Neighborhoods

I live at Parc Frontenac in the Central West End (CWE), which means I’m practically a stone’s throw from the Medical Campus. One thing you might hear (and see yourself) is that the CWE is expensive, and that isn’t inaccurate. Living here, the location does place a premium on housing, but it’s not exorbitant, especially if you’re careful with where you choose to live and what kind of apartment you select (hint: find a roommate). There are many affordable options, and the ease of access to school is unparalleled. There’s also a Whole Foods nearby, Forest Park right across the street, and little cafes and restaurants scattered around. One caveat is the sound level: It’s not a dealbreaker for me (even as someone with sensitive hearing), but living near the hospital as well as a main road means that you occasionally have to deal with the sounds of traffic and ambulances. Nonetheless, I would highly recommend CWE for (at least) your first year.

In my opinion, downtown St. Louis is one of the most underrated neighborhoods in the city. It is not a popular destination for most WashU med students due to its distance from the medical center, but hopefully I can convince you to consider it by the end of this write-up. Downtown St. Louis is not like the downtown areas in most cities, which tend to be the focal point of nightlife, business, and other leisure activities. Due to the unique development of St. Louis city and county, several neighborhoods have an equal share of all three. This ultimately means that downtown, in many ways, is like any other major neighborhood in St. Louis and is consequently much more affordable than you would expect. If you are anything like me and enjoy having a bit of space from school/work when you go home, downtown is an excellent choice. It only takes only ~10-13 minutes driving to get to the medical center, and there are also numerous MetroLink stations that go directly to CWE.

Although downtown St. Louis is not quite as busy as the downtown areas in other major cities, there is no shortage of things to do. If you are interested in sports, you can catch a Blues hockey game, Cardinals baseball game, and as of 2022, a CITY soccer game. If you have a yearning to see animals, I highly recommend the St. Louis Aquarium at the historic Union Station. If you want to let your inner child out, you can always have fun at the one-of-a-kind City Museum or check out some quirky sculptures at the City Garden. True to St. Louis, my favorite downtown attraction is the Gateway Arch National Park, where you can walk through a free museum and take a tram ride up the iconic Gateway Arch. There are tons of other fun things to do, as well as countless delicious restaurants. I hope I have convinced you to consider downtown St. Louis as a place to live during your time here!

Do you want to pay a second rent for parking? The answer is no! Then don’t go to Central West End (CWE) — come to DeBaliviere! With a four-minute MetroLink ride to the middle of the med school and location directly next to Forest Park, it has all the CWE perks and conveniences for a better value. Plus, we’ll be neighbors.

The Grove is an absolutely vibrant, beautiful neighborhood on the southern border of the Medical Campus. A lot of medical students, postdocs, DBBS students, etc. call the Grove home. It rightfully earns its moniker of entertainment and cultural hotspot. In addition to the historic buildings (and inexpensive rent), the Grove is home to over 50 businesses as rich and diverse as its history. There are Nepali, Lebanese-fusion, Korean, upscale Mediterranean, and Southern comfort restaurants (just to name a few). The Grove has many many many clubs and bars to tickle any fancy. The neighborhood hosts bike rides (midnight and naked) and road races, and it is absolutely walkable. The LGBTQIA+ community invested in the neighborhood back in the 1980s and made it the diverse, vibrant neighborhood it is today. If that doesn’t entice you, how about being 10 minutes from campus (at most) and 10 minutes from Forest Park?

University City is a quaint suburb about five miles northwest of the WashU Medical Campus. Coming from Los Angeles, I could not believe that these large, beautiful brick homes were more affordable than our tiny two-bedroom apartment. After living here for about half a year, I can confidently say if I could go back, I would choose U-City again — no question. I moved here with my husband and two kids, and it is such a sweet, family-friendly neighborhood.

U-City’s Olive Boulevard has some awesome authentic Chinese restaurants (like Cate Zone) and two large Asian supermarkets. The Saint Louis Zoo is just couple miles away, located in Forest Park. It is such a fun place to spend the day with the family and most importantly, it’s free! U-City is walking distance to Clayton, where there are tons of great restaurants, coffee shops and parks (our favorite is Shaw Park). Brentwood is a short five-minute drive away where you will find all of your shopping needs, from Target and Trader Joe’s to the Saint Louis Galleria. The Delmar Loop is a lively town just down the road, filled with tons of restaurants, bars, karaoke, bowling, rooftop lounges, and more. My husband and I often have date night in the Loop, and we always find something new to do.

I chose to drive to campus, and it takes me about ten minutes to get there, but during Phase 1 of the curriculum, students do not need to have a car, and many opt to take the MetroLink light rail system. The MetroLink conveniently runs right through U-City and has a stop on the Medical Campus, so it drops you off right at school. The cherry on top is that WashU provides students with a MetroLink pass, so taking the Metro is free! Is it obvious that I appreciate free things yet? Anyway, U-City is the best. If you want to live in an affordable, beautiful suburb that has it all, look no further.