The Central West End is great, but expensive (for StL, which is cheap compared to anywhere else). Being so close to Forest Park adds so many opportunities for fantastic (free!) experiences.

Yes, St. Louis has a lot of racial baggage. There's nothing I can tell you that will make your mom stop worrying about it. The metro area is still segregated in many ways. The sharp edges between communities and the disparities between groups cause problems. But because the communities are so separated, you can live your whole life without being in a place where you feel the problems affecting you personally. On the plus side, there are a lot more people working to address those issues since Ferguson was in the spotlight. And the 20th-century white-flighters are just about hitting their life expectancy, so things are looking up! If you really want to know, start here for the history, stats and demographics and here for the personal experiences.

St. Louis has been ashamed of itself for a long time and it's hard to get natives to speak up about the good things here.