Where to live in Mizzou Land?
June 15, 2007 8:09 AM Subscribe
My girlfriend is moving to Columbia, MO for her first job. Where should she live in town? What rental companies have worked well for you?
Her job will be on campus and wants a commute of no more than fifteen to twenty-five minutes. She's looking for an apartment, duplex, or even small house (if it's affordable). So far she's been checking the local paper, the Tribune, as well as Craigslist. Because of a bad rental experience in the past (apartment plagued with bugs and a crazy toilet), she wants to make sure she does better this time.
The District is nice, but she's afraid it would be crowded on the weekends with undergrads and lack parking.
Also bonus question: What else should she check out besides Shakespeare's Pizza?
Thanks AskMeFi!
Her job will be on campus and wants a commute of no more than fifteen to twenty-five minutes. She's looking for an apartment, duplex, or even small house (if it's affordable). So far she's been checking the local paper, the Tribune, as well as Craigslist. Because of a bad rental experience in the past (apartment plagued with bugs and a crazy toilet), she wants to make sure she does better this time.
The District is nice, but she's afraid it would be crowded on the weekends with undergrads and lack parking.
Also bonus question: What else should she check out besides Shakespeare's Pizza?
Thanks AskMeFi!
Columbia's a cool little college town. I never lived there, but made many visits a few years back when I had friends in school there.
Spend an afternoon just walking along 9th street - there are some fun and quirky shops there. Definitely catch a show at the Blue Note - it's a great little concert venue. My suggestion is to get there early, get a balcony seat, and rock out at a table with a couple pitchers of beer.
posted by chrisamiller at 8:44 AM on June 15, 2007
Spend an afternoon just walking along 9th street - there are some fun and quirky shops there. Definitely catch a show at the Blue Note - it's a great little concert venue. My suggestion is to get there early, get a balcony seat, and rock out at a table with a couple pitchers of beer.
posted by chrisamiller at 8:44 AM on June 15, 2007
I lived in Columbia for about 6 years. It's funny that you call downtown "The District." I thought for sure that would NEVER catch on.
chrisamiller said, "Definitely catch a show at the Blue Note - it's a great little concert venue. My suggestion is to get there early, get a balcony seat, and rock out at a table with a couple pitchers of beer." Good advice, only there aren't any tables on the balcony anymore. They've been replaced with theater-style stadium seats.
Columbia's got a pretty good music scene, if that's her thing. Check out ComoMusic.com (full disclosure: I started the website in 2003)
Anyway, housing: like notsnot said, head south to find "upper-scale" apartment complexes. She'll want to stay away from places that cater to undergraduates (College Park comes to mind...) and instead head for the grad-friendly, "young professional" complexes.
Pretty much anywhere in Columbia is less than 15 minutes away from campus. My favorite area is just west of campus, off of Stewart Rd. Lots of cool old houses, some older apartment complexes.
posted by nitsuj at 9:19 AM on June 15, 2007
chrisamiller said, "Definitely catch a show at the Blue Note - it's a great little concert venue. My suggestion is to get there early, get a balcony seat, and rock out at a table with a couple pitchers of beer." Good advice, only there aren't any tables on the balcony anymore. They've been replaced with theater-style stadium seats.
Columbia's got a pretty good music scene, if that's her thing. Check out ComoMusic.com (full disclosure: I started the website in 2003)
Anyway, housing: like notsnot said, head south to find "upper-scale" apartment complexes. She'll want to stay away from places that cater to undergraduates (College Park comes to mind...) and instead head for the grad-friendly, "young professional" complexes.
Pretty much anywhere in Columbia is less than 15 minutes away from campus. My favorite area is just west of campus, off of Stewart Rd. Lots of cool old houses, some older apartment complexes.
posted by nitsuj at 9:19 AM on June 15, 2007
oh, and Ragtag for movies. Eastside Tavern for dive bar. Bangkok Gardens for Thai.
posted by nitsuj at 9:21 AM on June 15, 2007
posted by nitsuj at 9:21 AM on June 15, 2007
I lived in Columbia for 9 years, and just moved away. Writing all of this is making me feel sorry for leaving!
Areas of town:
If you want character, Stewart on the west side of campus, like nitsuj mentioned is very nice. That whole area is pretty old and established, but is a bit expensive. Anything between Stadium at the south and, say, Ash at the north, is nice. North of Ash is what's considered the "bad part of town."
East of campus is the East Campus neighborhood, which has some awesome old buildings. It's mainly student ghetto, though, and can get rowdy with all of the undergrads around.
North of 70 is a little sparse without much going on. I lived up there for three years. In retrospect, I'm not sure why, other than cheap rent.
Downtown (please don't call it The District!) is a much better option than it was just a couple years ago. There has been a lot of development of residential housing. Three years ago we tried to get a place downtown and it was a bit of a wild goose chase. For example, Columbia lofts seems to be gearing up in a big way, but is probably a bit of a ways off. Further reading on downtown development: [1] [2]. The Sasaki plan outlined in the second link is very big and very ambitious. It'll be interesting to see how it'll pan out. In any case, parking may be a bit of a problem, but it seems like there are several large lots that she could get a monthly permit for.
If she ends up living south by Nifong, she'll probably deal with the only "bad" rush hour traffic in Columbia (the Providence/Stadium intersection), but her commute will still be 20 minutes or less.
Specific landlords:
I don't remember the full name of the landlord at the place I stayed in up north. All I can remember is that he and his son's first name is Kirby. They were really friendly and easy to work with.
I lived in a place managed by Barzell for a year; they seem to do a lot of the more run-down places. We lived in their nicest property (Eagle Crest, on old 63) and our apartment was infested with termites which swarmed in the spring, and our gas bill for heating was through the roof. Not really recommended.
I lived in Broadway Village for three years, and it was rather pleasant. It's a good complex in that it's not super-dense, has some interesting hilly geography, and undergrads are verboten. It's a pretty good deal as you get decent cable TV and internet included with rent. The landlord (Dan Hagan) is pleasant to deal with, but some have said he is too strict. The location is decent, and is within walking/biking distance of Stephens Lake park, the little Eastgate grocery store (which scared me off for a while, but is actually kind of cute inside), and other shopping across the way on Broadway. There's not a whole lot of character in the area, though.
Places to check out:
My most regular haunt was Flat Branch Pub & Brewing, which has some decent brews and good normal American-style fare. The totally crap-looking "Chinese Wok" place on the corner of Broadway and 5th actually has some fantastic Vietnamese food. Ernie's on Walnut is a diner-type place that has amazing breakfasts. Sparky's ice cream on 9th is good homemade ice cream. Booche's on 9th is a bar/pool hall that has the most amazing little hamburgers I've ever had. Oh man. 9th Street Deli has bottled Dr. Pepper with real cane sugar in it, and the sandwiches aren't bad either. The 'Berg at 9th and University has a good fried pork loin sandwich, but can get overrun with undergrads and alumni on football weekends.
posted by marionnette en chaussette at 11:07 AM on June 15, 2007
Areas of town:
If you want character, Stewart on the west side of campus, like nitsuj mentioned is very nice. That whole area is pretty old and established, but is a bit expensive. Anything between Stadium at the south and, say, Ash at the north, is nice. North of Ash is what's considered the "bad part of town."
East of campus is the East Campus neighborhood, which has some awesome old buildings. It's mainly student ghetto, though, and can get rowdy with all of the undergrads around.
North of 70 is a little sparse without much going on. I lived up there for three years. In retrospect, I'm not sure why, other than cheap rent.
Downtown (please don't call it The District!) is a much better option than it was just a couple years ago. There has been a lot of development of residential housing. Three years ago we tried to get a place downtown and it was a bit of a wild goose chase. For example, Columbia lofts seems to be gearing up in a big way, but is probably a bit of a ways off. Further reading on downtown development: [1] [2]. The Sasaki plan outlined in the second link is very big and very ambitious. It'll be interesting to see how it'll pan out. In any case, parking may be a bit of a problem, but it seems like there are several large lots that she could get a monthly permit for.
If she ends up living south by Nifong, she'll probably deal with the only "bad" rush hour traffic in Columbia (the Providence/Stadium intersection), but her commute will still be 20 minutes or less.
Specific landlords:
I don't remember the full name of the landlord at the place I stayed in up north. All I can remember is that he and his son's first name is Kirby. They were really friendly and easy to work with.
I lived in a place managed by Barzell for a year; they seem to do a lot of the more run-down places. We lived in their nicest property (Eagle Crest, on old 63) and our apartment was infested with termites which swarmed in the spring, and our gas bill for heating was through the roof. Not really recommended.
I lived in Broadway Village for three years, and it was rather pleasant. It's a good complex in that it's not super-dense, has some interesting hilly geography, and undergrads are verboten. It's a pretty good deal as you get decent cable TV and internet included with rent. The landlord (Dan Hagan) is pleasant to deal with, but some have said he is too strict. The location is decent, and is within walking/biking distance of Stephens Lake park, the little Eastgate grocery store (which scared me off for a while, but is actually kind of cute inside), and other shopping across the way on Broadway. There's not a whole lot of character in the area, though.
Places to check out:
My most regular haunt was Flat Branch Pub & Brewing, which has some decent brews and good normal American-style fare. The totally crap-looking "Chinese Wok" place on the corner of Broadway and 5th actually has some fantastic Vietnamese food. Ernie's on Walnut is a diner-type place that has amazing breakfasts. Sparky's ice cream on 9th is good homemade ice cream. Booche's on 9th is a bar/pool hall that has the most amazing little hamburgers I've ever had. Oh man. 9th Street Deli has bottled Dr. Pepper with real cane sugar in it, and the sandwiches aren't bad either. The 'Berg at 9th and University has a good fried pork loin sandwich, but can get overrun with undergrads and alumni on football weekends.
posted by marionnette en chaussette at 11:07 AM on June 15, 2007
oh, and Ragtag for movies.
Seconding Ragtag. (I've never been there, but my brother is one of the founders, and it sounds really cool.)
posted by trip and a half at 11:58 AM on June 15, 2007
Seconding Ragtag. (I've never been there, but my brother is one of the founders, and it sounds really cool.)
posted by trip and a half at 11:58 AM on June 15, 2007
Mizzou alum here. If you're looking for an affordable rental house, or duplex, take Broadway west out of downtown. Between downtown and Stadium, you'll find lots of nice little neighborhoods with rentals tucked away inside. The lower rent will be North of Broadway, while the nicer houses are South.
posted by bjork24 at 12:21 PM on June 15, 2007
posted by bjork24 at 12:21 PM on June 15, 2007
Paul or Dave?
Tim. He doesn't live there anymore, but he's on the history page (eighth paragraph). Not sure if "founder" is exactly the right word, but he was very involved in making it happen.
posted by trip and a half at 12:25 PM on June 15, 2007
Tim. He doesn't live there anymore, but he's on the history page (eighth paragraph). Not sure if "founder" is exactly the right word, but he was very involved in making it happen.
posted by trip and a half at 12:25 PM on June 15, 2007
small internet world it is
posted by nitsuj at 12:26 PM on June 15, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by nitsuj at 12:26 PM on June 15, 2007 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you to everyone who responded, my girlfriend has found your posts extremely helpful. And now we both know not to use the term "The District" any further! She's already a step ahead towards fitting in. Again, thanks to everyone.
posted by Atreides at 5:47 PM on June 15, 2007
posted by Atreides at 5:47 PM on June 15, 2007
I worked at Shakespeare's through the upheaval...and watched one of the coolest places in columbia get cut down at the knees (still good pizza though)
Check out Cafe Berlin on the corner of Providence and Walnut for breakfast/lunch...
Seconding Eastside Tavern...it's my favorite now that shake's sucks...
for Vegetarian food or Smoothies check out the Main Squeeze at 9th and cherry.
best video rental (rare stuff/great foreign film selection) go to 9th street video between broadway and cherry
seconding booches, best burgers in town...
RE: rentals, stay away from REMI at all costs...
If you like dancing to 80's music, check out Shattered, on broadway on saturday nights (might see me there)
Biking/jogging/walking on the MKT trail is amazing, it starts at stewart and providence...
Only the people that made up the name call downtown 'the district', but you've already figured that out...columbia is great, your gf should have quite a bit of fun...
posted by schyler523 at 8:06 PM on June 15, 2007
Check out Cafe Berlin on the corner of Providence and Walnut for breakfast/lunch...
Seconding Eastside Tavern...it's my favorite now that shake's sucks...
for Vegetarian food or Smoothies check out the Main Squeeze at 9th and cherry.
best video rental (rare stuff/great foreign film selection) go to 9th street video between broadway and cherry
seconding booches, best burgers in town...
RE: rentals, stay away from REMI at all costs...
If you like dancing to 80's music, check out Shattered, on broadway on saturday nights (might see me there)
Biking/jogging/walking on the MKT trail is amazing, it starts at stewart and providence...
Only the people that made up the name call downtown 'the district', but you've already figured that out...columbia is great, your gf should have quite a bit of fun...
posted by schyler523 at 8:06 PM on June 15, 2007
Nifong/Providence area, definitely. I'd advise against living downtown or in east campus, unless she never plans on sleeping between Thursday evening and Monday morning. Avoid REMI, Homkor, and Dan Hagan properties. There's also some nice residential stuff on the northeast part of town, north of Vandiver, by Albert Oakland park.
If she's willing to do the big, multi-building apartment complex thing, you can find a few that gear towards graduate students, like Katy Place or Deer Valley. Those will probably be a touch quieter than overstuffed undergrad haunts like JeffCo (The Reserve) or Campusview.
Nthing Ragtag, Shattered, Sparky's. Tropical Liqueurs (on Broadway or South Providence) does delicious frozen drinks for these hot summer months. Picnics on the cliffs at Capen Park are standard when the weather is nice. Addison's and Cucina Sorella are also recommended.
posted by almostmanda at 2:24 AM on June 16, 2007
If she's willing to do the big, multi-building apartment complex thing, you can find a few that gear towards graduate students, like Katy Place or Deer Valley. Those will probably be a touch quieter than overstuffed undergrad haunts like JeffCo (The Reserve) or Campusview.
Nthing Ragtag, Shattered, Sparky's. Tropical Liqueurs (on Broadway or South Providence) does delicious frozen drinks for these hot summer months. Picnics on the cliffs at Capen Park are standard when the weather is nice. Addison's and Cucina Sorella are also recommended.
posted by almostmanda at 2:24 AM on June 16, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
Last year, Shakespeare's new management fired one of the long-time employees for giving a regular a free drink. None of the regulars go there at all any more.
posted by notsnot at 8:21 AM on June 15, 2007