The city is divided into 79 neighborhoods. The divisions have no legal standing, although some neighborhood associations administer grants or hold veto power over historic-district development. Nevertheless, the social and political influence of neighborhood identity is profound. Some hold avenues of massive stone edifices built as palaces for heads of state visiting the 1904 World’s Fair. Others offer tidy working-class bungalows or loft districts. Many of them have successfully retained a remarkable camaraderie that is missing from many American towns today.

Although local housing costs have risen in recent years, they are still significantly below the national average, and are a revelation to new arrivals from the coasts. From the mid-1990s onward, the City of St. Louis itself has seen a major surge in housing rehabilitation as well as new construction on cleared sites.

Central West End
The heart of the Central West End is Forest Park, which is larger than Central Park in New York City and is home to several free attractions, including the St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Art Museum and the St. Louis Science Center. Treed neighborhoods here feature stately homes from the early 1900s as well as bookshops, art galleries and coffee houses. Home to a large segment of St. Louis’ gay community, this district also contains the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis and its breathtaking array of mosaic art.

Downtown St. Louis
This area offers most visitors their first impression of the city, greeting them with its signature Gateway Arch, historic Union Station, the Old Courthouse and Busch Stadium, where the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team plays their home games. The once industrial area of Laclede’s Landing is now home to some of the city’s favorite restaurants and finest hotels, as well as an entertainment district that features live music ranging from pop to jazz.

Forest Park Southeast
Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood is adjacent to Forest Park and Washington University Medical Center and near the zoo, art museum, science center, St. Louis University High School, two new public schools (Stix and Compton Drew), Missouri Botanical (Shaw’s) Gardens, and the Central West End Metrolink Station. It has five neighborhood organizations, a business association, a human services coalition, and a clergy alliance.

The Hill
Settled by Italian immigrants in the late 1800s, this area still offers some of the best traditional Italian fare this side of the Atlantic. Gian-Peppe’s and Dominic’s are highly recommended by the locals to those in search of fine Italian dining. Pride runs deep in this old neighborhood with well-tended lawns, where even the fireplugs sport the red, green and white of the Italian flag. The Hill was the home of Yogi Berra and many other noted baseball players.

Lafayette Square, www.lafayettesquare.org
The largely restored Lafayette Square neighborhood has nearly 400 Victorian-era homes, along with many charming restaurants and bed and breakfasts. The neighborhood circles the 30-acre Victorian Park, the first public park to be established west of the Mississippi River.

It is a great place to live due to the determination and efforts of the neighbors past and present as it continues to be a model of contemporary urban living and historic restoration! Today, 90% of the structures have been restored to their original beauty. In fact, Architecture Magazine and Better Homes & Gardens have named Lafayette Square “One of the ten most beautiful painted ladies neighborhoods in the nation.”

Soulard
St. Louis also possesses several distinct examples of 18th and 19th century architecture, such as the Soulard Market district (1779-1842). This old, well-established neighborhood is situated south of Downtown. Here you will find a fine selection of jazz and blues clubs as well as the gargantuan outdoor Soulard Farmer’s Market, which sells fresh produce, flowers and bakery items. It is the largest continually operating open-air market west of the Mississippi River. Homes in this area date from the mid-1800s, and many Victorian row houses have been lovingly restored.

St. Charles
Saint Charles is the seat of St. Charles County and first capital of the state of Missouri. The town of St. Charles, which borders St. Louis proper, includes the restored First Missouri State Capitol as well as the Frenchtown district, with its antique and gift shops, tearooms and restaurants. The entire downtown area of St. Charles-all 26 blocks-is on the National Register of Historic Places. Future residents will be charmed by its gaslights, brick streets and colonial ambience.

Tower Grove Heights, www.towergroveheights.com
The Tower Grove Heights neighborhood is a 12-block area within the south-central area of the city of St. Louis. Housing includes a wide variety of single and multi-family dwellings, most of which date back to the earliest decades of the twentieth century. As a new resident you will enjoy the unique period architecture and quiet, tree lined streets in the middle of the city.

Webster Groves
Established in 1896, Webster Groves was one of St. Louis’ first suburbs and is located just 15 minutes from downtown. During the 1904 World’s Fair, residents referred proudly to this neighborhood, with its stately houses and towering oak and elm trees, as the “queen of the suburbs.” Some 300-plus homes here are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

University City
Called “The Loop” by locals, University City lies north of Washington University and is home to The Tivoli Theater movie palace as well as Blueberry Hill, where Chuck Berry still performs his rock standards on occasion. The area also boasts a diverse selection of affordable ethnic eateries, including Thai, Indian and Vietnamese.

The Ville
This north side neighborhood of St. Louis is rich in African-American history and culture. Sumner High School, located here, was the first high school to offer education to black students west of the Mississippi River; its alumni include tennis legend Arthur Ashe and musical greats Tina Turner and Chuck Berry. One of America’s first African-American millionaires, cosmetics magnate Annie Malone, founded her Annie Malone Children’s Home in this district, and a parade celebrates the institution and its founder each May. The majority of the housing stock, in a variety of architectural styles, was built from the late 1800’s to the mid- 1900’s and presently, one third has been rehabbed. The mix is 70% duplexes, 15% single family, 10% four-family flats and 5% apartment buildings. The character of “The Ville” is diverse because of its mixture of young and old residents with strong family ties which forms the basis of black culture.