Geographers, physicians and astronomers, watch out, for this is a city that is home to an impressive number of scientists, running the entire gamut from social scientists, life scientists and physical scientists among others. Equally amazing is the fact that someone who stands in the middle of Price Road where Delmar ends, would technically be in three cities all at once: Olivette, University City and Ladue. Olivette, as you can see, is no ordinary city!
Previously known simply as 'Central' owing to its 'central' location, Olivette was settled in the mid-19th century as a farming community nestled along an ancient Indian trail called Bonhomme Road. It was incorporated as a city in 1930 by combining four different communities namely Central, Olive, Stratmann and Tower Hill. But how did the name Olivette come about? While the dictionary definition of an "Olivette" refers to "a large theatrical floodlight having a single bulb," this particular Olivette was probably named so because the main road into St. Louis connected with Olive Street. Presently, although Olivette is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, residents treat it like their very own city. With a population of 7,737 and spread over an area of approximately 2.95 square miles, it is located 700 feet above sea level, and is one of the highest communities in St. Louis County.
Moving to Olivette
A city of urban sophisticates, the city tends to attract those with a penchant for art, culture and reading. Also its location just 10 miles west of downtown St. Louis, means that residents plan regular trips to the capital city whether for a job, to attend cultural events, or just for a night of partying.
With an overall crime rate that is lower than average for the country, the city figures highly in the list of places to consider moving to. Public transport links are efficient even though most residents tend to own a private car. The city is well-connected to the to the St. Louis metropolitan area, with Interstate 70 lying around four miles north of the city and Interstate 40, two miles south of the City. The Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is located approximately six miles north of the City. From here one can access scheduled air passenger and freight services.
A majority of residents drive alone in a private vehicle to work while the rest either carpool or walk it out. Officials hope in time to provide Olivette with direct access to the commuter rail system at Olive Boulevard on either the east or west side of I-170.
When considering a move to Olivette, prepare the same paperwork you'd prepare to move most other places. Landlords will want to see a photo ID, proof of income, a credit report, and possibly a list of references from previous landlords (or property managers).
Neighborhoods of Olivette
With just two constituent neighborhoods, Olivette is the 102nd largest community in Missouri, and also one of the most expensive.
Crockett Drive / Mesa Drive: In this historic suburban neighborhood, most homes were built between between 1940 and 1969, and a few between 1970 and 1999. Buyers and renters will need to dig a bit deeper into their pockets as median real estate prices are higher than nearly three quarters of the neighborhoods in Missouri and half of the neighborhoods in the U.S. The same applies to average rental costs that are higher than most of the neighborhoods in Missouri. In Crockett Drive / Mesa Drive, real estate comprises mainly medium sized to small single-family homes and small apartment buildings. There is a mix of both owners and renters.
City Center: If you thought Crockett Drive / Mesa Drive was expensive, the city center of Olivette is even more so with median real estate prices higher than almost every neighborhood in Missouri and most of the U.S neighborhoods. The city center is home to a sophisticated set of people including retired but active folks, families with school kids and those employed in executive, management and professional occupations. It is interesting to note that this area has a higher rate of adults with an advanced degree than 99.0% of the neighborhoods in America.
Living in Olivette
There are plenty of things to suit everyone's taste here, such as the historic Stacy Park Water Reservoir built in 1926. The Olivette Community Center is at the forefront of most activities such as theatrical productions, art shows, concerts, festivals and celebrations. With more than 80 acres designated to parks and recreation, Olivette boasts one of the highest concentration of parks in the state of Missouri. Pet-friendly to the core, the Olivette Parks & Recreation Commission and the City of Olivette have specially created a dog park in Irv Zeid Citizens Park where our muddy-pawed buddies can run along in style. The Saint Louis County Animal Care and Control takes in animals abandoned by their owners as well as errant strays. These animals can later be adopted.
The kids aren't left out as they gear up each year for the Olivette's Summer Adventure Camp filled with games, sports and other fun activities. The Olivette Art Show and the Olivette Photo Show are open to adults as well as younger artists. Sporty adults can always try their hand at softball, which is all the rage throughout the city (and the region, for that matter).
On a more serious note, Olivette takes the well-being of its citizens seriously. The city has put into place a number of women's crisis centers that offer shelter services and counseling to battered women, children who have been abused, and victims of teen dating violence. Several plans in the pipeline include creating an open town square kind of area where community and public events can be held, improving the streetscapes with better signage and landscaping, creating job opportunities that go hand-in-hand with everyday life, developing new horizontal mixed use buildings with higher density, and many other projects.
Olivette, MO is a city that simultaneously keeps up with modern times while acknowledging its historic past.
