The Best Places to Live in St. Louis When You're Young (and Fun)

The Neighborhood: The Loop
The Vibe: All over the place. The Loop is arguably St. Louis’s best strip for people-watching — from musicians killing time before their show at the Pageant to a local selling geodes and stones to passersby.

Ideal for: Students (the Loop houses multiple coffeeshops, an international grocery store, restaurants, mini golf and music venues all on one street) and people homesick for good Asian food (it has one of St. Louis’ most remarkable concentrations).

Not Ideal For: Anyone who feels college is still too recent. Yes, Wash U students can easily walk to the Loop, and they do. If that makes you feel old, get lost.

Extra Perk: Elevated midnight snacks: Up Late will soon open a second location at 6197 Delmar within walking distance from the Pageant, one of the city’s best concert venues.

Where to Meet the Locals: Meshuggah Cafe. The cafe boasts a great collection of smart, interesting regulars, most with roots firmly planted in the neighborhood.

The Neighborhood: Lafayette Square
The vibe: Lovingly restored mansions and bougie restaurants centered around the oldest city park west of the Mississippi

Ideal for: Young couples. City lovers with younger kids who want to meet other city lovers with younger kids. LGBTQ people. People who are single and like a walkable neighborhood but don’t mind most bars closing by 11 p.m.

Not ideal for: Broke 20somethings (it ain’t cheap).

Extra perk: Something of a peninsula surrounded by highways, Lafayette Square is great for getting just about anywhere in St. Louis in 15 minutes — even the Metro East. No wonder it draws military families in addition to the expected doctors and lawyers.

Where to meet the locals: With kids, the park. Without, 33 Wine Bar

The Neighborhood: Cherokee Street
The Vibe: Arguably St. Louis’s premier runway, so don your best vintage. Whether it’s a pop-up at Profield Reserve or an olive party at ‘Ssippi Wine Bar, Cherokee has something to do, if only a walk down the street to find the best homemade concha. Look out for one of multiple yearly parades at your doorstep.

Ideal For: People who love Mexican culture and people who love art. With multiple art galleries and collectives, and recurring cultural events, Cherokee will satisfy your fix. South Side Spaces has rehabbed multiple historic buildings. They are committed to affordable housing, with options for artist studios, residential apartments and homes, and office/retail spaces.

Not Ideal For: Anyone with work in north city or school in U City. The path down Jefferson to Cherokee is a long and bumpy one. Also, Cherokee is a true urban neighborhood with the occasional incident to prove it. Suburbanites, beware!

Extra Perk: The redevelopment of Love Bank Park into “a park for all” is set to finish this spring.

Where to Meet the Locals: In a booth at the Whiskey Ring or mid-bite at the Taco and Ice Cream Joint

The Neighborhood: Overland et al.
(Seeing that north county is divided into approximately 1 million tiny fiefdoms all vying for the income that comes from shaking down motorists over the tiniest of traffic infractions, it can be hard to keep the good stuff to do confined to the city limits of any one borough. It’s better to think of things by approximate area, inclusive of the smaller hamlets it borders.)

The Vibe: Affordable housing in the form of brick homes with large porches and price tags set at half of what’s found in the city, more charmingly dilapidated dive bars than you can shake a stick at, plentiful businesses catering to those of Mexican descent (or who appreciate the country's culinary gifts).

Ideal For: Those looking to save several whole stacks of pennies will find the Overland area to be a welcoming one, with dirt cheap yet spacious homes and inexpensive opportunities for intoxication (intoxitunities, if you will) at nearly every corner. If you have an unquenchable thirst for Busch beer and an appreciation for the colorful characters who have spent the last 40 years drinking it, but less-than-bottomless pockets, this is the area for you.

Not Ideal For: Bougie types who don’t like to share their bars with cigarette smoke and bad drivers who are unskilled at the art of cop-spotting would do best to steer clear.

Extra Perk: With the general area situated roughly at the crossroads of I-70 and I-170, Overland residents are just 15 to 30 minutes from anywhere in the city proper that they may want to go.

Where to Meet the Locals: Just Bill’s

The Neighborhood: Tower Grove South

The Vibe: Time moves slowly in Tower Grove South. Neighborhood bars and bodegas, neighbors on porches, neighborhood meetings. This south city enclave truly lives up to the name.

Ideal For: The park lover. While rent rises each step towards Tower Grove Park, the entire neighborhood is accessible on foot, with multiple coffee shops to sustain you along the way. And there’s always a game of pickup basketball to join at the long-awaited basketball courts.

Not Ideal For: The budgeter. Tower Grove South is highly sought after, and the rents reflect it. Roommates might be the solution here.

Extra Perk: The Gustine Market. What is a neighborhood without a proper bodega? Tower Grove South wouldn’t know. Its gem of a corner market provides local goods, kombucha on tap and that four-pack of City Wides you meant to pick up after work.

Where to Meet the Locals: Hartford Coffee. Tower Grove South residents stop in to take a meeting, Goldfish for the kid or a quick cup of coffee for the road.

The Neighborhood: Maplewood

The Vibe: It’s like a little piece of walkable south city in St. Louis County. Maplewood gathers top-tier restaurants, breweries, bars, coffeeshops, a bookstore and a grocery store all in one walkable rectangle. And on Wednesday evenings, May through October, SOL Food Farmers' Market brings together favorite city farmers and artisans.

Ideal For: Young people and couples craving a small town feel practically inside the city. People who have city values but aren’t quite ready for St. Louis Public Schools.

Not Ideal For: The city lifer, or the life of the party. This is a place where people buy after they’re mostly done wild-oat-sowing, and those Uber rides to Midtown or Downtown on Saturday nights will add up.

Extra Perk: The Bookhouse. Each visit to the Bookhouse is like a treasure hunt, with two floors full of latest editions and first editions and every genre imaginable. Zelda and Gatsby, the resident black cats, love to keep mindless pursuers and lonely hearts company.

Where to Meet the Locals:
Living Room Coffee and Kitchen is near and dear to Maplewood residents, particularly for their extensive breakfast and lunch menu. The WiFi is off on weekends, so be ready to talk.

The Neighborhood: Benton Park

The Vibe: Benton Park is a historic neighborhood with some of St. Louis’s most brag-worthy red brick. The neighborhood has seen a resurgence in the past few years, which might also be called gentrification, given the combined rise in rents. Many of the residents are longtime and prideful of their neighborhood, a sentiment backed by a strong neighborhood association.

Ideal For: The committer. Benton Park has all the amenities: a park with basketball and tennis courts, the closely-knit community inside Shameless Grounds, and easy access to both Cherokee Street and Downtown. Don’t be the person who drives the rents up just to move away.

Not Ideal For: The real estate mogul. No, Benton Park doesn’t need chain businesses or flipped duplexes-turned-single-families with gray wood flooring.

Extra Perk: The quirky charm of Venice Cafe lures in edgy adults of all ages from across the area for regular live music, open mics, or just a seat at the boat bar. You’ve got to see it to believe it — and bring that artsy friend from Chicago you want to impress.

Where to Meet the Locals: Spine Bookstore and Cafe regularly hosts events like poetry readings or open mics, and locals regularly show up to support.

The Neighborhood: Central West End

The Vibe: CWE is full of historic architecture and gorgeous walkable streets, including its main street — Euclid Avenue. Discover more than 75 unique shops, galleries, restaurants, bars, salons, hotels and more in this “urban eclectic” neighborhood.

Ideal For: Everyone, really. Whether you’re young, old, single, a couple, a student, part of the LGBTQIA+ community or a family, as long as you’re a lover of the arts, shopping, food and a good cocktail you’ll fit right in.

Not Ideal For: The broke. People who insist on super convenient parking.

Extra perk: The neighborhood borders Forest Park — the nation’s seventh-largest urban park.

Where to Meet the Locals: Brennan’s or Lazy Tiger

The Neighborhood: Downtown and Downtown West

The Vibe: Downtown is a culturally rich neighborhood. If you want to experience a truly vibrant and walkable neighborhood, filled with history, museums, gorgeous buildings, arenas, great restaurants and a mixture of high-end bars, speakeasies and clubs, this is it.

Ideal for: People open to new experiences and an urban lifestyle. You’ll find diversity of ages, races and ethnicities.

Not ideal for: Light sleepers — let’s be honest, there’s a lot of sirens and some of these concerts go late.

Extra perk: In the nicer months, Kiener Plaza offers yoga and a splashpad. And Citygarden is a great leafy retreat from the concrete jungle.

Where to meet the locals: Catalyst Coffee Bar or Blondie’s, the 21c Hotel

The Neighborhood: Soulard

The Vibe: Soulard is one of the oldest neighborhoods in St. Louis, filled with charm and beautiful, red-brick row houses. There’s also a diverse collection of bars and patios with live music and an array of restaurants including a few pizzerias, a Mexican joint and one of the area’s landmark Irish pubs.

Ideal For: With its love of partying, Soulard tends to pull in a lot of college students and young adults. But there’s also a sizable group of people who love their historic homes and look the other way when the party buses come from the county.

Not Ideal For: Big families or people with big dogs; there’s not a lot of yard space with these stunning homes. And if you hate having people come to your neighborhood once a year to piss and puke all over it, Soulard may not be for you.

Extra Perk: Don’t feel like driving? How about driving a golf cart? It’s perfect for going anywhere on “the Island” you’d ever want to be.

Where to Meet the Locals: Duke’s or Molly’s (if you love to party), Protagonist Cafe (if you’d prefer to remember the conversation later)

The Neighborhood: De Mun

The Vibe: Star-shaped sweetgums sweep across the streets of De Mun like a rug and shake in an eternal breeze. The only louder sound is the noise of children sprinting to How Sweet Is This candy shop.

Ideal for: De Mun harbors mostly well-to-do singles and families. With its proximity to Wash U, many of these singles are graduate students, and many of these families are professors. The neighborhood attracts renters and homeowners desiring a quiet, walkable community given its easy pedestrian access to Schnucks, Walgreens, Clementine’s, Kaldi’s, Sasha’s and Olivia and Oliver Nail Salon. Grab your Americano, groceries, prescriptions and freshly painted nails all in time for your wine and ice cream date. Speaking from experience, it can be done.

Not Ideal For: The young person looking for easy access to a night out beyond the neighborhood bar.

Extra Perk: Concordia Park, a rolling rectangle of grassy fields pines and park benches. In the spring, this park, adjacent to De Mun Boulevard and Concordia Seminary, turns into a fairyland of purples, yellows and pinks, and in the fall lights up with fireflies. Perfect for tree climbers of all ages.

Where to Meet the Locals: Kaldi’s De Mun is filled with both neighbors and cyclists on Sunday mornings.

The Neighborhood: Southampton

The Vibe: Southampton, known as SoHa, is a charming urban neighborhood with a mixture of architectural styles ranging from Art Deco to Craftsman to "gingerbread cottages" to modern ranches. With its peaceful, tree-lined streets featuring friendly plant-filled porches, it's the perfect neighborhood to take those summer evening strolls. Along Southampton’s main street, Macklind Avenue, are cafés, delis, restaurants, a theater, banks, grocery stores, florists, dry cleaners, hair salons, fitness and wellness centers, professional offices, auto repair, parks, a library and churches — everything you could possibly need.

Ideal For: Young families, people escaping south county who aren’t quite ready to give up the single-family lifestyle just yet.

Not Ideal For: Partiers. There are no ragers going in this neighborhood.

Extra Perk: In addition to its regular exhibitions of local artists, SOHA Gallery sponsors a community garden and hosts events, including art classes.

Where to Meet the Locals: LeGrand’s

The Neighborhood: SLU Adjacent

The Vibe: The eastern edge of the Central West End where it meets Grand Center and Midtown is a little more city and a lot more chaotic than the heart of the CWE closer to Euclid. The neighborhood has a nice mixture of new buildings and St. Louis University’s historic one, as well as a lot of student housing. But thanks to the student housing and SLU’s campus, it’s a very walkable area and it's easy to get to restaurants, bars and grocery stores.

Ideal For: College students and young adults.

Not Ideal For: Families.

Extra Perk: You’re right next to the Foundry, the Armory, Ikea and only a few blocks away from Grand Center, where the Fabulous Fox Theatre is located along with several restaurants and bars.

Where to Meet the Locals: The Scottish Arms or Scarlett’s Wine Bar.

The Neighborhood: Old North

The Vibe: Amazing rowhouses a la Soulard, with a much more diverse set of residents. White, Black, blue-collar, white-collar or artsy, this neighborhood has it all.

Ideal For: Artists, people who refuse to give up no matter how much disinvestment surrounds them, people willing to cross the Delmar Divide, people who want proximity to downtown from the northside.

Not Ideal For: People who think the city should be just like the suburb they grew up in. Old North has more challenges — but it’s also a lot more interesting.

Extra Perk: Crown Candy Kitchen, 111 years old and still going strong, often has lines out the door on the weekends. When you live here, you can show up on random Wednesday.

Where to Meet the Locals: Zuka Arts Guild

The Neighborhood: The Grove
The Vibe: The central nightlife district in the heart of Forest Park Southeast is no longer the “gayborhood” it used to be, but it still retains its party-all-night hours and radically inclusive vibes. Great restaurants, shops and one of the city’s best breweries make Manchester a destination, day or night.

Ideal for: People who like to party. Wash U Med School students (it’s really close). People who like the walkability of the Central West End without its stuffier ethos.

Not ideal for: Young families, bigots

Extra perk: After years of pent-up demand, the Grove finally has some new multi-family housing, including the Chroma building, which is just a few feet from a remarkable assortment of great bars and restaurants, from Sultan Mediterranean (Kurdish food) to Chao Baan (Thai) to Grace Meat + Three (Southern homestyle).

Where to Meet the Locals: The Gramophone, Everest

The Neighborhood: Bevo Mill

The Vibe: Super chill. This area of deep south city has been home to numerous immigrant populations going back to the Bosnians in the late ‘90s. The newest residents are a great mix of Central Americans, Middle Easterners and more, all living in the shadow of the Busch family’s iconic windmill (now Das Bevo, an event space that has nothing to do with the Busches).

Ideal For: People who are ready for a true urban lifestyle. If you’re one to complain about how gentrification has hit Tower Grove South, you might want to give Bevo a chance.

Not ideal for: People squeamish about gunshots, people who hate immigrants.

Extra perk: It’s one of south city’s few remaining bargains.

Where to Meet the Locals: The Heavy Anchor or the charming adjacent cinema, Arkadin.