It’s a given: If you have young children or are considering it, you’ll be told, “St. Louis is such a great place to raise a family!” Natives often boomerang back when babies start arriving, and transplants get the full-court press about attractions, quality of life, and affordability. The region offers attractive elements that many families seek, from fun places to go to an array of school choices. At the same time, some organizations are working hard to address gaps in health care and opportunities for families of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Whether you’re already here or considering the leap, here are a handful of reasons that St. Louis is so often called a family-friendly town.
Quality Fun Time
St. Louis has long been known for its abundance of free or affordable cultural and entertainment amenities. Beyond the popular animal-centric attractions (the Saint Louis Zoo, Grant’s Farm, Purina Farms), there are countless outdoor concert series (Whitaker Urban Evenings in St. Louis Place, the Compton Heights Concert Band in Tower Grove Park), parades (Labor Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Annie Malone Day, Cinco de Mayo), speakers and musical performances, such as the literacy/health storytimes at the Public Media Commons.
It’s more than even the super family from The Incredibles could accomplish.
Neighborhoods, too, offer a great prism for enjoying the area. Park the car in Maplewood, and shop fair trade goods at Zee Bee Market before enjoying lunch at Schlafly Bottleworks. Or hit up La Mancha Coffeehouse in Old North for food, Crown Candy Kitchen for a malt, Central Print to eyeball vintage letterpress machinery and printed products, and mosey down 14th Street to enjoy visual and performing arts on a First Friday Art Walk.
If you enjoy sports, there are major and minor league teams. Or get moving at Upper Limits Indoor Rock Climbing Gym, on a bike on Grant’s Trail, or at the vast natural playscape in Forest Park that’s scheduled to debut later this year. Engage in our city’s history in ways that can make tangible connections with kids through exhibits at the Missouri History Museum, the Lewis & Clark Boathouse, and the Griot Museum of Black History. Exercise the gray matter, too, by checking out the Saint Louis Science Center or getting into a game of chess at the Saint Louis Chess Club. Or put head and hands together at Myseum or The Magic House, which recently opened a new location at M.A.D.E. Makerspace.
Brand new to the scene, Centene Community Ice Center near Hollywood Casino boasts more than 250,000 square feet of icy fun, from community skating to serious training facilities for figure skating and hockey. Near Lafayette Square, Urban Fort Play Café thrilled families across the city when it opened in 2018. After already offering a parent-friendly café and kid-welcoming indoor playscape, the restaurant recently added hands-on science and sensory play classes and themed story times.
In fact, several much-loved spots provide plenty of return fun. Case in point: the always-evolving City Museum gave in to clamoring families by creating a season pass for the first time in its history. (It also recently added an 11,000-square-foot “artquarium,” complete with a sculpture of a seven-legged octopus.)
And libraries across the region are stretching to meet the needs of modern families with author visits; summer camps; performance opportunities; and classes in manga, podcasting, and even circus arts.
Beyond the Classroom
While St. Louis offers no shortage of traditional education options, some organizations are working to ensure quality education is accessible for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background. SkipNV, for example, is striving to bring parents, teachers, and youth together to “understand how the system works,” explains executive director Saras Chung. The organization pairs “their truth with rigorous research, data, and computational simulation to help identify strategies for change in partnership with local school districts and educational advocates.”
Other groups take a slightly different approach, beyond the classroom. Family reading program We Stories is designed to help families talk about race and justice. Welcome Neighbor STL creates a support network for immigrant and refugee families. New nonprofit LitShop pairs the building trades and literacy in meaningful ways for middle-school girls, frequently in disadvantaged city neighborhoods.
Activities that are both educational and entertaining abound across the region. At Craft Alliance, kids and families can try metalsmithing, clay work, and other artistic mediums. The Novel Neighbor in Webster Groves offers art classes for budding artists, who can learn to draw characters from Teen Titans Go!, Dogman, Minecraft, and their own creations. And Play Street Museum in St. Charles caters to the preschool set, with a small-format, interactive setting where kiddos can use their imaginations.
Want to embrace the great outdoors? Beyond the usual suspects (The Butterfly House, Shaw Nature Reserve, Forest Park, Lone Elk Park), Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center offers kid-friendly trails and ongoing classes like “Turtles for Tots” and “Tree-riffic!” And families can get their hands dirty while harvesting crops—that just happen to be growing on the roof of a downtown building, in the case of Food Roof Farm.
Making It All Work
Here’s the kicker: St. Louis’ relatively inexpensive living costs, with rents/mortgages being a good chunk below the national averages.
“St. Louis consistently ranks in top 10 and even top 5 housing affordability lists,” according to Stephanie Hug Morgan, a realtor with Coldwell Banker Gundaker. “The vast majority of residents can afford to buy a home here, usually around 75 to 80 percent, compared to the Bay area or New York City, where less than 10 percent of the population can afford the housing available. Sometimes, newcomers arrive with the intent to rent and quickly realize you can buy a home for less than rent—and it will likely be a nicer property!”
Then there’s the overall ease of daily tasks. Parking is pretty easy and pretty cheap. We have the second-fastest work commute of 20 major metro areas, as of last year. And even when you’re ready to get out of town, our central location makes travel elsewhere feasible, too. The region also boasts a robust menu of high-quality health care providers and dozens of low-key places to unwind—with or without the little ones.
For even more ideas, see our guide to family fun in St. Louis or 5 family-friendly activities to do this week.
