Heather,

I lived in New Florissant for a couple of years and the area I lived in was ok. I prefer St. Charles because of the schools but you may not have children to consider that option. When I lived out there I checked out a couple of the schools and I wasn't pleased in the overall academics level of the students so I registered my son at my parents address in St. Charles and ended up moving out there in 2005.

Are you moving to St. Louis from Arizona? Have you ever lived in Missouri. You may want to look into the St. Peters/St. Charles area if you have children that will be going to school because I know for a fact there are several homes for sale in your price range. Several of these homes are close to the Page Extension which is a straight shot to 70/270/I-70 or where ever you need to go for work. If you have any questions you can email me on my personal email. cummingsj@charter.net.

Good Luck!

Jennifer

Tue Apr 22 2008, 12:11

For the past several years, the City of Florissant has been in the top 50 safest cities of its size in the country.

Mon Apr 21 2008, 08:31

Heather,
You can ask the police station in the negihborhood you are considering for their crime statistics and then compare these to where you are currently living to give you a true idea. Driving around and noticing the things Dale said is also good. You may also want to consider St. Charles, St. Peters, O'Fallon, Wentzville or Lake St. Louis areas for this price range. I specialize in first time home buyers in this price range and area. If you would like more information, please contact me through my web site.

Sun Apr 20 2008, 08:57

Heather -

I think Dale has given you wonderful advice. If I have a customer or client that is hesitant about an area, I recommend they talk first with the police department and then, second, with local shop owners. I do believe you will get a good sense of a community very quickly through these two sources.

Welcome to Missouri!

Sun Apr 20 2008, 08:17

You need to drive through the neighborhoods and look at how they are maintained. Look at how neatly the yards are maintained, if there is trash and debris around. Are the homes nicely painted and maintained? Are children playing in the area after school? (If they are playing in the area when they should be in school that sends a different message) Are there junker cars without license plates parked on the streets? Drive by on a nice weekend when people are out taking care of their yards - are neighbors stopping to talk to each other. Stop someone who is out and about and ask about the neighborhood. Go by the local schools and watch the children as they arrive and depart from the school grounds. If there are security concerns in a community, it will be reflected in how the schools handle the children. Go by the highschool and check it out. All of the local high schools throughout the metro area have DARE police officers assigned to them, but the atmosphere around the high school will give you an even better idea of the area then the grade school will. Stop and talk to the local shopkeepers and notice what types of stores are in the area. Are they the types of shops that you would expect to find in the neighborhood that you want to live in? Talk to the employees in the shops about the neighborhood. Talk to the local police departments.

Everyone's interpretation of what is safe and what is nice is different. I could tell you that a neighborhood is fabulous and you might go there and think it was horrible, because my background and experience is different than yours is. Or I might say that a place was the pits and you thought it was nicer than where you were living now and would be insulted. Everyone comes from a different background and brings a different perspective to a question. As a result, the best answer is to check it out yourself, since you are the one who will be living there.

I think you will find that there are some wonderful neighborhoods within the Hazelwood and Ferguson/Florissant area. (I show property there all the time and there are some very nice homes and nice neighborhoods). You might also want to consider the Ritenour (St Ann, St John, Woodson Gardens) area, and you may want to consider going to the South County area. But for all areas, when you think you've found the right home, take a few minutes and call the local police department and ask them about the local crime stats before you write the contract offer.

Sun Apr 20 2008, 01:29