Best neighborhood for fun, active family on a budget? (Maryland Heights: house, magnet schools)

[Kristynatx]

My husband and I moved to STL about 2 years ago and are still trying to get our bearings in this awesome, underrated city. We bought a house in Maryland Heights because it was cheap and seemed like a decent area, but now that we’ve had more time to explore, we would really like to be closer to the city. Our budget is max 150k.

I’m 34 & hubs is 41, and we have a 3 year old & a 4 month old. We are from Austin, TX, and consider ourselves liberal, open-minded, and non-religious. I would love to find a neighborhood either near Maplewood/Richmond Heights (although I know we are priced out of that immediate area) or somewhere in South City. Obviously we want somewhere safe with a decent school district (Catholic school is out), but we don’t need much materially and would be totally happy with a small house in a vibrant, friendly neighborhood with other young(ish) families...

Any recommendations on specific areas that sound like they might be a good fit? I love browsing the forum and reading opinions from knowledgeable STL natives.

[Hector2]

In that price, your best bet is South City. I'm thinking the Lindenwood Park area. The public schools will probably be lackluster. You can enter a lottery for St Louis Public School Magnet or Choice schools. Parents seem to like those schools, but again, it's a lottery.

If you stretch the budget a little bit, look in Shrewsbury and the part of Webster Groves adjacent to Shrewsbury.

You could also look in Affton which is a portion of the county adjacent to south city. I always had the impression Affton is pretty conservative, though.

Good luck.

[STL1980]

Look near the Kennard School in south city. I'm not sure how you apply to those city magnet schools.

[STL74]

You are probably in the best location for the price range plus better schools but not for what else you seem to want. I agree with south city but you need to see how to work the public school system as very few neighborhood schools are anything but bad. There are some great magnet and charter schools though. We do actually have some friends through sports that are in Affton and Bayless and love it no matter the actual rankings. More conservative areas though. IDK the chances of finding a smaller home in Maplewood/Richmond Heights or maybe Rock Hill (Webster schools). If you can find something in those areas to fix up you will likely make a profit later.

[tdagarim]

You are not entirely priced out. Look south of the zoo. I’m actually in a Cheltenham/Dogtown area and purchased a house that is decent sized several years ago in your price range. I actually may be selling my house in the near future by the way. Not just trying to sell you my house but there are homes to be had in this area in that range. Personally, I don’t know anything about the schools but Cheltenham / Dogtown or The Hill or Clifton Heights could be very good for you with proximity to the zoo and science center and a short drive from just about everything. Private message me if you want to know about my house haha.