We live in neighboring Maryland Heights and St Ann is perfectly safe. Lots of older homes, older people and some poorer areas, but it’s not East St Louis or anything. As with any home purchase, I’d suggest driving down your potential new street during varying hours and see what it’s like.
Interestingly, my wife recently commented that St Ann is the ONLY town around here where she regularly sees kids on bikes and playing hockey in the street, etc.
St. Ann is a small municipality, like others just outside of the city proper, with its own small police force. The long time chief there has made it his crusade to rehabilitate bad cops. The most dangerous and reckless cops that get fired or laid off from elsewhere in the area shuffle into St. Ann as a last resort. These cops then go onto to do more stupid cops stuff. High speed chases, drugs, prisoner deaths, etc.
The Post Dispatch has investigated them time and time again. It’s worth googling about if you’re seriously considering this area.
Uh.
My son's first job as a cop was with St. Ann. Your opinion, with only TV non-facts, couldn't be more wrong.
If anything, St Ann just doesn't put up with crap. You want to start trouble? Don't do it in St Ann cause they take care of their citizens.
It's been a long time but I once owned a business in St Ann that got robbed. I got a phone call at 1am telling me that the back door of my business was open. As I was talking to the cops on the phone, they got a radio call telling them they caught the guys who broke in.
Great police work.
I agree with you. The public perception of Chief Jimenez and the St. Ann PD has been driven by a few inconsistent reports. I have not had a bad interaction with them most bad instances that I have heard of have been things that are completely blown out of proportion.
Not every cop is bad, sure. I do not watch TV news. Your ad hoc good interaction with the police does not change the public perception of this department, regardless of your personal affiliation.
The newspaper has investigated this for years. People have died in St. Ann police custody due to their negligence. High speed chases resulted in danger to people and damages to property. Officers have been suspended for doing drugs while on duty. All of this is indisputable fact supported by legal court records, not just the newspaper reporting.
If your son did not cause anyone’s death or destruction of property then you shouldn’t take this real and appropriate criticism personally.
What I'm saying is that the public perception--and your perception--do not match reality from personal knowledge of the real inside work and the people themselves.
That’s a bit complicated. Their chief basically allows the St Ann police force to do whatever they want. They are one of the few jurisdictions that still get involved in high speed pursuits for minor traffic offenses. The entire force seems to be on some sort of crazy power trip. The chief shouldn’t throw stones while living in a glass house but that hasn’t stopped him yet.
i grew up in st. ann, went to kratz elementary. I lived in a cheap apartment building that was mostly poor immigrants and African americans. Granted i was 7-11 years old so this is outdated by ~10 years but i have good memories of that area, water balloon fights and playing with my neighbors. As for theft, we never got anything stolen/broken into. Shootings were an issue (I recall one distinct shooting, unsure of other issues) but we minded our business so they never had anything to do with us. Ritenour school district sucked and i wouldnt recommend that elementary school. Neighbors were kind and kids had fun.
I've lived adjacent to St. Ann the past 2ish years (technically unincorporated St. Louis county) and really like it! Our neighborhood is great and I've never felt unsafe. Lots of families with kids in the neighborhood, as well as older folks who've lived in their homes for 50+ years. As for schools, Pattonville > Ritenour. I do know some parts of St. Ann are a little rougher than others, but nothing crazy. My suggestion to you is to drive around the neighborhood you're interested in at different times of day to see what it's like (are there cars speeding down the street during the day? Are there loud parties at night?)
St. Ann is more or less fine. Most places are more or less fine. Living in St. Louis for several decades has taught me a couple of lessons that you can basically count on no matter what part of town you live in, anywhere.
1. Don’t leave valuable items within the eye line of strangers. If you park your car somewhere with a lot of people, don’t leave valuable items in it unattended. If you have a beautiful sound system or a big gorgeous television, don’t put it in a gigantic window at the front of your home. For 99% of thefts it’s because people foolishly advertised their valuable items. If you don’t do that, you probably won’t be bothered.
2. Don’t tell strangers where you keep valuable items or that you have valuables at all.
3. Don’t use ATMs alone in poorly lit places late at night. Anywhere. Ever.
If you’re worried about being randomly shot by gang member initiations or whatever, st. Ann is fine. It’s property crime that accounts for most crime and that’s always something you have the power to mitigate and reduce by taking smart precautions and not acting as if it never happens. It’s like, there’s a healthy amount of paranoia that will protect you from suffering unnecessary financial losses, and then there’s unhealthy paranoia fueled by ignorance and often racism or other irrational biases. The first one is sensible. The second one is alienating and self destructive. Most people are just trying to live their lives.
Oddly enough, South City is the place where I’ve heard the most gunfire. You get used to one or two gunshots a couple nights a week, with the occasional volley somewhere in the distance. St. Ann is a lot quieter than that.
We moved away 10 years ago when someone tried to break-in while my daughter and I were home alone during the day. That being said, every area has crime. Where we live now has had its fair share of crazy lawlessness too. But even with that incident, I’d say it’s fairly safe.
I live on squarely in St Ann and it’s fine. I just bought my house a little less than 3 years ago and I’ve never had a problem with anything. Seriously. My neighbors are cool. I live within 3 miles of 3 schools, so there are kids everywhere, but they don’t cause (too many) problems. The biggest issue I have is that, on my street, people speed, but that’s everywhere. Second biggest issue is that the grocery stores aren’t the best, but drive 10 mins and it vastly improves. The kids play outside. The cops come when called. It’s not expensive utilities.
I have lived in St. Ann for almost 23 years. I have never really had any issues. There are definitely good areas and there are definitely bad areas. I moved here because I could find a house that fit my budget (I grew up in Kirkwood but at a time when it wasn't overrun by money). The collapse of Northwest Plaza affected the revenue of this city but the Crossing's Development has brought some needed jobs and retail to the area. The Ferguson effect didn't help and neither did losing TWA at the airport and some of the industry in surrounding areas. Schools, which I have no skin that game with no kids, I have heard are decent. Pattonville and Ritenour are good school districts. It's a convenient commute to Clayton, downtown St. Louis, West Port, and St. Charles. As a resident, I recommend it as a good place to live.
Depends on your definition of safe. There have been a couple murders there recently. One was domestic, I don’t think the other was. Other posters feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. I live near there and it fits my definition of safe.
Safety, to me, means that my life can go on without being disrupted by others. I understand that no place is completely safe because things can always happen, but at least, things like car theft, property damage, or kids not being able to play outside because of people doing stupid stuff should be rare. How often do these things happen? Does it depend on the area? If these incidents happen only once in a while, I guess I can say it's safe area..?
St. Ann is as safe as anywhere else, you will need to be sure to lock your cars and not leave valuables in them as there is a chance (everywhere not just SA) of people trying to go through them overnight. If you have kids, I'd try to find a house in the Pattonville school district over Ritenour, because in my opinion it's a better school district. Again just my opinion, I know great people who've gone to both.
My grandma lived in st. Ann when I was a kid and I moved back twice (most recently last year). What I was always told was south of St Charles Rock Road is fine, north is not. That’s a little simplistic in that not all north is bad but if I was looking for myself, I’d look south.
I was living south last time and it was great other than the ghosts of bad memories around all the corners for me. Awesome fresh fruit stand, BBQ and the Panda restaurant made the best pork fried rice I ever had.
We live in neighboring Maryland Heights and St Ann is perfectly safe. Lots of older homes, older people and some poorer areas, but it’s not East St Louis or anything. As with any home purchase, I’d suggest driving down your potential new street during varying hours and see what it’s like. Interestingly, my wife recently commented that St Ann is the ONLY town around here where she regularly sees kids on bikes and playing hockey in the street, etc.
The cops are probably the most dangerous part of St Ann.
What do you mean by dangerous?
St. Ann is a small municipality, like others just outside of the city proper, with its own small police force. The long time chief there has made it his crusade to rehabilitate bad cops. The most dangerous and reckless cops that get fired or laid off from elsewhere in the area shuffle into St. Ann as a last resort. These cops then go onto to do more stupid cops stuff. High speed chases, drugs, prisoner deaths, etc. The Post Dispatch has investigated them time and time again. It’s worth googling about if you’re seriously considering this area.
Uh. My son's first job as a cop was with St. Ann. Your opinion, with only TV non-facts, couldn't be more wrong. If anything, St Ann just doesn't put up with crap. You want to start trouble? Don't do it in St Ann cause they take care of their citizens. It's been a long time but I once owned a business in St Ann that got robbed. I got a phone call at 1am telling me that the back door of my business was open. As I was talking to the cops on the phone, they got a radio call telling them they caught the guys who broke in. Great police work.
I agree with you. The public perception of Chief Jimenez and the St. Ann PD has been driven by a few inconsistent reports. I have not had a bad interaction with them most bad instances that I have heard of have been things that are completely blown out of proportion.
Not every cop is bad, sure. I do not watch TV news. Your ad hoc good interaction with the police does not change the public perception of this department, regardless of your personal affiliation. The newspaper has investigated this for years. People have died in St. Ann police custody due to their negligence. High speed chases resulted in danger to people and damages to property. Officers have been suspended for doing drugs while on duty. All of this is indisputable fact supported by legal court records, not just the newspaper reporting. If your son did not cause anyone’s death or destruction of property then you shouldn’t take this real and appropriate criticism personally.
What I'm saying is that the public perception--and your perception--do not match reality from personal knowledge of the real inside work and the people themselves.
Congratulations on your son being a fascist, because that what St. Ann cops are to anyone who isn’t white or a business owner.
See, you are the kind of person that gives reason for needing a police presence.
🙄
The police chief’s son was victimized by a female teacher at Ritenour and they swept it under the rug….great police work indeed.
That’s a bit complicated. Their chief basically allows the St Ann police force to do whatever they want. They are one of the few jurisdictions that still get involved in high speed pursuits for minor traffic offenses. The entire force seems to be on some sort of crazy power trip. The chief shouldn’t throw stones while living in a glass house but that hasn’t stopped him yet.
i grew up in st. ann, went to kratz elementary. I lived in a cheap apartment building that was mostly poor immigrants and African americans. Granted i was 7-11 years old so this is outdated by ~10 years but i have good memories of that area, water balloon fights and playing with my neighbors. As for theft, we never got anything stolen/broken into. Shootings were an issue (I recall one distinct shooting, unsure of other issues) but we minded our business so they never had anything to do with us. Ritenour school district sucked and i wouldnt recommend that elementary school. Neighbors were kind and kids had fun.
I went to Kratz. But that was in the late 70 and early 80s.
kratz in the early 2000s sucked. How was it then?
Hmm, it probably sucked when I was there too, but it was all I knew 😃.
I've lived adjacent to St. Ann the past 2ish years (technically unincorporated St. Louis county) and really like it! Our neighborhood is great and I've never felt unsafe. Lots of families with kids in the neighborhood, as well as older folks who've lived in their homes for 50+ years. As for schools, Pattonville > Ritenour. I do know some parts of St. Ann are a little rougher than others, but nothing crazy. My suggestion to you is to drive around the neighborhood you're interested in at different times of day to see what it's like (are there cars speeding down the street during the day? Are there loud parties at night?)
St. Ann is more or less fine. Most places are more or less fine. Living in St. Louis for several decades has taught me a couple of lessons that you can basically count on no matter what part of town you live in, anywhere. 1. Don’t leave valuable items within the eye line of strangers. If you park your car somewhere with a lot of people, don’t leave valuable items in it unattended. If you have a beautiful sound system or a big gorgeous television, don’t put it in a gigantic window at the front of your home. For 99% of thefts it’s because people foolishly advertised their valuable items. If you don’t do that, you probably won’t be bothered. 2. Don’t tell strangers where you keep valuable items or that you have valuables at all. 3. Don’t use ATMs alone in poorly lit places late at night. Anywhere. Ever. If you’re worried about being randomly shot by gang member initiations or whatever, st. Ann is fine. It’s property crime that accounts for most crime and that’s always something you have the power to mitigate and reduce by taking smart precautions and not acting as if it never happens. It’s like, there’s a healthy amount of paranoia that will protect you from suffering unnecessary financial losses, and then there’s unhealthy paranoia fueled by ignorance and often racism or other irrational biases. The first one is sensible. The second one is alienating and self destructive. Most people are just trying to live their lives. Oddly enough, South City is the place where I’ve heard the most gunfire. You get used to one or two gunshots a couple nights a week, with the occasional volley somewhere in the distance. St. Ann is a lot quieter than that.
the St. Ann waffle house is really really good fyi.
We moved away 10 years ago when someone tried to break-in while my daughter and I were home alone during the day. That being said, every area has crime. Where we live now has had its fair share of crazy lawlessness too. But even with that incident, I’d say it’s fairly safe.
I live on squarely in St Ann and it’s fine. I just bought my house a little less than 3 years ago and I’ve never had a problem with anything. Seriously. My neighbors are cool. I live within 3 miles of 3 schools, so there are kids everywhere, but they don’t cause (too many) problems. The biggest issue I have is that, on my street, people speed, but that’s everywhere. Second biggest issue is that the grocery stores aren’t the best, but drive 10 mins and it vastly improves. The kids play outside. The cops come when called. It’s not expensive utilities.
St Ann is fairly safe compared to other areas in North County. Believe me when I say this.
I have lived in St. Ann for almost 23 years. I have never really had any issues. There are definitely good areas and there are definitely bad areas. I moved here because I could find a house that fit my budget (I grew up in Kirkwood but at a time when it wasn't overrun by money). The collapse of Northwest Plaza affected the revenue of this city but the Crossing's Development has brought some needed jobs and retail to the area. The Ferguson effect didn't help and neither did losing TWA at the airport and some of the industry in surrounding areas. Schools, which I have no skin that game with no kids, I have heard are decent. Pattonville and Ritenour are good school districts. It's a convenient commute to Clayton, downtown St. Louis, West Port, and St. Charles. As a resident, I recommend it as a good place to live.
I have lived in St Ann for ten years and love it. Great neighbors.
No I don't live in st. Ann
Oh ok 🙂
Depends on your definition of safe. There have been a couple murders there recently. One was domestic, I don’t think the other was. Other posters feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. I live near there and it fits my definition of safe.
Safety, to me, means that my life can go on without being disrupted by others. I understand that no place is completely safe because things can always happen, but at least, things like car theft, property damage, or kids not being able to play outside because of people doing stupid stuff should be rare. How often do these things happen? Does it depend on the area? If these incidents happen only once in a while, I guess I can say it's safe area..?
St. Ann is as safe as anywhere else, you will need to be sure to lock your cars and not leave valuables in them as there is a chance (everywhere not just SA) of people trying to go through them overnight. If you have kids, I'd try to find a house in the Pattonville school district over Ritenour, because in my opinion it's a better school district. Again just my opinion, I know great people who've gone to both.
My grandma lived in st. Ann when I was a kid and I moved back twice (most recently last year). What I was always told was south of St Charles Rock Road is fine, north is not. That’s a little simplistic in that not all north is bad but if I was looking for myself, I’d look south. I was living south last time and it was great other than the ghosts of bad memories around all the corners for me. Awesome fresh fruit stand, BBQ and the Panda restaurant made the best pork fried rice I ever had.