About St. Louis
Getting to Know St. Louis
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For many of you, St. Louis may be a completely new city and very different from your home state (California per se!). St. Louis living has something to offer for every walk of life (single, married, children ect…) and at the same time can be very affordable. Hopefully the following synopsis of the different areas of St. Louis will give you a good place to start your search for housing. This page is set up to give you a brief overview about living in St. Louis. If you want more information regarding what it is like to move here from wherever you are coming from - contact me and I can get you in touch with medical students from your area! While perusing through all of this information, you may notice that I refer to different areas of St. Louis, like "The Hill"… I have tried to summarize the different areas below to help you understand where these places are (main highway access and cross streets) and what they are like (all subject to opinion of course). For more disadvantages and advantages to these different areas please refer to the complexes that are located in these areas because students who personally live there have commented on the safety, distance, etc.
Highways Closest to School -
The Medical School is located on Grand between Highway 40 and Highway 44.
Highway 44:
This highway runs through the southwest part of St. Louis City. Traffic is normally not too bad on this highway. The Hill, Soulard, South Grand, Shrewsbury, Kirkwood, Webster areas can be easily accessed from this highway.
Highway 40: This is one of the main highways in St. Louis and the traffic is a heavier than 44. Furthermore, St. Louis is starting a major construction project to expand this interstate which will not complete until approximately 2010. Most areas medical students live will not be affected by this construction. However, I would not suggest living west of I-170 on the 40/64 corridor. This highway runs from St. Charles, through Chesterfield, through Clayton, the Central West End, Midtown (School area), all the way to Downtown and over to Illinois.
Highway 55:
This is the highway you will use to access South County from school. Increased travel time is due more to distance than traffic issues. Highways 44 and 55 merge at the Downtown area.
Different Neighborhoods (just a touch…not a complete
list):
Soulard: This area is east and south of the Medical School,
accessible easily from Downtown, Hwys 40&44. This area is packed with the
nightlife and hosts the St. Louis Mardi Gras Celebration. Real estate in this
area is fairly pricey and most rental units are privately owned. The only
downside is that the only thing around seems to be bars - there is not a grocery
store near by. Check out the website at: www.soulard.com
Benton Park: It is in South City, so it is only about a 10 minute drive tops to school. A lot of rehab is taking place in this area, so it is up and coming. Rental houses and four family flats are very reasonable in this area.
South Grand District/Tower Grove Park: This area is also up and coming and very close to school. More and more students are choosing this area for its location. Many restaurants are located near by and the area is very affordable.
The Hill (63110, 63139): This area is known for it's small-town Italian neighborhood feel. It is loaded with great restaurants and a few bars that medical students frequent. It is fairly close to school; located southwest of the medical school campus off of Highway 44, posing about a 10 minute drive to school. Other areas that are not technically on the Hill but very close to it are Clifton Heights and North/South Hampton.
St. Louis Hills (63109): Right now, this area is a very desirable living area in the city limits. Real estate has gone up tremendously in this area within the past couple of years. Grocery shopping and restaurants are near by. The area is very nice and the neighborhoods are well maintained. It is located just west of the Hill off of Highway 44 (Jamieson and Chippewa are main cross streets).
Affton/Shrewsbury: This area is a little bit more west than St. Louis Hills, off of highway 44. It is about a 20 minute drive to school. It is right on the city/county line, with most of the apartment complexes considered to be County (meaning county school districts for any school-age children). There is shopping and restaurants close by.
Clayton: This area is right by the Saint Louis Galleria, one of the better Malls in the area. Everything is close by to Clayton: shopping, food, and nightlife. It is west of school off of Highway 40, and poses a 20 minute drive to school.
Dogtown: This area is right off of Highway 40 near the Hampton exit. It is really close to the zoo and some fun restaurants/nightlife venues. Many young professional and students live in this area. (When using the map below, Dogtown is considered as Hi-Pointe or Franz Park areas).
Central West End: This area is very close to school, off of Highway 40 at the Kingshighway exit. Forest Park is nearby, you can walk to the MetroLink station, and this area is filled with coffee shops, restaurants, and some popular bars. It is a very fun place to live with just about everything around the corner!
St. Louis Neighborhood Map
Check out this website to see an
interactive map of the above mentioned neighborhoods and many more that were not
mentioned! On this map, SLU Medical School is considered as part of the "Gate
District" (#31) and the Undergraduate campus is just a little north in "Midtown"
(#37). This map can really help you see where the different neighborhoods are
and each neighborhood has a link to their own website!
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