Cool Valley is a small town with quick access to St. Louis
Just 10 miles west of downtown St. Louis, Cool Valley flies under the radar while commercial jets fly overhead. “Its biggest highlight is that it’s so close to the University of Missouri St. Louis that students can live there,” says Casey Milton, a Realtor with Keller Williams Marquee, who sells homes in the area and once lived in Cool Valley. “You get off the highway, you go to the left, drive three streets and you’re in a different town altogether.” The community’s speck of acreage sits in the flight path of nearby St. Louis Lambert International Airport, and students attend school within the Ferguson-Florissant R-2 School District. The community has major employers, including the university about a mile away, pharmacy giant Express Scripts and the town of Ferguson next door.
Midcentury ranch-style homes mostly sell for less than $200,000
Cool Valley’s 1,000 residents live mostly in brick, ranch-style houses with well-maintained yards. Homes here, however, comprise barely 40% of Cool Valley’s property mix, with office, retail and industry composing the larger chunk of spaces. “It is a highly rentable area, so it’s good for investment property. A lot of people use it for Airbnb purposes because you’re close to the airport,” Milton says. Most homes were built in the 1950s and '60s and sell from $70,000 to $210,000.
Commuters take I-70 about 15 minutes to St. Louis
In many ways, Cool Valley enjoys the best of all transportation worlds, being just a 5-minute drive from the airport. Public transportation is also easily accessible with bus service in town and a MetroLink light rail stop. With Interstate 70 forming Cool Valley’s westernmost edge, commuters can find themselves downtown in 15 minutes or most other popular places in 10 to 20 minutes.
Ferguson-Florissant R-2 School District
Cool Valley students attend Holman Elementary through second grade, then Berkeley Elementary. From there, it’s on to Ferguson Middle School. Each school receives a C-minus rating from Niche. McCluer South-Berkeley High School receives a B-plus. Standout students may apply to enroll in STEAM Academy at McCluer, or Innovation School at Cool Valley, which operates gifted high school programs.
High schoolers can attend gifted and STEAM programs
While there is a Save A Lot with a Family Dollar across the street, there isn't much more brand-name retail shopping close by. Residents travel to St. Louis Galleria Mall, about 15 minutes south. Just a 10-minute drive north into Ferguson places residents at the doorsteps of several restaurants, including King of Soul and Cathy’s Kitchen, which serves po' boys, tacos and pancakes.
Forestwood Park has trails and a playground
Forestwood Park is within driving distance, not more than 5 minutes north in nearby Ferguson. The park has a trail, picnic tables, a basketball court and a playground.
Cool Valley residents attend events in nearby Ferguson
While Cool Valley isn’t known for hosting many events of its own, residents tend to participate in the ones in Ferguson, which hosts a summer concert series, a farmers market and a Fourth of July Festival.
