East Alton

Race days are a big deal in East Alton, but you won’t hear engines roar at the starting line. The village northeast of St. Louis spends every Saturday after Labor Day hosting the Soapbox Race of Fun, with kiddos racing downhill between the corridors of hay bales along Berkshire Boulevard. An annual tradition since 1995, the race has picked up enough momentum in the community that the village on its home web page bills itself as “Home of the Annual Soapbox Race of Fun.” East Alton is marked by its proximity to St. Louis, but the community of 5,600 people nevertheless enjoys its own traditions and longstanding local establishments.

East Alton stands out to buyers because it offers lower prices compared to nearby communities in the eastern St. Louis metro, RE/MAX Alliance team leader Amber Hernandez says. For example Hernandez says the median sales price in East Alton is in the low $100,000s – which Hernandez says are “first-time buyer price ranges” – but it’s closer to $300,000 in the city of Edwardsville to the east. However East Alton is even closer to St. Louis, making the commute across the Mississippi River easier for the many homeowners in East Alton who work in Missouri, adds Hernandez. You can pick up a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in the $60,000s, while a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home is more likely to be priced in the high $100,000s. Prices in the high $100,000s are more common in Rosewood Heights, a cloistered subdivision of brick homes that has been among East Alton’s most desirable places to live for more than 50 years, Hernandez says.” I have a lot of clients who say they want to move to East Alton, but they only want to live in that subdivision.” Wherever buyers look in East Alton, they should expect limited options on the market, as the village features less than a month of available inventory.

Elementary and middle schoolers stay in the village to take classes in the East Alton School District, which gets a grade of B-minus from Niche for its teachers. Kids start at Eastwood Elementary School, where the student-to-teacher ratio of 11-to-1 is significantly lower than the national average of 17-to-1, per Niche. Students then head to East Alton Middle School, home to the district’s Oiler Market, where families can come by once a week to pick up fruits, vegetables, milk and canned food. East Alton-Wood River High School, found a mile away in Wood River, is undergoing a major revamp, with recent renovations to the campus cafeteria and the planned addition of a concession facility at the football field and track.

You’ll find home run heaven at Van Preter Park off Main Street, where four diamonds are lined up to host baseball and softball games. Meanwhile the park’s two playgrounds provide ample opportunities for children to romp around.

Cruise down to Wood River Avenue to find the neon sign that beckons hungry customers to Charlie’s Drive-In. The burger stand has been around since 1950, becoming popular for its house-made root beer. Or if you’re in Rosewood Heights on the west side, you’re less than 3 miles from Roma’s Pizza, run since the ‘70s by the Pizzo family, who hail from Sicily. The magic behind the shop’s pies lies in the fresh ingredients, Hernandez says. “You can see the little Italian mom in the back hand-shredding the mozzarella.” Sever’s Market in the heart of the village is known for the fresh red and pink cuts of meat on display at the counter, but it also stocks groceries on its wood-paneled walls.

East Alton sits near Highway 3, so residents can leave the soapbox car at home, hop into another vehicle and take the roadway most of the 21-mile trip to St. Louis for their weekday commute or for a day exploring the city.

Written By

Alex Soderstrom

Photography Contributed By

Ryan Nelson

Video By

Mallory Nolte