When you’re young and out to have fun, you may dream of living in New York City or Los Angeles or even Denver (certainly seems to be a trend, not that we understand it). But those cities aren’t for everyone. And when your job or family or affordable rent brings you to St. Louis in […]
When you’re young and out to have fun, you may dream of living in New York City or Los Angeles or even Denver (certainly seems to be a trend, not that we understand it). But those cities aren’t for everyone. And when your job or family or affordable rent brings you to St. Louis in your 20s or 30s, you are not out of luck. Far from it.
In fact, St. Louis has so many great neighborhoods, we had a hard time narrowing down which ones we’d recommend to newcomers. So, rather than offer just one or two, we’re sharing more than a dozen favorites and explaining just who might be happy there. Let’s face it, the kind of person who wants a gingerbread house off Hampton might not be happy living above a gallery on Cherokee Street — and vice versa. We’ve done our best to share the pluses, minuses and special perks for each place on this list.
There is no one answer — only one that’s right for you. So whether you’re looking for decent schools for your toddler or a good 3 a.m. nightlife, read on for our recommendations.
BRADEN MCMAKIN
The Neighborhood: Tower Grove South
The Vibe: Time moves slowly in Tower Grove South. Neighborhood bars and bodegas, neighbors on porches, neighborhood meetings. This south city enclave truly lives up to the name.
Ideal For: The park lover. While rent rises each step towards Tower Grove Park, the entire neighborhood is accessible on foot, with multiple coffee shops to sustain you along the way. And there’s always a game of pickup basketball to join at the long-awaited basketball courts.
Not Ideal For: The budgeter. Tower Grove South is highly sought after, and the rents reflect it. Roommates might be the solution here.
Extra Perk: The Gustine Market. What is a neighborhood without a proper bodega? Tower Grove South wouldn’t know. Its gem of a corner market provides local goods, kombucha on tap and that four-pack of City Wides you meant to pick up after work.
Where to Meet the Locals: Hartford Coffee. Tower Grove South residents stop in to take a meeting, Goldfish for the kid or a quick cup of coffee for the road.
BRADEN MCMAKIN
The Neighborhood: Lafayette Square
The vibe: Lovingly restored mansions and bougie restaurants centered around the oldest city park west of the Mississippi
Ideal for: Young couples. City lovers with younger kids who want to meet other city lovers with younger kids. LGBTQ people. People who are single and like a walkable neighborhood but don’t mind most bars closing by 11 p.m.
Not ideal for: Broke 20somethings (it ain’t cheap).
Extra perk: Something of a peninsula surrounded by highways, Lafayette Square is great for getting just about anywhere in St. Louis in 15 minutes — even the Metro East. No wonder it draws military families in addition to the expected doctors and lawyers.
Where to meet the locals: With kids, the park. Without, 33 Wine Bar
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DMITRI JACKSON
The Neighborhood: Cherokee Street
The Vibe: Arguably St. Louis’s premier runway, so don your best vintage. Whether it’s a pop-up at Profield Reserve or an olive party at ‘Ssippi Wine Bar, Cherokee has something to do, if only a walk down the street to find the best homemade concha. Look out for one of multiple yearly parades at your doorstep.
Ideal For: People who love Mexican culture and people who love art. With multiple art galleries and collectives, and recurring cultural events, Cherokee will satisfy your fix. South Side Spaces has rehabbed multiple historic buildings. They are committed to affordable housing, with options for artist studios, residential apartments and homes, and office/retail spaces.
Not Ideal For: Anyone with work in north city or school in U City. The path down Jefferson to Cherokee is a long and bumpy one. Also, Cherokee is a true urban neighborhood with the occasional incident to prove it. Suburbanites, beware!
Extra Perk: The redevelopment of Love Bank Park into “a park for all” is set to finish this spring.
Where to Meet the Locals: In a booth at the Whiskey Ring or mid-bite at the Taco and Ice Cream Joint
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HOPE EDWARDS
The Neighborhood: The Loop
The Vibe: All over the place. The Loop is arguably St. Louis’s best strip for people-watching — from musicians killing time before their show at the Pageant to a local selling geodes and stones to passersby.
Ideal for: Students (the Loop houses multiple coffeeshops, an international grocery store, restaurants, mini golf and music venues all on one street) and people homesick for good Asian food (it has one of St. Louis’ most remarkable concentrations).
Not Ideal For: Anyone who feels college is still too recent. Yes, Wash U students can easily walk to the Loop, and they do. If that makes you feel old, get lost.
Extra Perk: Elevated midnight snacks: Up Late will soon open a second location at 6197 Delmar within walking distance from the Pageant, one of the city’s best concert venues.
Where to Meet the Locals: Meshuggah Cafe. The cafe boasts a great collection of smart, interesting regulars, most with roots firmly planted in the neighborhood.
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The Neighborhood: Overland et al.
(Seeing that north county is divided into approximately 1 million tiny fiefdoms all vying for the income that comes from shaking down motorists over the tiniest of traffic infractions, it can be hard to keep the good stuff to do confined to the city limits of any one borough. It’s better to think of things by approximate area, inclusive of the smaller hamlets it borders.)
The Vibe: Affordable housing in the form of brick homes with large porches and price tags set at half of what’s found in the city, more charmingly dilapidated dive bars than you can shake a stick at, plentiful businesses catering to those of Mexican descent (or who appreciate the country’s culinary gifts).
Ideal For: Those looking to save several whole stacks of pennies will find the Overland area to be a welcoming one, with dirt cheap yet spacious homes and inexpensive opportunities for intoxication (intoxitunities, if you will) at nearly every corner. If you have an unquenchable thirst for Busch beer and an appreciation for the colorful characters who have spent the last 40 years drinking it, but less-than-bottomless pockets, this is the area for you.
Not Ideal For: Bougie types who don’t like to share their bars with cigarette smoke and bad drivers who are unskilled at the art of cop-spotting would do best to steer clear.
Extra Perk: With the general area situated roughly at the crossroads of I-70 and I-170, Overland residents are just 15 to 30 minutes from anywhere in the city proper that they may want to go.
Where to Meet the Locals: Just Bill’s
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The Neighborhood: Maplewood
The Vibe: It’s like a little piece of walkable south city in St. Louis County. Maplewood gathers top-tier restaurants, breweries, bars, coffeeshops, a bookstore and a grocery store all in one walkable rectangle. And on Wednesday evenings, May through October, SOL Food Farmers’ Market brings together favorite city farmers and artisans.
Ideal For: Young people and couples craving a small town feel practically inside the city. People who have city values but aren’t quite ready for St. Louis Public Schools.
Not Ideal For: The city lifer, or the life of the party. This is a place where people buy after they’re mostly done wild-oat-sowing, and those Uber rides to Midtown or Downtown on Saturday nights will add up.
Extra Perk: The Bookhouse. Each visit to the Bookhouse is like a treasure hunt, with two floors full of latest editions and first editions and every genre imaginable. Zelda and Gatsby, the resident black cats, love to keep mindless pursuers and lonely hearts company.
Where to Meet the Locals:
Living Room Coffee and Kitchen is near and dear to Maplewood residents, particularly for their extensive breakfast and lunch menu. The WiFi is off on weekends, so be ready to talk.
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The Neighborhood: Benton Park
The Vibe: Benton Park is a historic neighborhood with some of St. Louis’s most brag-worthy red brick. The neighborhood has seen a resurgence in the past few years, which might also be called gentrification, given the combined rise in rents. Many of the residents are longtime and prideful of their neighborhood, a sentiment backed by a strong neighborhood association.
Ideal For: The committer. Benton Park has all the amenities: a park with basketball and tennis courts, the closely-knit community inside Shameless Grounds, and easy access to both Cherokee Street and Downtown. Don’t be the person who drives the rents up just to move away.
Not Ideal For: The real estate mogul. No, Benton Park doesn’t need chain businesses or flipped duplexes-turned-single-families with gray wood flooring.
Extra Perk: The quirky charm of Venice Cafe lures in edgy adults of all ages from across the area for regular live music, open mics, or just a seat at the boat bar. You’ve got to see it to believe it — and bring that artsy friend from Chicago you want to impress.
Where to Meet the Locals: Spine Bookstore and Cafe regularly hosts events like poetry readings or open mics, and locals regularly show up to support.
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The Neighborhood: Central West End
The Vibe: CWE is full of historic architecture and gorgeous walkable streets, including its main street — Euclid Avenue. Discover more than 75 unique shops, galleries, restaurants, bars, salons, hotels and more in this “urban eclectic” neighborhood.
Ideal For: Everyone, really. Whether you’re young, old, single, a couple, a student, part of the LGBTQIA+ community or a family, as long as you’re a lover of the arts, shopping, food and a good cocktail you’ll fit right in.
Not Ideal For: The broke. People who insist on super convenient parking.
Extra perk: The neighborhood borders Forest Park — the nation’s seventh-largest urban park.
Where to Meet the Locals: Brennan’s or Lazy Tiger
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FLICKR/PAUL SABLEMAN
The Neighborhood: Downtown and Downtown West
The Vibe: Downtown is a culturally rich neighborhood. If you want to experience a truly vibrant and walkable neighborhood, filled with history, museums, gorgeous buildings, arenas, great restaurants and a mixture of high-end bars, speakeasies and clubs, this is it.
Ideal for: People open to new experiences and an urban lifestyle. You’ll find diversity of ages, races and ethnicities.
Not ideal for: Light sleepers — let’s be honest, there’s a lot of sirens and some of these concerts go late.
Extra perk: In the nicer months, Kiener Plaza offers yoga and a splashpad. And Citygarden is a great leafy retreat from the concrete jungle.
Where to meet the locals: Catalyst Co
