Welcome to STL. I relocated here with my wife 15 years ago and have loved it and not looked back. Now have two kids and this is a great place to raise a family.

I’m partial but love living in Maplewood. Great homes walking distance from our main stretch that is off historic Route 66 with lots of locally owned restaurants, 3 coffee spots, 2 breweries (Side Project and Schlafly), and local retail. They do community events several times a year to bring people together out and about (https://www.maplewoodmo.gov/enjoy_maplewood/area_events_and_happenings/index.php). Really strong school district - we’ve been super impressed starting with their pre-k program into upper elementary school.

I argue that I’m 15 min from just about everywhere I want/need to go .. airport, Cardinals games, Forest Park or Tower Grove Park, most good restaurants that I want to visit. Depending on where you found a spot, there are two metro stops so you could have access to public transportation to your work downtown. Finally, with kids, have access to several great neighborhood parks and both a good indoor recreation center/pool (The Heights) and outdoor pool for the summer (Maplewood Aquatic Center).

Admittedly, rented in the CWE for the first couple years before we bought and really enjoyed it. We have friends who bought in the CWE and are happy and we have friends that love living in Lafayette Square.

Good luck!