A golf cart kind of town
Cottleville’s new residents often close on two purchases when they're ready to move to town. First, their new house. Next, a snazzy new vehicle, but, says Susan Brewer, a listing agent at Susan Brewer Service First Real Estate, it's most often not a celebratory convertible or a spacious SUV. “There’s not a time you pull out of my office that you don’t see a family traveling on a golf cart,” she said, adding the neighborhood is compact enough and the roads serene enough to enjoy open-air motoring of a different sort.
"It’s one of the first things people do.''
Varied house styles and prices
Second order of business is where to park. In most cases, residents find space for both their real vehicles and their new smaller set of wheels in driveways or garages attached to homes. Cottleville has contemporary colonial styles, split-levels and new-construction homes lining the quiet streets and cul-de-sacs. Most neighborhoods have wide streets and well-maintained sidewalks, making it easy to walk — or cart — between neighborhoods. According to Brewer, one of Cottleville’s biggest advantages is its varied home sizes and price points. “People can start in a smaller home, move up to a bigger house and come back down to a retirement home,” says Brewer. “They can stay within the community for all the stages of their lives.”
Home prices start in the high $200,000s and can range up to about $500,000.
The Francis Howell School District
Francis Howell Central High School stands near the center of Cottleville — fitting because public education is another of the community’s strengths. The city is part of the Francis Howell School District, rated the top school system in St. Charles County by Niche. Students may attend Warren Elementary School, Saeger Middle School, and Francis Howell Central High, all graded A by Niche and all within the neighborhood boundaries.
Walkable downtown
Cottleville’s 225 years of history are on display downtown along Highway N, which splits the neighborhood in an east-west direction with residential streets branching north and south, providing easy access. Locally owned, contemporary businesses are housed in historic buildings along the highway. Plank Road Pizza takes its name from Western Plank Road, over which stagecoaches — not golf carts — traveled between Cottleville and the city of St. Charles in the 1800s. The Plank Road name is shared by one of the restaurant’s specialty pizzas, a pie covered with roasted chicken, bacon and avocado.
A block away, rustic knickknacks and bright flowers decorate Blooming Daisy Marketplace, a home décor shop that also sells fresh produce on Saturdays. Visit the shop in the evenings to spot two of its most loyal customers: a local firefighter and his dog, who stop by nightly to visit the chickens and goats kept out back. “The dog absolutely wants to visit,” says Brewer. “The dog sits in the golf cart. He gets there. He watches the goats and chickens. The whole municipality knows this dog.”
Meanwhile, shopping centers on the east side of town host big-box stores, including Target. Residents can also make one-stop grocery runs at Dierbergs Markets.
210 acres of park land
When it’s time to hop off the golf cart, there are 210 acres of public green space to enjoy. Legacy Park, just north of Francis Howell Central High, offers beach volleyball courts, walking trails and picnic spots overlooking Dardenne Creek, which can be a flood risk. The city parks host many of the town’s community events, including the annual Easter Egg hunt, where kids hunt for more than 10,000 eggs. “Cottleville just feels like a little town, even though it’s nested right inside St. Charles County,” Brewer says. Another popular spot is Bark Park, where local dogs can socialize.
Transportation
Cottleville is located 10 miles west of St. Charles and 30 miles northwest of St. Louis. Traveling to St. Charles via Interstate 70 takes 15 minutes during non-peak commute hours and 30 minutes during peak commute hours. Reaching St. Louis via I-70 takes 35 minutes during non-peak commute hours and an hour during peak commute hours.
Summary
Cottleville is a quaint community with plenty to explore, no matter what kind of vehicle is used, from parks to shopping and everything in between.
Written By
Caitlyn Tierney
Photography Contributed By
Javier Briseno
