Several things, as an UMSL Student, and frequent commuter through these parts.
The bad:
-Whether you want to admit it or not, living here you'll have to deal with Bel-Nor, Bel-Ridge and Normandy police. They haunt Natural Bridge/170. They are parasitic police departments which have no legitimate purpose for being, other than the city leaders have too much stubborn pride to contract with the county. You will get pulled over.
-Using private schools as a token isn't too catchy (in my opinion), looking at every school from Forsyth to Villa and Chaminade, you're looking at $15,000-$20,000 tuition. I'd rather send my kid to Ferguson Florissant for half that, become an active participant in the PTO and help make the schools a better place for all, than distance myself from the community I live in and lock myself and my kids in a metal bubble of "safety."
-The neighborhood is decidedly old. 60% of the residents are 45 or older. Not exactly enticing for families with young children, but then, if you're sending your kids 20 miles out to a private school, I don't think you care about socializing with the locals anyway.
The Good:
-Lee's chicken
-Oriental Chinese/Year of the Dragon, two of the best Chinese joints in St. Louis as a whole.
-Value Village Thrift Store
-Wayside Community Garden
-Breakaway Cafe
-----
The only way you'll entice folks here to really get excited is to prop up the Great Streets Project strategic land use plan, which I have no doubt UMSL will see to completion as part of their effort to make each and every person, and business go mad (or go away forever, like Spiros).
http://imgur.com/CVuVl8L
------
