Moving to Arnold: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Arnold means moving to a south St. Louis-metro Jefferson County suburb with a genuinely distinctive story -- a real 1993 flood disaster that the city turned into current parkland via a substantial federal buyout program.
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Learn moreA real hazard-mitigation success story
Arnold's 1993 flood damaged more than 225 properties. The city's response -- a ~500-home federal buyout program (1994-2005) -- converted former floodplain into current greenspace and trails, cutting the 2008 flood's damage to just $12,000 versus 1993's $1.6 million.
Housing priced close to the Missouri average
Arnold's average home value ran approximately $279,059 this pass, running close to Missouri's own $268,423 statewide average -- neither a premium nor a bargain outlier.
A distinct, Jefferson County tax picture
Jefferson County's own property tax rate runs modestly below Missouri's statewide average on the one source found this pass, a real, distinct contrast to the higher-taxed St. Louis County suburbs built elsewhere in this project's Missouri batch -- though Arnold's own 11.6% combined sales tax rate runs substantially above the state average.
A real local manufacturing and retail base
LMC Industries, a real, long-standing tool manufacturer, anchors part of Arnold's economy, alongside a substantial big-box retail corridor serving southern Jefferson County.
Key takeaways
- Arnold's real flood-buyout program converted a 1993 disaster zone into current parkland -- a genuine hazard-mitigation success.
- Housing runs close to Missouri's own statewide average.
- Jefferson County's property tax rate runs modestly below the state average, but the sales tax rate (11.6%) runs well above it.
- LMC Industries and a substantial retail corridor anchor the local economy.
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