The original name of Bethalto was Bethel, but it was discovered that there was already a Bethel, Illinois. It was then changed to Bethalto after they combined the first four letters of Bethel and the first four letters of the nearby town Alton.
Bethalto is a village located in Madison County (not THAT Madison County), Illinois with a population of 9,521. It's part of the eastern portion of Greater St. Louis and is a bedroom community for the bigger city. It's home to a number of industries that keep the community thriving on its own, however. There are quite a few delicious restaurants in the area and residents love the very tight-knit and local community feel that the town has. Bethalto residents have convenient access to the area's freeway system and Illinois Route 255 and Illinois Route 143 both pass close to town. The village has quite a few beautiful parks, such as Municipal Park, which has an outdoor amphitheater, swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, baseball fields, skateboard park and basketball court. This is just one of the area's major parks and beautiful scenic areas.
Moving to Bethalto
If you're considering looking for rental homes in Bethalto, you stand a pretty good chance of finding someplace pretty quickly. There are a decent amount of apartment complexes that have rental units as well as the occasional duplex for rent. The vacancy rate is usually pretty high and the area is about a quarter rental units, so the odds are in your favor!
The most important thing to do is to make a list of the characteristics you're looking for in an apartment. Figure out what is important to you in your new home. Do you want a place with plenty of spare rooms? Something like those studio apartments for rent you've heard so much about?? Pet-friendly units? All-utilities-paid apartments? Is it important to you to live in a certain part of town or do you just want to find the best possible apartment? Answering these questions will help you narrow down your search so that you don't have to waste time when looking for your dream home. You might want to also consider looking at apartments all over the city. That way you'll get a good idea of what kinds of places exist in different neighborhoods and what the prices are.
What You'll Need
When you're ready to start making appointments to see your future landlords, you'll want to be prepared. Make sure that you have all the right documents with you so that you can get the application process rolling right away. This includes a copy of your ID, your bank statements, rental applications, pay stubs, letter of employment, references and so on, so that you can pass all this along to your landlord to review. He or she just wants to make sure that you're a real person with a steady income so you can pay the rent on time every month. The easier you make it for them to accept you, the easier it will be to move into your dream home right away! You also want to have your checkbook on you at all times, so you can put a deposit check down on an apartment as soon as you find one you like.
Neighborhoods in Bethalto
There aren't any real neighborhoods in Bethalto, but the area is divided up into a couple of different sections. Here's a little info about them.
North Bethalto: This part of Bethalto is pretty rural. You'll find mostly single-family homes up here and a beautiful lakeside setting. It's purely residential and farmland, though, so don't expect to find any places to eat or shop around here.
East Bethalto: This part is the perfect spot to look for homes and apartments. There are places in small subdivisions and apartment complexes on small winding, tree-lined streets. It's a beautiful choice for anyone who likes to be a little removed from the action.
Route 140: This is definitely the commercial hub of the area. You'll find a bunch of restaurants along this stretch, like Geno's 140 and Rally's Hamburgers. It's also close to the St. Louis Regional Airport, which makes it convenient to get in and out of town.
Living in Bethalto
Bethalto is a beautiful small town with a variety of housing options. Residents all drive here, and most of them commute to St. Louis for work and use cars just to get around town. Bethalto can cover all your basic needs, but you'll probably enjoy having St. Louis nearby in order to find all the fun and entertainment you're looking for. The area parks are one of the favorite perks that residents mention! There's the Culp Lane Park, which is a huge park on the northwest end of town that makes a great spot for parties or picnics. There's also the Bethalto Arboretum on the east end of town that has a directory of the trees and bushes within it. All and all, it's a charming suburb that residents love to call home!