Is Creve Coeur Safe for Travel RIGHT NOW? (2024 Safety Rating)

Safety Index:

* Based on Research & Crime Data

User Sentiment:

100

* Rated 100 / 100 based on 3 user reviews.

Creve Coeur, Missouri, is a St. Louis County suburb whose name comes from the French phrase “Broken Heart,” after a love story that is likely more legend than truth.

While home to just 19,000 residents, this community is surrounded by main roads and interstates, offering plenty of activities within its boundaries.

Mostly a suburban destination for groceries, shopping, and parks, you are still about 20 minutes from anywhere in the St. Louis area (barring traffic, which will drastically change that estimate).

Creve Coeur is one suburb where famous actor Jon Hamm grew up, and you’ll often see him cheering on the Cardinals baseball team.

I also grew up in this great suburb, so I might have a special affection for it as I write.

(No, I don’t know Jon Hamm.)

One reason my family chose Creve Coeur was that my dad worked at Monsanto, which is now the headquarters of Bayer.

This city is home to many major companies and technology firms, bringing great jobs to a dense residential area where the average income is $100,000 a year and poverty is more than half the national average at 5%.

Most of the hotels near Creve Coeur are along the perimeter, not in the city.

Creve Coeur Park and Lake are in nearby Maryland Heights.

Warnings & Dangers in Creve Coeur

OVERALL RISK: LOW

There's a low overall risk, as crime rates are low and keep getting lower. It's also a great central location for attractions in all directions.

TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM

The Metro bus system services the entire region, and as you get closer to downtown, there's a light-rail system. Taxis and rideshares will be easy to find, and rental cars are plentiful. The Metro system can go through some rough parts of town, so treat that with a medium risk.

PICKPOCKETS RISK: LOW

With just 12 pickpockets or purse snatchings over the past five years, there's a low risk. However, the same cannot be said for your vehicle. Treat this with a high risk because this city sees ongoing trends of car thefts and break-ins, with a surge of thefts in 2022.

NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW

I grew up in Creve Coeur and can attest to the severe weather that can happen throughout the year. You'll get plenty of heads-ups when severe weather is coming, and you should treat all risks with the same safety steps. Winter weather isn't guaranteed, but there can be some doozy storms that hit. Ironically, they always seemed to hit around my sister's birthday in February. She has a childhood of canceled birthday parties.

MUGGING RISK: LOW

The city averages fewer than 10 robberies per year dating back to 2000. Enough people here simply leave their cars unlocked with a whole bunch of personal stuff inside that I guess the thieves don't need to resort to violence.

TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM

As part of a major metropolitan area, you should treat it as a medium risk, but that's more to say pay attention to suspicious activity and report anything you see. A suspected hate crime at a Jewish temple happened in early 2023 after being vandalized.

SCAMS RISK: LOW

Please read the fraud and identity theft sections of the Creve Coeur Police Department (CCPD) website to get information about safety and prevention. You can also get the phone numbers of those to contact if you are a victim. While just 23 incidents were reported in 2022, a 38% drop, it's still worth noting that identity theft was one of the top categories.

WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW

Women will have a low risk here, with fewer than two sexual assaults reported going back to 2019. There are some neighborhoods nearby where crime rates go up, so please take that advice just for Creve Coeur and never let your guard down in a large metro area like St. Louis.

TAP WATER RISK: LOW

The tap water here is part of the St. Louis City system, which has never had a water quality violation and carried that tradition into 2022. Follow the city's social media sites for issues like water main breaks that could lead to boil orders and wouldn't be reflected in an annual report.

Safest Places to Visit in Creve Coeur

Creve Coeur is primarily a dense residential area and doesn’t have its own tourism site.

You can use the Creve Coeur Chamber of Commerce website to look for events or stick to the Explore St. Louis official tourism site.

Most of the time you’ll spend in Creve Coeur will be along Olive Road.

This is one of those major arteries that just have shop after restaurant after grocery store as you drive along.

The road stretches into the city of St. Louis and far into the more peripheral suburbs.

Two historic locations that shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle are the Lake School House, built in 1897, and the Tappmeyer House, one of the first homesteads in Creve Coeur.

If you come across any listing for two log cabins in Creve Coeur, those were moved to Faust Park in late 2022, which is just 15 minutes west.

Near the border with Olivette is the AMC movie theater.

It isn’t one of those fancy ones with meals served, but you can order your snacks ahead of time and have them delivered to your seat through the AMC app.

This theater has been there a long time, as I can vividly remember going there to see ET… twice.

At Olive and Heritage Place, you’ll find a shopping area that is not quite a mall but also not quite a strip mall.

It has local grocery store Dierbergs and several national brands mixed in.

Creve Coeur also has a local ice rink and golf course open to the public.

There are six local parks, with the largest being 25 acres.

You’ll likely want to visit Creve Coeur Lake Park to enjoy the six miles of trails and Dripping Springs that tell the story of the doomed lovers and tragedy that gave way to the “Broken Heart” name of this fine city.

Places to Avoid in Creve Coeur

Not only is Creve Coeur a safe city, but it’s surrounded by other safe cities.

To the south and west, you’ll enjoy the same low crime rates.

Heading east toward the city of St. Louis and north to Maryland Heights, crime rates will go up a bit more.

You don’t get into high crime areas until you’re north of I-70, in the city of St. Louis (north or south side), or across the river in East St. Louis, Illinois.

You do want to avoid being in a rush in Creve Coeur.

It was decades ago I grew up there, and I still remember the traffic trying to get to school or go visit my dad at work.

The growth has exploded along Olive Boulevard, but it’s still the same four-lane road from the 70s.

Safety Tips for Traveling to Creve Coeur

CCPD is the local law enforcement agency, but there is also a Creve Coeur in Illinois. This can be confusing to find the right department on social media. CCPD is on Facebook @CreveCoeurPolice. When in doubt, look for the 314 area code to know you’re looking at the right website.
The city sends out crime prevention newsletters regularly, and you can sign up for those under the Notify Me section of the city’s website. Be sure to opt into the News Flash information as well.
You also want to consider signing up for Nixle notifications, so you can stay on top of severe weather threats. Nixle alerts are how law enforcement communicates with the local media initially, so you’ll get the same information at the same time. The alerts will also cover accidents, road closures, water main breaks, or civil emergencies.
Creve Coeur might be a suburban area near the urban areas, but it still has wildlife to worry about. Deer are the biggest concern to the point that the city does allow specifically trained archery hunters to control the population. As a visitor, you should watch out for deer popping out on the road, especially if you’re on a residential street to the south of Olive Boulevard. I know I had a few close calls on Moseley Road when I lived there.
Don’t leave your car running and unattended. I know I sound like Captain Obvious writing that, but there’s a huge rash of car thefts here due to people leaving a car running. Maybe it’s to warm up. Maybe they ran inside to get something. I dunno. Just don’t do it. You can read the news releases on the CCPD website, and you’ll see incident after incident of cars stolen.
CCPD has traffic safety units on the streets, and you’ll come across traffic-calming devices like speed humps and such. If you notice a traffic problem that warrants a complaint, call (314) 274-2111.
The department doesn’t over crime mapping technology, but you can use the MIBRS to get the latest crime data from each city in Missouri. Creve Coeur is one that updates regularly. You can also read the annual reports to learn about the use of force and vehicle pursuits each year.
Any fishing you want to do will require a license from the Missouri Department of Conservation. You can purchase those licenses online, and look for specific rules around Creve Coeur Lake, as that is the largest and closest fishing spot to Creve Coeur (even though the lake is in Maryland Heights).
There’s a new resident guide on the city’s website, which I find to be very helpful for people traveling. You can learn about how roads are cleared during snow, get a map of all the parks, and have contact information for every department.
Parking is free in Creve Coeur and mostly above ground in parking lots surrounded by shopping centers.

So... How Safe Is Creve Coeur Really?

Creve Coeur hasn’t had more than 31 violent crimes in a year going all the way back to 2000, and most years had fewer than 20.

Just five homicides happened since 2000, all of which were solved.

New 2022 crime data shows a significant decline in many categories compared to 2021:

Violent Crime – Down 60%
Aggravated Assault – Down 68%
Robbery – Down 50%
Larceny – Down 8%

The one trend that went the other way is car theft.

The number of cars stolen was up 84%, which is on par with national trends.

Nearly half of all thefts were related to car break-ins or car accessory thefts, mainly those expensive catalytic converters.

Theft rates in Creve Coeur are at the national average.

Creve Coeur Police tell us that half of the cars stolen in the past three years were due to drive carelessness, either leaving unlocked, running while unattended (like to warm up in the winter), or with the keys inside.

Creve Coeur is one of the safer and most centrally located places in the St. Louis area to explore the region.

How Does Creve Coeur Compare?

City	Safety Index
Creve Coeur	78
Baltimore	56
Boston	67
Washington DC	56
New York City	67
Detroit	56
San Diego	67
Calgary (Canada)	82
Buenos Aires (Argentina)	60
Vancouver (Canada)	82
Cordoba (Argentina)	61
Toronto (Canada)	81
Melbourne (Australia)	80

Useful Information

Visas

International travelers should check the U.S. State Department website to see if they are from a country that allows visa waivers. Otherwise, you'll need to go through the visa process and have a passport to get through Customs.

Currency

The U.S. Dollar is the only currency accepted here. If you exchange currency before you arrive, you'll get a better value at your home bank.

Weather

As they say in the Midwest, "If you don't like the weather, wait a few hours. It will change." I live in the Midwest, and I'm writing this in late winter. Yesterday it was 70. Today it's going to snow. That's why you need to pack layers during most seasons. Summers will be hot and humid but bring a jacket or hoodie, just in case. Bug spray is a must in this muggy climate.

Airports

Without traffic, St. Louis Lambert International Airport is 15 minutes away, but double that estimate in rush hour.

Travel Insurance

Too much severe weather can happen here to travel without insurance. Rental car insurance is good too, as you'll be driving on some congested streets with potentially aggressive drivers.

Click here to get an offer for travel insurance

Creve Coeur Weather Averages (Temperatures)

Jan -2° C

Feb 1° C

Mar 7° C

Apr 13° C

May 18° C

Jun 24° C

Jul 26° C

Aug 25° C

Sep 21° C

Oct 14° C

Nov 7° C

Dec 1° C

Average High/Low Temperature

Temperature / Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High °C	4	7	13	19	24	29	32	31	27	20	13	6
Low °C	-7	-5	1	7	12	18	20	19	14	7	1	-4
High °F	39	45	55	66	75	84	90	88	81	68	55	43
Low °F	19	23	34	45	54	64	68	66	57	45	34	25

Missouri - Safety by City

City	Safety Index
Blue Springs	82
Boonville	83
Branson	70
Cape Girardeau	72
Carthage	80
Chesterfield	78
Clayton	72
Creve Coeur	78
Fenton	72
Ferguson	43
Frontenac	72
Hannibal	76
Independence	74
Jefferson City	75
Jennings	31
Joplin	53
Kansas City	39
Kirksville	72
Kirkwood	77
Lee’s Summit	78
Maryland Heights	79
Mehlville	73
New Madrid	84
Poplar Bluff	57
Rolla	58
Springfield	62
St. Charles	79
St. Joseph	47
St. Louis	58
Ste. Genevieve	83

3 Reviews on Creve Coeur

A
Aliana Cannon says:
at
As a resident of Creve Coeur for over a decade, I can confidently say it’s one of the safest neighborhoods I’ve lived in.
S
Sonny Moran says:
at
While no place is entirely immune to crime, Creve Coeur consistently ranks among the safest cities in the state.
N
Nancy Boone says:
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As someone who frequently visits Creve Coeur for work, I’ve always felt comfortable and safe walking around the area, even at night.

Creve Coeur Rated 5 / 5 based on 3 user reviews.

Is Creve Coeur Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

Missouri : Safety by City