Moline Acres

With a population of around 4,500 people and just 12 miles from downtown St. Louis, Castle Point offers definite appeal to a certain kind of buyer who needs quick access to necessities and is prepared to enter the world of home ownership. “It’s real close to shopping and bus lines. It’s commutable. Housing is more affordable than in other nearby neighborhoods and there are opportunities for people to invest,” says Rebecca Harrington, a Realtor with RE/MAX who lives not too far from Castle Point and sells houses in the area. “It would be a good place for a first-time homebuyer to buy a home and build some equity.” With the low price of homes here, purchasers can have budget space left to update their homes. And for the buyer looking to invest in property, modest Castle Point is a place with many options. As the neighborhood is in transition, there are more vacant houses than in the average neighborhood. “It’s good for rental investors because there’s a lot of housing stock available,” Harrington says. On a drive through Castle Point, someone shouldn’t expect to find much housing diversity. The typical home here is a ranch-style house with one or two bedrooms. Most properties feature a one-car garage, although some houses may have a carport. The backyards lean towards the spacious side. “For under $50,000, you can get a 950 to 1,000 square foot home," Harrington says. "It’s not a big house. But, if you just need to get out of an apartment, the price you’d pay is less than people are paying on a two-bedroom apartment.” The median price for a single-family home here is around $75,000, with most houses selling in the $60,000 to $90,000 range. Castle Point is commuter-friendly, with residents able to catch a Metro bus from multiple bus stops on Halls Ferry Road along the community’s western edge. There are many bus stops to the south as well on Chambers Road. Otherwise, the neighborhood borders Lewis and Clark Boulevard, which doubles as Missouri Route 367, and is a minute or two from Interstate 270. From this location, drivers are 15 to 30 minutes from most local venues, including the St. Louis International Airport and downtown St. Louis. Riverview Gardens School District serves Castle Point Children. Niche rates the district D-minus. Students attend Lewis and Clark Elementary School and R.G. Central Middle School, both of which Niche ranks D-minus. High school students attend Riverview Gardens Senior High School, which Niche rates D-plus. The school has a 61% average graduation rate and an active Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program. There’s no shortage of places to find a meal in Castle Point. Most of the eating spots are toward the community’s southern edge on Chambers Road. Most of them are of the fast-food variety. Imo’s Pizza is a regional institution with locations throughout the St. Louis area and serves St. Louis-style pizza, which serves square slices of pie with Provel cheese. The White Barn is shaped like a barn and has drive-through and delivery options and many satisfied customers. As for shopping, residents are within a 5-minute drive of the Buzz Westfall Shopping Center, which has a Schnucks supermarket as well as a collection of retail stores like Foot Locker. Castlepoint County Park, in Castle Point, features two basketball courts, a playground for kids, a pavilion and a multipurpose field. It’s not uncommon to find residents visiting nearby Florissant Valley Community Park just north of here. It has a soccer field, playground and plenty more open spaces to spend time with the family or walking the dog. As well the Bellefontaine Conservation Area is just across Lewis and Clark Blvd. The 133-acre public park is on forest and grassland and features fishing ponds and conservation education. Castle Point typically doesn’t host events of its own. Residents tend to participate in the ones hosted by neighboring Ferguson, which has a variety of events throughout the year, including a summer concert series and the Taste of Ferguson festival.