There are many great neighborhoods in St. Louis but these eight neighborhoods are the most beautiful and charming of them all. They are rich in history and St. Louis culture and each is unique in its own way:
The Holly Hills neighborhood is named after Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Holly Hills offers broad tree-lined streets with big beautiful mansions and unique bungalows. There is a great Catholic School in the neighborhood and Carondelet Park across the street is always full of joggers, bikers, and families.
U-City is a gorgeous and diverse community. The U-City Loop was voted one of the best streets in the country. With amazing restaurants, music, and shops, U-City is an all around great neighborhood.
The Central West End is overflowing with antique shops, boutiques, and amazing restaurants. It is a diverse little area of the city and a great place to live!
The Hill is an awesome neighborhood filled with some of the best italian restaurants in St. Louis. It is a predominately Italian community with authentic Italian bakeries, restaurants, and small businesses.
Home of the Lemp Brewery, Benton Park is an all around great neighborhood. Hosting many different runs and bicycle races, it is an awesome neighborhood. Cherokee Street, home of St. Louis' antique row is also located in Benton Park.
The Shaw neighborhood is a friendly little community hosting art shows, farmers markets, and the Botanical Gardens of St. Louis. It has a dog park and an awesome farmers market in Tower Grove Park too.
As of April 2017, St. Louis has the highest murder rate in the nation. The violence in the city is escalating at alarming rates. However, local government agencies are working with the governor of Missouri to clean up our streets and restore peace to our beautiful city. While that process is ongoing, it is good to know which areas to avoid in St. Louis.
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The following information is for the year 2017 through the end of June. I found the data in a current St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Crime Report. Please keep in mind I am not encouraging anyone to avoid these neighborhoods or attractions in these neighborhoods. With any big city, you should always be aware of your surroundings and be safe. Lock your car doors, don't pick up strangers, don't drive through neighborhoods you are unfamiliar with, and be aware of your surroundings when walking to your car.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reported the following places as the top 13 St. Louis neighborhoods you don't want to get caught in after dark.
First on the list of dangerous parts of St. Louis is its downtown. It is listed with a total of 672 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are two homicides, two rapes, 27 robberies, 37 aggravated assaults, 26 burglaries, 542 reports of larceny, and 36 stolen vehicles. So,is downtown St. Louis safe at night? Downtown St. Louis is currently not a good spot to be once the sun goes down.
The Central West End is listed with a total of 549 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are one homicide, two rapes, 26 robberies, 29 aggravated assaults, 37 burglaries, 412 reports of larceny, and 41 stolen vehicles. It seems like a the Central West End of St. Louis is not a safe place to be at night.
Dutchtown is listed with a total of 536 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are two homicides, five rapes, 47 robberies, 132 aggravated assaults, 88 burglaries, 211 reports of larceny, and 49 stolen vehicles. Dutchtown is a place you might want to steer clear of in the evenings.
Downtown St. Louis West is listed with a total of 484 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are one homicide, six rapes, 42 robberies, 56 aggravated assaults, 16 burglaries, 311 reports of larceny, and 51 stolen vehicles. Downtown St. Louis West is a bad part of St. Louis after dark.
Tower Grove South is listed with a total of 363 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are one homicide, one rape, 35 robberies, 25 aggravated assaults, 49 burglaries, 216 reports of larceny, and 35 stolen vehicles. When it comes to areas to avoid in St. Louis, Tower Grove South is fairly high on the list.
Baden is listed with a total of 342 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are four homicides, four rapes, 30 robberies, 58 aggravated assaults, 81 burglaries, 110 reports of larceny, and 50 stolen vehicles.
Wells and Goodfellow neighborhood is listed with a total of 321 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are 8 homicides, four rapes, 17 robberies, 93 aggravated assaults, 64 burglaries, 99 reports of larceny, and 33 stolen vehicles.
Carondelet is listed with a total of 315 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are no homicides, four rapes, 15 robberies, 47 aggravated assaults, 41 burglaries, 165 reports of larceny, and 40 stolen vehicles.
Bevo Mill is listed with a total of 308 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are two homicides, one rape, 12 robberies, 48 aggravated assaults, 58 burglaries, 151 reports of larceny, and 35 stolen vehicles. It's best to be careful when you're around Bevo Mill, Missouri, one of the worst neighborhoods in St. Louis, after dark.
Tower Grove East is listed with a total of 302 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are no homicides, no rapes, 21 robberies, 19 aggravated assaults, 40 burglaries, 194 reports of larceny, and 24 stolen vehicles. Like all of the towns on this list, Tower Grove East features some cool hidden gems.
Gravois Park is listed with a total of 271 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are no homicides, five rapes, 38 robberies, 47 aggravated assaults, 45 burglaries, 104 reports of larceny, and 27 stolen vehicles. Gravois Park does have some interesting sites. In fact, it is considered one of the most historic neighborhoods in St. Louis.
The West End in St. Louis is listed with a total of 241 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are three homicides, four rapes, 16 robberies, 50 aggravated assaults, 33 burglaries, 101 reports of larceny, and 31 stolen vehicles.
Finishing up the list of neighborhoods to avoid in St. Louis is Jeff Vander Lou. Jefferson, Vandeventer, and St. Louis Ave - Jeff Vander Lou - is listed with a total of 241 crimes so far this year. Included in this tally are three homicides, one rape, 17 robberies, 69 aggravated assaults, 28 burglaries, 92 reports of larceny, and 27 stolen vehicles.
Even though these are the realities of the world we live in today, there are steps you can take to keep your family safe. Many of these neighborhoods are also the best neighborhoods to live in. The culture and history cannot be beaten and there are many really great people in St. Louis.
The numbers are high and disturbing when broken down, but don't give up yet. Join your local public meetings and become a part of the solution. Our city is worth saving. If you think you won't make a difference you are wrong. The more people who are involved in our neighborhoods, the bigger difference we can make.
One of the hardest challenges any city faces is what to do when properties are abandoned. St. Louis, like many major cities, is trying to find a good answer to this problem, but it is not an easy task. Property owners are often hard to find and there is never enough money for what always seems to be a costly clean-up. While the city waits on the next steps, these abandoned places in St. Louis are slowly being reclaimed by Mother Nature.
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Note: Many of these abandoned places are located on private property and are not open or accessible to the public. Trespassing is a crime and the deteriorated state of these buildings makes them unstable and dangerous. Use your noggin, and do not attempt to enter - explore them vicariously through these photos instead!
Many of these abandoned places become home bases for criminal activities and vandalism.
This abandoned St. Louis site required special federal intervention once it was declared an EPA Superfund site. Cleanup of hazardous Superfund sites can add years to the renovation process.
When properties are abandoned, the biggest problem often isn't money - it's time. Every day that a home or business sits untended it becomes a little less usable. Quicker action in choosing whether to save or demolish a structure could help with the unseemly blight caused by deserted properties.
Luckily, not all abandoned buildings in St. Louis have fallen into this state.
Two great examples of saving both St. Louis's history and buildings of high-quality architecture are the Wainwright Building and Union Station (pictured above). Both of these buildings could easily have been lost if not for the time, money, and - most importantly - community support as they were remodeled for a new century.
Take a look at more abandoned areas of St. Louis:
Have you explored any of these abandoned places in St. Louis? Let us know what they were like in the comments. If you haven't yet seen them, book a trip to St. Louis and see them for yourself, with permission and from a safe distance, of course. For a more upbeat side of St. Louis life, check out these photos that highlight the positive changes our city has experienced over the years.
