Oak Hills Place/Shenandoah/Westminster (Baton Rouge: house, neighborhoods, to buy)

[Danielle2112]

Hi. My husband and I will be moving to Baton Rouge next year for work (his job will be in the city proper), and we were looking for a nice suburb to live in.

Looking online, the Oak Hills Place/Shenandoah/Westminster area seems nice, close enough to the city on the map but still seems relaxed and quiet.

We are curious though about a few things, though. How are the commute times from those areas to BR? How are the schools? What are the vibes of those areas? Also, we are a family of 5, looking to buy a 4 or 5 bedroom home, budget is $750K. How are the homes in the area? Is our budget enough for a nice home in a nice area?

[annie_himself]

Westminster is in Baton Rouge city limits, the other two are considered Baton Rouge.
Oak Hills Place is the nicest of the three, but you can live anywhere with that budget.
I would look into Westdale Heights, Zeeland Place, Mid-City South, Bocage (these are all pretty upscale), Tara, and Kenilworth (these are on the middle-upper middle side).

Commute times to where?
Schools are pretty bad in Baton Rouge unless you go private or charter.

[LuckyOden]

Actually, I believe Westminster is also outside the city limits...Not that it matters. EBR Parish schools with the exception of Gifted & Talented and a few Magnet programs are pretty bad. Westminster is, however, geographically near the center of the city of BR and not a way out area.

I created a forum topic, "Good, Great & up and coming areas of BR" a few months back that details many neighborhoods and areas around BR. All the areas you asked about are solid. You will not push that $750K budget in any of those neighborhoods however.

I think annie_himself hit the nail of the head with those neighborhood suggestions. The only area I might add would be Old Goodwood. You might find something under or around $750k there and it's a great location.

[Imsoblue]

Make sure to tour Lee High School in Baton Rouge. It. is. great! The house nearby are in Southdowns and "The Dales" (Cloverdale, Myrtledale, Hollydale, etc.) Older, charming homes with a lot of character and some have already been redone. Close to LSU lakes for exercising and the LSU games to cheer on the Tigers!