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Vol VI Issue 45
June 21, 2011
Previous Issues
Well-Designed from the Beginning,
Lovely Lake St. Louis, Missouri Welcomes Retirees with its Lake
Recreation, Mid-Western Values and Safe Neighborhoods
Cost of Living: Meets the National Average
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Lake St. Louis (population 15,000), about 35 miles west
of St. Louis (and essentially a bedroom community of
that city), started out as a private, planned resort
development in the 1960s and became a city in 1975
shortly after the original developer went
bankrupt. It is a serene, pretty place,
built for recreation and comfortable suburban living,
and it attracts families, empty nesters and
retirees. In fact, 42% of the population is age 45
or better. Lake St. Louis has been growing,
booming by 30% during the last decade, but so far it has
managed to maintain the same peaceful quality of life
that brought the first families here nearly fifty years
ago. It often lands on "best places to
live" lists and with good reason. The people
exude mid-western friendliness.
Neighborhoods are well-tended. The cost of living
meets the national average, and the crime
rate is below the national average.
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Lake St. Louis boasts a
wide array of recreation amenities not often found in a town this
size, and they are a prime reason to retire here. Two
private, man-made lakes, including lovely Lake St. Louis (600
acres), are the center of life, and boating, water skiing, bass fishing and
sunbathing on two beaches take up many a resident's time.
Along the small lake (85
acres), a beautiful new clubhouse with an Olympic-sized pool and a
bar and grill is a popular gathering spot. The Lake Forest
Country Club has 18 holes of championship golf, and two other
9-hole courses offer challenging play. Equestrians, too,
will be happy here. The National Equestrian Center, a
gorgeous facility, hosts horse shows throughout the year and has
paddock rentals available. Three shopping malls ensure
that the necessities of life are never far away. There is
even a WalMart Supercenter.
Since Lake St. Louis is relatively new, housing is relatively new, too
(the average age of a Lake St. Louis home is 17 years). The median single family home price is
$200,000, and prices have only dipped about 2% in the last year. There
are stunning brick mini-mansions in the $1 million and $2 million dollar
range, but there are also comfortable two bedroom condominiums from around
$55,000. The median price of $200,000 will buy a traditional ranch
floor plan with roughly 2,000 sq. ft, three bedrooms, two baths and an attached,
two car garage on a quiet street. Some neighborhoods are leafy
with mature landscaping but others still have that "just recently
built" feeling with saplings supported by metal poles in the front lawn.
Building codes are also in place and require that new homes be compatible with
the land and not mimic neighboring dwellings. Lake St. Louis is a Tree
City USA, and the city recommends planting oaks, maples and crabapples, among
others.
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Missouri real estate is assessed at 19% of fair market value,
and Lake St. Louis' property taxes work out to about 1% of a home's market
value. The Missouri Property Tax Credit Claim gives credit to certain
senior citizens and 100% disabled individuals for a portion of the real estate
taxes or rent they have paid for the year. The credit is for a maximum of $750
for renters and $1,100 for owners who owned and occupied their home.
When it comes to retirement taxes, the
state offers an income tax deduction
for Social Security benefits
and public benefits
(to the extent these benefits are included in federal adjusted gross income) received by individuals
age 62 years or older. Fifteen percent of military retirement pay is exempt from
state tax.
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Vestiges of Lake St. Louis' original master plan still exist today. The city government
provides all basic services, including police, public works, a
court system, code enforcement, etc., but the town is also
regulated by various homeowner associations, and these
associations own the recreation
amenities. Most residences, about 80%, fall within the
boundaries of the largest HOA, the Lake St. Louis Community
Association (LSLCA), which owns the two lakes. Homes within
this HOA may also fall within a smaller, neighborhood HOA's
boundaries and have to follow the rules of both. HOAs
charge fees, and Lake St. Louis' HOAs are no different.
Annual fees for the LSLCA are about $500 per family and give
access to the lakes and the other amenities. When buying a
home here it is important to know which HOAs govern it since homes
outside of the LSLCA have no lake privileges. Lake St.
Louis' HOAs,
while sometimes seeming restrictive, are meant to preserve the
city's quality of life and property values.
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This is an interactive map.
Click on the arrows in the upper left hand
corner to move the map to the East, West, North or South, and
click on the +/- signs (more than once if necessary) to zoom
in and out.
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In addition to the lakes, golf courses and horse facilities, five parks with walking paths, tennis courts, picnic areas and
softball fields add to the city's suburban ambiance. The
Lake St. Louis Parks and Recreation Department's menu of
activities is somewhat limited but includes painting classes,
fitness classes and adult softball and soccer leagues. It
also sponsors a summer Concerts in the Park series and a Movies in
the Park series (which is targeted toward
families). The Corporate Parkway Branch of the
St. Charles City-County Library System is about five miles away in
Wentzville and has book discussion groups, craft classes, tax
assistance for seniors, a homebound books program, large print
books and computer classes.
Lake St. Louis has a strong sense of identity as a well-run,
conservative, traditional community, and volunteerism is
encouraged. The city has a number of volunteer committees,
including the Tree Board and the Parks Board, as well as specific
volunteer programs that include the Neighborhood Assistance
Preservation Program (providing minor home repairs), Green Gloves
(gardening in the parks) and Gift Givers (assisting in the courts
or various city departments) to help make volunteering fun and
easy. Residents also partake in a large number of
organized groups, everything from dancing and golfing to cooking
outside and quilting.
The city does not have a senior center of its own, but the Mid-East Area Agency on Aging
(MEAAA) provides services in St. Charles County and operates four senior centers, one of which is within five miles (in Wentzville) and one of which is within 11 miles (in O'Fallon). The centers are open seven days a week
with services that include legal assistance, employment training, health programs, telephone reassurance, hot
noon congregate meals and scheduled transportation to the centers, medical appointments, hospitals, banks and grocery stores.
SSM Saint Joseph Hospital West is the primary medical facility
and is award-winning for its emergency care. It was named as one of the
nation's 100 Best
Hospitals in 2000 and 2003 and has 122 beds. Fully accredited by the Joint Commission,
it meets or exceeds national averages in
nearly all areas. Both Medicaid and Medicare patients are
accepted. Its sister facility in Wentzville (5 miles) is also accredited
and accepts Medicare and Medicaid patients. Another close by hospital,
Progress West Healthcare Center, in O'Fallon (11 miles) is also award-winning
(for overall patient experience) and accepts Medicaid and Medicare
patients. For military retirees, St. Louis has two VA hospitals.
The city sits in a transitional zone between a humid continental climate
and a humid subtropical climate. The key word is
"humid." There are no nearby mountains or bodies of
water to moderate the temperatures or the humidity, so winters are cold and
damp with occasional ice storms, and summers are hot and damp. On average, the city receives
40 inches of rain and 15 inches of snow each year. On the comfort
index, a combination of temperature and humidity, Lake St. Louis ranks below
the national average. The sun shines 200 days of the year. The air
quality and water quality are both below the national averages. The
tornado risk is 105% higher than the rest of the country.
Lake St. Louis is an appealing spot, but it does have some
drawbacks. There is no public transportation system beyond what the
MEAAA provides (and the nearest international airport is Lambert-St.
Louis International Airport in St. Louis). Utilities are all electric,
so costs can be high, particularly in the winter. The weather is not
ideal. Nightlife is
non-existent, as is ethnic diversity. There are a lot of rules to
follow, including no garage
sale signs on lamp posts, no boats in driveways without permission and no tree topping
(shaping tree branches), but most residents seem to understand
why they exist.
So while Lake St. Louis may have some downsides, its
dedication to preserving its way of life continues to draw newcomers in search
of a safe, well run, mid-western community with lake recreation, pleasant
neighborhoods and community pride. For many retirees, this planned
development, now a city all grown up, may be the perfect retirement
spot.
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