The 3 Best Family Neighborhoods in St. Louis

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Moving to a new city is challenging. Finding the right mix of neighborhood safety, quality of schools, location, convenience — it all can be quite overwhelming.

That’s why we’ve done the research for you, so you don’t have to (and by the way of introduction, we’re Bellhop — your friendly Saint Louis movers). We’ve examined what it’s like living in some of the most family-friendly neighborhoods in St. Louis to help get you started on your search for your new family home. Before we dive into it, here a few more articles on the best up and coming neighborhoods in Saint Louis, and the five best overall neighborhoods in Saint Louis, that might help you with your move!

Downtown Saint Louis — Up and Coming Saint Louis Neighborhoods Bellhop Blog

The 3 Most Family-Friendly Neighborhoods in Saint Louis

While Saint Louis is filled with wonderful neighborhoods and up-and-coming areas, we explored some of the factors most important to families and came up with this list of the best neighborhoods for families in Saint Louis:

Chesterfield
Ladue
Brentwood

Chesterfield

Based on location, school district, and affluence, Chesterfield is a top pick for families. This clean and safe suburb sits 30 minutes west of downtown Saint Louis.

Chesterfield is known as the “City of Volunteers” because of its highly-involved locals. The largest city in west Saint Louis County, Chesterfield is a peaceful residential enclave that was formed in 1988.

What’s Happening in Chesterfield

Filled with parks, playgrounds, walking trails, and even a carousel, Chesterfield is a picturesque place for residents of all ages. This peaceful suburb is home to numerous outdoor spaces and family-friendly amenities. Locals love Faust Park and its historic village, playground, walking trails, and Butterfly House.

Chesterfield also boasts of numerous shopping areas, businesses, art galleries, and cultural outlets.

With award-winning wine lists and gourmet cultural eats, Chesterfield’s dining scene earns its place on the map.

Visit Edgewild Restaurant & Winery if you’re an upscale foodie.
For rustic American cuisine, check out the well-loved Annie Gunn’s.
For a cultural-fusion feast, visit Kimcheese, Thai Sawadee, and Spiro’s.

Schools in Chesterfield

Chesterfield is home to several highly-rated schools, including Chesterfield Elementary School, Green Trails Elementary, Townsend Music School, and Parkway West High School among others.

Homes in Chesterfield

With over 46,000 residents, Chesterfield offers a sprawling range of house styles, sizes, and price points. Townhomes are available at lower prices. But Chesterfield’s beautiful and spacious single-family homes can be purchased anywhere between $275K and $4-million big ones.

Ladue

This neighborhood is home to elite families and features five private clubs, two private schools, and beautiful parks. Ladue is also home to one of the best public school systems in the region. Crime in the area is nearly non-existent, and community pride is strong in this close-knit inner-ring suburb.

What’s Happening in Ladue

Residents gather at the beautiful Bogey Golf Club for social gatherings and golfing sessions. The Saint Louis Country Club sits in the center of Ladue, features fine dining, and prides itself on a rich history going back for generations.

The older and well-established Log Cabin Club is known throughout the area for its incredible hospitality. A few miles away, you’ll find the Old Warson Country Club, which hosts gatherings and special events, serving cocktails and elegant entrees.

Ladue is also home to Tilles Park —a popular family spot with playgrounds, tennis courts, a fishing pond, and a spray fountain play area. The smaller and grassy Rodes Park is split down the middle by tall trees and a creek.

Ladue is home to trendy shopping spots at places like Plaza Frontenac and its high-end stores. Amidst the shopping malls, you’ll find classy boutiques like Vie and Cha.

The area offers a wide variety of American eats:

Kreis’ Steakhouse & Bar
The Shack Frontenac
Truffles
Lester’s
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Trainwreck Saloon
Canyon Cafe

For cultural classics, visit the highly-rated House of India or the well-loved Brio Italian Grille.

Schools in Ladue

Ladue offers its residents several nearby top-rated school options like Reed Elementary School, Ladue Middle School, Rohan Woods School, Saint Joseph’s Academy, and Brentwood High School among others.

Homes in Ladue

Ladue is full of stunning and spacious homes. But they don’t come cheap, with a typical home value of $965K. That said, much more affordable homes can be found here and there. And while housing prices are on the higher side in Ladue, families can still access the same school district and find lower home prices in neighboring Olivette.

Brentwood

Most Brentwood residents have great jobs. In fact, the unemployment rate here sits at a low 1.4%. The area provides its residence with a peaceful suburban feel, and most residents are homeowners. Brentwood offers plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks, as well as highly rated public schools.

Its proximity to downtown is an added bonus for most of Brentwood’s residents, who can easily reach their jobs or city amenities in 15 minutes. The suburb also sits close to other popular spots like Clayton and Maplewood, which both host lots of family-friendly events.

What’s Happening in Brentwood

Brentwood borders the popular Tilles Park, which glitters with colorful lights each Christmas. The neighborhood is also home to Brentwood Park, Memorial Park, Hanley Park, and an ice-skating rink.

Brentwood features a few local grocery stores including a Whole Foods Market. Other errands can be quickly completed, as Brentwood sits close to several hardware stores, a Best Buy, discount grocery stores, and the Maplewood Commons shopping center.

The suburb’s dining options mix local spots and popular chain restaurants, like Bonefish Grill, Revel Kitchen, Twin Oak Wood Fired Pizza & BBQ, Mai Lee, and our favorite — Frank Papa’s Ristorante.

For breakfast, locals can dine casually at First Watch or snag a Czech pastry and coffee from the Kolache Factory.

Schools in Brentwood

Some of Brentwood’s highest rated schools include Mason Elementary School, Mark Twain Elementary School, Brentwood Middle School, New City School, and Brentwood High School among others.

Homes in Brentwood

The typical home value in Brentwood is around $230K making it a great affordable option for families in the city. Here, you can find plenty of charming townhomes, small to medium-sized single-family homes, country-style condos, and apartments.

There You Have It: The 3 Most Family-Friendly Neighborhoods in Saint Louis!

We hope this was helpful, and if you decide to take the plunge, don’t hesitate to reach out to your friends here at Bellhops. As we said, we coordinate local and long-distance moving services in Saint Louis, and we would love to help.

Interested in learning more about St. Louis? Check out our other St. Louis guides below:

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Tyler Brown

Tyler has been with Bellhop since 2022. When not working on making moving experience awesome, Tyler enjoys biking through new cities all over the country, figuring out where his next meal is going to be, and fantasizing about where he might live next. He's currently in Richmond, Virginia.