Festus

At one time, the so-called “twin cities” of Festus and Crystal City were pass-by towns on the way north to St. Louis, but not anymore. Today, people are taking a second look. “We’re in a transformation stage where people are paying attention to what we do,” says Traci Palmero, a Realtor with RE/MAX Best Choice, who sells homes around the area and has lived here 26 years. “We are becoming a destination place where people are considering when moving to eastern Missouri.” As new money moves in, new leadership takes over and new infrastructure takes hold, Festus is poised to put its stamp on the St. Louis Metropolitan area. “Festus and Crystal City bring to life small-town America. I could live in a lot of areas. But I don’t leave Festus because I love Festus,” Palmero says. Festus/Crystal City has had to contend with rising waters along the Mississippi River in the past. “It might worry some people that we have a lot of water around our county, but rarely do we have flooding and a lot of infrastructure work has been done to redirect water so that we don’t have those instances anymore. Personally, I don’t worry about flooding in this area,” Palmero says. Crystal City has that small-town living experience. By comparison, the further south locals go into Festus, the more rural it becomes, and more acres become available. There’s an eclectic mix of homes here reflecting the community’s history and varied influences. “We even have neighborhoods of Sears catalog homes from the early 1900s,” Palmero says. Meanwhile, Crystal City’s main road, Mississippi Avenue, has cobblestone streets and big, beautiful homes. “So, when someone drives there, they really feel the history of Crystal City,” Palmero says. The median price for a single-family home is around $200,000. Prices range from around $150,000 to about $400,000. Festus schools operate within the A-minus-rated Festus R-6 School District, while Crystal City School District, which Niche rates B-minus, serves Crystal City. Students there attend B-rated Crystal City Elementary School for kindergarten through sixth grade. They attend C-plus-rated Crystal City High School grades seven through 12. The school’s average ACT score is 23, its average GPA is 3.51. Festus students attend A-rated Festus Elementary, from kindergarten through third grade, A-minus-rated Festus Intermediate School from fourth through sixth grade, A-minus-rated Festus Middle School for sixth and seventh grades and Festus Senior High School, which Niche rates B. The high school’s average ACT score is 25 and its average GPA is 3.47. Once known as West City Park, Larry G. Crites Memorial Park is a spacious 100 acres of wide-open space alongside Joachim Creek, featuring pavilions, ballfields, a fairgrounds area for large concerts and a one-and-a-half-mile bicycle trail. In Sunset Park, residents take advantage of the basketball court, covered bandstand, sand volleyball area, tennis court, bird sanctuary and a lighted softball/baseball field, plus two regulation softball/baseball fields with bleacher seating. Crystal City Municipal Park and Pool has two pavilions, basketball courts and a pool for those hot summer days. For a small town, Festus and its sister Crystal City have big appetites. “Our main street in Festus has transformed in the last five years into a really delightful destination place for people to dine and shop,” Palmero says. Restaurant goers can have brunch at The Brick Bistro & Brew, then head over to Pine Mountain Country Coffee and Ice Cream Shoppe. And for those who value novelty, there’s Pedal’n Pi, a bike shop that serves pizza. “It’s the best pizza,” Palmero says. “It’s got a wood-fired oven and the friendliest owners.” For groceries, residents aren’t far from Schnucks or Aldi supermarkets and retail shopping at Walmart, The Home Depot and Harbor Freight. In Festus and Crystal City, there’s no shortage of events year-round. For Twin City Days Festus and Crystal City join forces to host a three-day festival with a golf and fishing tournament, a Saturday evening concert. The event is one of many including seasonal parades and a massive Independence Day event. While the area doesn’t have a dedicated mass transit system, it does have a shuttle service called JeffCo Express. Otherwise, most people drive. Via Interstate 55, travelers can get to St. Louis in about 30-40 minutes.