Can you live without a car in St. Louis?

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ryan s

Yes, you can live without a car in STL, especially that area of town. Metrolink to the Central West End, downtown, Clayton, the airport, Wash U bus service to Schnuck's and Target, plenty of available housing close to campus. The Loop within walking distance, and the greatest city park in the nation at your doorstep. About the crime, of course St. Louis has a high crime rate, no denying it, you just have to be more aware of your surrondings. But the great benefits of living in the city make up for the bad sides.

jjbean517

you can get around without a car, but it will be inconvenient for you. washu has a shuttle system (the gold line is most used by grad students) that will take you to target and schnucks...but that can be a pain (waiting/not always on time). the metrolink is very convenient for going to the landing or the airport. the metro bus system goes all over the city, but i haven't used it personally. plenty of students get along without a car...but make sure you know someone who does have one. you will be able to experience the city better with a car. also, st. louis is NOT that dangerous. it is just as dangerous as any big city and don't let that #1 ranking scare you.

Brian Da Dog

Ignore the dangerous remarks. The are remarks of feamongering irrational attentions seekers. This issue you will have with living without the car is the public transit systems are under developed for that kind of living. This combined with the fact that businesses are spread out, it makes living without a car difficult. There are those in the area that do not have a choice, but if you can obtain a car, do so.

First off, ignore the stupid remarks about St Louis being the #1 ranked dangerous city. Take into account that there is a very small population that lives in the city limits, which means even only a few crimes will make those stats much more dramatic than those of larger, more populace cities. Secondly, the Loop and the Wash U. area are well traveled, well populated, and at night well lit. That is a relatively safe area of town.

Now for the question. I live in downtown STL, and if I didn't have a job that required me to drive to, I would not own one. Everything you need is within walking distance. The buses, depending on which route you take, can be a little creepy. The metro (we don't have subways) is a little safer, but that really depends on the time of day you ride.

As with anywhere, big city or small town, if you plan on walking/bussing it, try to find a buddy to travel with. It's always safer in two's.

Hope that helps.

phirephaerie

St. Louis has lots of options for getting around in the area which means you dont neccesarily need a vehicle of your own but I'd suggest acquiring a bicycle atleast. There are plenty of stores and such within walking distance.

Skeeter

Ask a homeless person......I guess so

Roaddogg

The transit system isn't bad. It serves most areas pretty well with both bus and rail (Metrolink) lines. It's called Bi-State Metro Transit. I find the further out you live from downtown the less frequent and varied the routes become, although the system is quite large and the fares are reasonable! Also, most of the buses have bike racks so pairing up with a bike should do the trick!

[alexander.michael]

I'm sure you can. You might want to get a bike just in case though (if you don't already have one).

armenkara

Ok, I go to grad school in St. Louis. It was voted #1 most dangerous city this year. I would not walk anywhere after dark and will only walk in a few select areas in daylight. The public transport system is not very good; the metrolink is good, but it only takes you from downtown to the airport with stops along the way. There have been many reports of robbings at the metrolink stations.

In short, I would get a car.

krazyshadowkat

yes, there is public transportation. we have buses and the metrolink, no subway. and you can buy passes that allow you to ride whenever you need without paying per trip. i'm sure there are grocery stores, i had a friend that lived in the loop and he loved it!

christine v

You can live without a car anywhere. But, St. Louis has a pretty good public transit system.

Just Me

Of course you can!! Humans lived for centuries before cars were invented, and seemed to do just fine.

matsystud

you can live anywhere without a car

Leslie H

go ahead and get a car man, st.louis is a big but dangerous city and the metrolink isnt that safe either!

Peggy C

Yes there is bus stops all over

MARY ann

I live in St Louis I never learned to drive so I take public trans. we do not have good trans here it is also dangerous even in daytime you will probably take metro it's ok but if there is ice or snow on the tracks it don't run buses are usually late and most of the drivers are rude as for security people have been robbed,beaten,stabed and raped at bus and metro stops.and robbed and attacked on the metro and buses if I were young again I would have a car,but even then your not safe car jacking is really bad here and when you park your car you will probably return to find it gone or broken into so what I'm saying is you are not safe in this city if you drive or not.

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