Saint Charles is a St. Louis suburb steeped in history but still evolving. This is an area that’s experiencing a migration of newcomers from St. Louis and is expanding to accommodate them. “It’s really up-and-coming, with more development and more people moving out towards Saint Charles because of the affordability of its housing,” says Realtor and St Louis-area native Maggie Bradford of Keller Williams Realty West. “The oldest city along the more than 2,300-mile Missouri River, Saint Charles is today the ninth-largest city in the state, home to offices for multiple major companies, rich with opportunities for outdoor recreation, and still full of historic character.
New developments in Saint Charles
The scenic Missouri River is a large part of the Saint Charles community.
Frontier Park is home to the decommissioned railroad and rail cars.
Enjoy walks down the iconic streets throughout the city of Saint Charles.
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Whether classic or new, there’s plenty of options to choose from
This city has its own historic district by the river, where home seekers searching for classic architecture can find many houses built from the mid to late 19th century. Some of these options need extra work to bring them up to current standards, however it’s an investment people are willing to make. “A lot of the people who are renovating those homes are trying to keep that aesthetic of the historic features of those homes,” Bradford says. “And I’m at least hoping that they are doing their very best at keeping that, because it is so beautiful.” But on the opposite side of the spectrum, with a population that grew roughly 7% from 2010 to 2020, up to 70,500, there’s been quite a bit of recent construction in the area as well. That includes sidewalk-lined suburban-style subdivisions like The Villages at Sandfort Farm and Oakleigh Park. “Hopefully building up more neighborhoods to bring back the neighborhood community where kids used to be out on their bikes and used to have more of a sense of community,” Bradford says. Homes in Saint Charles sell for an average of about $357,500, which is just about $60,000 more than the average sale price for a home in St. Louis but less than the average prices in other nearby suburbs like Ballwin’s $399,704, Chesterfield’s $622,206, and Town and Country’s $1.4 million.
Old Town Saint Charles draws residents from all over Saint Louis to it's historic streets.
The mature trees in Old Town Saint Charles adds to the neighborhood's history.
Unique homes with large trees and intricate landscaping are part of Saint Charles' fingerprint.
New developments make up the boundaries of Saint Charles.
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A region home to a range of industries
Saint Charles counts health care and manufacturing among its major industries. The city is the site of the 329-bed SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital—St. Charles, which includes a dedicated stroke center. Multiple companies are headquartered in the city including the pharmacy packaging and supplies company Rx Systems, Inc., Patriot Machine, an aerospace manufacturer, and Newco Enterprises, a beverage machine manufacturer. Boeing also has a plant near the St. Louis Lambert International Airport and has around 17,000 employees.
SSM Health Center serves many residents of the city of Saint Charles.
Saint Charles is full of business centers with large companies employing hundreds of residents.
Industries like Patriot Machine employ many residents of Saint Charles.
Nationally recognized companies, like Boeing, have locations throughout Saint Charles.
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History still lives along Saint Charles’ Main Street
Saint Charles dates to 1769, and people can still experience the city’s deeply rooted history along Main Street. Lined with brick, Main Street is the core of the St. Charles Historic District. It’s a walkable stretch dotted with an assortment of local restaurants, shops and art galleries that are housed in Italianate and Colonial Revival-style buildings. “There are a lot of seasonal fairs or events that occur as well as farmers markets and opportunities for outings,” Bradford says. “There’s also good places to eat as well and wine cellars and places to get a drink and just hang out with your friends.” Big-box retail and grocery shopping is available to the west, close to Interstate 70, including the Regency Plaza and Zumbehl Commons shopping centers. Mid Rivers Mall — which has more than 140 stores and eateries — is just about 7 miles west in the neighboring city of St. Peters.
The city is also developing the $350 million RiverPointe project. The 82-acre mixed-use development will be along the Missouri River. The project is already in progress with the restaurant and pickleball facility, Chicken N Pickle, opening in 2023, and the hopes are the whole project will be completed by 2027.
Popular events in the area include the St. Charles Riverfest, a two-day Fourth of July celebration with live music and two nights of fireworks. The end of the year brings Saint Charles Christmas Traditions, a nearly month-long festival from Black Friday until Christmas Eve. Christmas Traditions features recurring events each week, including a Santa parade, caroling and a candlelight procession. The St. Charles Riverwalk Farmers Market is an opportunity to grab fresh produce and other goods on Saturdays from April to November.
Find your new favorite scent at Fig & Sparrow in Old Town Saint Charles.
Enjoy the many shops at the Mid Rivers Mall in Saint Charles.
Enjoy some family time at Chicken N Pickle by the river in Saint Charles.
Ask a local expert in Old Town Saint Charles about what plants you should add to your home.
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Opportunities for recreation abound
Even as the city grows, plenty of green space continues to be preserved. DuSable Park is one of the most prominent options, a sprawling space along the Missouri River with trails, playgrounds, basketball courts, a dog park and a boat launch. Athletes in town also have the 60-acre St. Charles Soccer Complex Park, where there’s more than a dozen soccer fields, a couple of rugby fields and a cricket pitch. The complex hosts multiple tournaments each year. Those who prefer to spectate have The Family Arena, where they can watch the St. Louis Ambush, a member of the Major Arena Soccer League. Touring concerts, musicals, monster truck shows and more make stops at The Family Arena, too. Saint Charles is in a region that experiences all four seasons, including an average of more than 23 inches of snow each year. Temperatures during the area’s mild summer top out at an average of 88 degrees.
The sculpture at the Eco Park Trailhead at Dusable Park is a peaceful place to relax.
Use the boat ramp in Old Town Saint Charles to access the Missouri River and fish the banks.
Enjoy the open fields at St. Charles Soccer Complex in Saint Charles.
Saint Charles has many entertainment spots, such as the Family Arena.
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Interstate 70 is conveniently close for commuters
Interstate 70 is the major highway that runs through Saint Charles. It's a route commuters can use to cross the Missouri River and into St. Louis, just over 20 miles southeast. I-70 is also a quick way to get to the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, 10 miles away. Lambert is one of the state’s most prominent airports and offers direct flights to more than 70 cities. Also, while the city doesn’t have a traditional bus service, people can use The Charley service to get around. The Charley provides rides within Saint Charles Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rides must be booked at least 24 hours in advance and cost 50 cents each.
Saint Charles has a robust school system
The St. Charles School District, which carries a B-plus rating on Niche, serves almost 5,000 students across six elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school and two high schools. The district’s A-rated Lincoln Elementary was recently named a National Elementary and Secondary Education Act Distinguished School for its students’ achievement, one of only two schools in the St. Louis area to ever earn the distinction.
The city has numerous private school options, including religious-based schools like the A-plus-rated Academy of the Sacred Heart for prekindergarten through eighth grade and the B-plus-rated Duchesne High. Both have student-teacher ratios of 10-to-1 or less.
Lindenwood University, a private four-year institution with an enrollment of almost 7,300 students, calls Saint Charles home. The university offers 90 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including business and criminal justice. Lindenwood sponsors 30 NCAA-sanctioned teams, known as the Lions and recently made the jump to Division I.
Crime
Saint Charles recorded a population-adjusted average of 77.3 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2023, according to the FBI’s crime data explorer. That’s significantly lower than the rate in St. Louis, 227.1, and across the state of Missouri, 121.8, during the same period.
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Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
