesterfield last year. We had a 2.5 year old daughter and we were growing out of our older home quickly. It was an adjustment, but we really love our new neighborhood and neighbors! The large yards are great for summer fun and there are tons of activities to get involved in. I hate the commute to work (work in city) but this Fall our daughter will be able to go to a wonderful preschool in Rockwood school district, one of the best in the state! You can get a nice sized home for a reasonable amount in this market and the safety, quiet, and convenience will win you over. Taxes will KILL you and the traffic is annoying during rush hour...but you adjust and know what to avoid. We love our library and YMCA, the mall, several parks, the Water park/pool is awesome! good luck!

I always thought I would be a city girl when I moved out there in 2000 but I moved back to the county in 2007 - amazing how having a child changes your views.

I miss the convienence of everything being so close in the city - and the character of the homes. As well as the free trash and big trash pick-up (I know sounds silly) Also lots of parks in the city.

I don't regret moving though. I feel much more comfortable with the schools out here. I have a bigger yard for my child to play in. We still have a park close by. We have more house for less than we could've gotten in the city and it requires less maintenence. Luckily, the things we love in the city are just a drive away - it's really not that far you just have to put forth the effort.

Good luck to you in whatever you choose to do.

HI S., I just ran across your question. We lived in TOwer Grove (southwest garden neighborhood) and moved out to chesterfield about 2 1/2 years ago. We had lived in the city for a long time and once we had kids knew that eventually we were going to have to move b/c of the schools. We ended up in Chesterfield and really do love it. We miss (a lot) the neighborhood feel you get in the city... people are very nice here but it's just not the same. Chesterfield is a great place to raise a family - all of the conveniences are here that is for sure. We miss the great restaurants and farmers markets, etc... we just make it a point to still do all that stuff. The restaurants are ok out here, a lot of chains but there are some little local places too. Now we have so much more space in out house and my kids can actually use the basement to play in. And we have a yard!