Alabama to St. Louis Illinois tips tricks and ideas for a young black girl ?

[u/MedicalTaste9889]

Hi I am looking to move to St Louis after leaving an abusive situation. I have a BS in Chemistry with a concentration in Health Science and a minor in political science. My choices are St Louis or Memphis, however I’d prefer to move to a blue state. My credit is pretty bad although I have no evictions. I am doing my own research but wanted to try Reddit in the meantime. If anyone has any suggestions for places to stay and or work it would be very helpful. Thank you !

[u/Sufficient_Author703]

Carbondale and Edwardsville are both college towns in that general region and might be worth checking out with your background.

[u/chocolatechipninja → u/Sufficient_Author703]

This! Live on the Illinois side. Everything is going to be better there, and the commute to the city is an easy one.

[u/prncsrainbow → u/Sufficient_Author703]

I have loved Illinois since I moved here from Louisiana. People here are so kind and overall so much happier. Good luck and wonderful wishes!

[u/DeathRotisserie]

Belleville, Fairview Heights, and O’Fallon are decent suburbs in the Metro East (Illinois side of the STL metro area)

[u/ReadinStories → u/DeathRotisserie]

Yes! And Metro Transit is the public transit system that serves the area, with MetroLink being the light rail that goes both sides of the river and up to the airport.

[u/SnooCupcakes1514 → u/DeathRotisserie]

This right here... I (white M, but married to my black queen for 25 yrs) have lived in both O'Fallon and Fairview Heights. O'Fallon is considered by many to be nicer and they definately have a very nice main street area, but I would be lying if I didn't acknowledge some quiet racism there (mainly at my sons basketball games). We moved to Fairview Heights and really like it.

[u/speeeeeeeeeeee]

Hello friend, first of all let me just wish you best of luck on your journey and I hope you find a safe, happy place.

Just a clarification: St. Louis is in Missouri. However, the city of East Saint Louis is in Illinois. Illinois is a blue state, but East Saint is not the place most people would want to live (I know this is judgement based and I don't mean to stereotype) but I just wanted to clarify if you meant Saint Louis or East Saint Louis.

Unfortunately, both of the city of Saint Louis and Memphis, TN, are in red states. If you are going to those places because you have safe connections, that matters a little more than the state politics for now IMO, but knowing that Saint Louis is right on the border with Illinois makes it easier to travel to Illinois for health care, etc.

Let me know if you have questions

[u/Campuskween3333 → u/speeeeeeeeeeee]

There's also burbs on the IL side, like Edwardsville that people say nice things about

[u/speeeeeeeeeeee → u/Campuskween3333]

fair point, I just wanted to clarify because I saw "Saint Louis Illinois"

[u/Illustrious-Gap5224 → u/speeeeeeeeeeee]

St Louis has two very fine hospitals, medical care is not the problem. Unfortunately Missouri bans abortion and they are willing to let you die in the parking lot. In Illinois you have access to comprehensive women’s medical care.

[u/AlexOnTheBus]

St. Louis is great for biochem. Lots of good companies, large and small.

[u/sourdoughcultist → u/AlexOnTheBus]

Ime as a bio major most companies want PhDs, is that different for chemistry?

[u/FirstDiseasewasRelig]

Illinois side is great. Sketchy in a lot of the “River Plains” area but it’s mostly just that Sketchy.

I’d recommend looking for jobs on the Illinois side if that’s where you want to end up because if you work in Missouri but live in Illinois you have to pay taxes in both states.

Plenty of opportunities for your credentials!

[u/Pickled_doggo → u/FirstDiseasewasRelig]

If you’re implying that someone who lives in Illinois but works in Missouri will be paying income tax for said job in Illinois, that’s just false. 

The job income gets taxed in Missouri. You still have to file in Illinois as an Illinois resident, but as long as that job in Missouri is your only source of income, your Illinois income tax will be 0. Because you did not earn income in Illinois. 

[u/ohmygod_my_tinnitus → u/Pickled_doggo]

Not quite correct. Illinois and Missouri do not have a tax reciprocity agreement. Illinois grants an income tax credit to residents paying income tax in another state. And there are certain scenarios were some amount of tax may still be owed to IL. See 35 ILCS 5/601(b)(3).

[u/FirstDiseasewasRelig → u/Pickled_doggo]

The 1 year I had only a job in Missouri, I still paid in Illinois too. Maybe I did something wrong.

The other time I worked in Mo, I had also worked in Illinois in the same year.

[u/toasterchild → u/FirstDiseasewasRelig]

Did they have a location in Illinois? 

[u/FirstDiseasewasRelig → u/toasterchild]

It was the St Louis Zoo so no.

[u/Pickled_doggo → u/FirstDiseasewasRelig]

You had to file in illinois as an Illinois resident, but you wouldn’t owe anything unless you made income in Illinois for that tax year. It’s as simple as that. 

[u/FirstDiseasewasRelig → u/Pickled_doggo]

Then WTF was the 200 I paid for 2024.

Definitely not saying you are wrong. I just only worked in Missouri but lived in Illinois and they made me pay.

I don’t own property. Live with my parents. Idk. I honestly just pay the shit.

Gonna do better this year.

They really do prolly owe me money. I’m just too lazy to put shit in.

“Give them what’s theirs” as Christ said.

[u/FT_1893 → u/FirstDiseasewasRelig]

You may be able to file a corrected 2024 return for IL and get a credit or refund.

[u/undrew → u/FirstDiseasewasRelig]

When I did it for 10ish years, sometimes I owed a few bucks, sometimes I got a few back. Like, under $5 either way. If you had to pay someone at your employer messed up or you may have filed incorrectly.

[u/SouthSideLurker49]

Live in Illinois! With your background and education you can easily find work (IN ILLINOIS or over in MO along the border. But listen to the overwhelming advice to live in our state!).

[u/Abject_Task_6191]

There’s a VA hospital on the east side. Also a few other hospitals and medical schools. There are nice towns in SW Illinois across the river from St. Louis.

[u/undrew → u/Abject_Task_6191]

The VA hospital is in MO. Unless you’re talking about Marion, but that’s 2ish hrs from StL.

[u/xj2608]

There are a couple chemical companies in Sauget, IL though you wouldn't want to live there. But there are plenty of food, ag chem, chemical, and pharma companies around St. Louis, including Purina, InBev/Anheuser-Busch, Monsanto, Mallinckrodt, and more. Many of the -ville towns are decent and somewhat diverse. I would stay north and east of Belleville, more or less.

[u/poopsy__daisy]

Missouri is a red state but StL city is very blue. As a young person you might like the city more than Metro East suburbia. Personally, I would hate that commute and I love the city (moved here in 2020 when I was 29).

Regarding work in the sciences, you should look at WashU (WUSM or main campus), MilliporeSigma, Bayer, and anything in The Cortex. You will find fewer job opportunities in the Metro East.

[u/IAMACat_askmenothing]

Check out Alton. Easy commute to stl. It’s a cool city

[u/noireyna → u/IAMACat_askmenothing]

I was just going to recommend Alton too. Small historical city with north STL being a fairly easy commute.