Illinois side, or MO side to buy a home near St. Louis?

Question

We are moving to the area and need to know advantages and disadvantages of each side.

Answer 1

Most certainly the Illinois side, it's more open and spacious, better schools, nicer housing and much newer subdivisions which are well-built {5 star} builders and very affordable........did I mention SAFETY......crime rate is very, very low compared to the St Louis area.

It's about 25 minutes drive time from the city of St Louis, if you 're interested in theatre and various big city entertainment.

check out real estate in the metro east Illinois.

I don't know where the second poster got her information from, but Southern Illinois is NOTonly East St Louis.....that area is a high crime area much like a lot of the greater St Louis area, the areas that I spoke of are near the Air Force Base here, which are O'Fallon Il, Mascoutah, Il Shiloh, Il New Baden, Il Lebanon, Il { home of McKendree College}
Again, St Louis has a high crime rate, and many of their residents are moving on the safer side!
Happy house hunting....and please check out some websites....don't just rely on hear say.

Answer 2

As in still St. Louis county, definately NOT the Illinois side. Not a good side, at all. The only thing I have ever heard of that was a benefit over on that side was the adult entertainment, and I assure you, this was not a benefit in my eyes. I think anything that is directly in the city city part is going to have a higher crime rate, while the further away you get from downtown, the better it will be regarding less crime, and nice suburban areas to raise children. It really depends on what you are are looking for. I am sure the IL side has a lot of things to offer, however East St. Louis (the IL side of STL) has never been an area that I have heard good things about. THe Missouri side, all depends on what area, but still compared to the East side, it is better. There are a lot of nice areas on the MO side, like Ladue, Clayton. Some on the West county side, St, Charles and St. Peters has some nice areas, while other parts are less to be desired. South County is similar, depends on where you are at. If you are looking for open space, I suppose the further away you get, the more likely you will have the open space. Commuting can be good for cheaper house rates (buy or rent), even the grocery stores are more affordable the further you get out. It just depends on what you are looking for.