by Carisa Silvesan

Created on: November 19, 2011   Last Updated: November 21, 2011

The Jeff Vander Lou neighborhood is located just west of Interstate 70. Natural Bridge Avenue makes up the northeast border, North Vandeventer Avenue is the northwest boundary. The southwest boundary is defined mostly by Dr. Martin Luther King Drive but then turns south onto North Compton Avenue, ending at Delmar Boulevard. The solid east boundary is defined by North Jefferson Avenue. The closest freeway is Interstate 70 a few miles due east. For more detailed location information, click

here.

To the north is Fairground Park, O’Fallon Park, the northern part of Interstate 70, as well as the neighborhoods of Fairgrounds, O’Fallons Park, and College Hill. To the east is the Missouri river, Hyde Park, Strodtman Park, St. Louis Place Park and neighborhood, Jackson Place Park, and Murphy Park. McKinley Bridge offers the nearest river crossing. To the south is St. Louis University, Billiken Sports Complex, Harris-Stowe State University, Aloe Plaza, Interstate 64, St. Louis University Medical Center, Tambo Park, Eads Park, Lafayette Park, and Ray Leisure Park and Playground. The neighborhoods of The Gate, Lafayette Square and Near Southside are all in this area as well. Tandy, Beckett, Fountain, Turner and Samuel Kennedy parks are all to the west. Kindred Hospital and Xavier University are also located in this area. Forest Park is a little further west, but contains the Highlands Golf and Tennis Center, Jewel Box, Dwight Davis Tennis Center, Grand Basin, St. Louis Art Museum Café, and the St. Louis Zoo.

This neighborhood has a very low income average, ranging from around $8,500 to $30,000 per year. It is also a highly dense neighborhood with over 6,300 people living in an area that is just over 1.5 square miles. Housing prices are reflective of income levels, with average values for homes just over $50,000. While there is a decent amount of older, middle-aged, and elderly adults living here, Jeff Vander Lou has a much higher population of older kids overall. Though a predominantly African-American neighborhood Caucasian residents, and at least one other ethnicity live here as well. Median incomes for the entire state of Missouri are more than double the median income of Jeff Vander Lou. For more detailed demographic information, click here.

The crime rating for the city of St. Louis is 1 out of a possible 100, where 100 is the best possible score. The Jeff Vander Lou neighborhood is one of the worst neighborhoods to live in when crime is a consideration. It is on the second level of the crime scale, just above the bottom – the bottom indicates the worst crime possible in that area. This is not a place for families to live. For more detailed information about the crime rating, click here.

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