Walkable neighborhoods w/in 10-15 min of downtown W-S? (Winston-Salem: townhouse, transfer)

[RooBaby]

Hi! My husband is being transferred to Winston-Salem from Northern VA by the end of the year. We have a 3-year-old son and are looking to buy a single-family home (or the right townhouse!) somewhere in the $250,000 to $350,000 range. We are hoping to take a trip down the weekend before Thanksgiving to find a place ASAP, so I'd like to do some online research in the meantime.

I am most interested in one of the following two possibilities:

1. A very pedestrian-friendly "town center" type of area, where one can walk to coffee and other shops (if Northern Virginia references help at all, not unlike Old Town Alexandria or Old Town Manassas, where we currently live); or
2. A suburban-style area within the city limits that is heavy on parks with good schools (I've seen the Buena Vista area mentioned, or Robin Hood Road--am I on the right track regarding the community feel?).

Also, any suggestions/ideas re: preschools within these areas would be very helpful.

I've also heard great things about Kernersville and Lewisville, but I'd prefer to look within W-S proper, first.

Thanks very much in advance!

[Carolina Texan]

not sure about #1, but for #2, i'd suggest Sherwood and New Sherwood, off Peacehaven, between Robinhood and Country Club. We live in New Sherwood (off Allistair Rd) and love it here.

I drove downtown for work for 9 years, and it's about 13 minutes in morning "rush hour".

edit to add: search listings in zip code 27104

[clawhammerist]

Try the West End (but definitely west of Broad Street, though). This neighborhood has small but pleasant business districts with restaurants, cafes, and shops around Fourth and Summit as well as at the foot of Reynolda Road. Depending on where you are in the neighborhood, it can be a short walk to downtown with its restaurants, cafes, galleries, shops, and cultural venues. Very walkable throughout.

Another good option is the Ardmore neighborhood. Again, a biggish area...but one commercial node is at Hawthorne and Knollwood, where you'll find restaurants, shops, a cafe, and a grocery store. Other sections of this neighborhood are quite close and perhaps walkable to the shopping areas around Cloverdale and Miller, the Whole Foods strip, and, just a few blocks farther, the Thruway shopping center which has every service you might need including a Borders.

Both of these areas would require minimal driving for you to get what you want/need in town, and they are so centrally located that if your husband is driving to work, he won't have far to drive in any direction. Both are quite family-friendly as well, and are, I think, the best options in your price range (Buena Vista is more expensive, and the Robinhood area is nice but not as pedestrian-friendly).

[enlightenme]

Originally Posted by clawhammerist

Try the West End (but definitely west of Broad Street, though). This neighborhood has small but pleasant business districts with restaurants, cafes, and shops around Fourth and Summit as well as at the foot of Reynolda Road. Depending on where you are in the neighborhood, it can be a short walk to downtown with its restaurants, cafes, galleries, shops, and cultural venues. Very walkable throughout.

Another good option is the Ardmore neighborhood. Again, a biggish area...but one commercial node is at Hawthorne and Knollwood, where you'll find restaurants, shops, a cafe, and a grocery store. Other sections of this neighborhood are quite close and perhaps walkable to the shopping areas around Cloverdale and Miller, the Whole Foods strip, and, just a few blocks farther, the Thruway shopping center which has every service you might need including a Borders.

Both of these areas would require minimal driving for you to get what you want/need in town, and they are so centrally located that if your husband is driving to work, he won't have far to drive in any direction. Both are quite family-friendly as well, and are, I think, the best options in your price range (Buena Vista is more expensive, and the Robinhood area is nice but not as pedestrian-friendly).

I agree 100% with you. Lewisville and Kernersville is more of a generic, cookie cutter type of life. They are great communities if that is what you are into...The only negative to West End and Ardmore is you don't directly feed into top notch schools like the Sherwood Forest & Buena Vista neighborhood. Don't let that stop you from checking out the Adrmore or West End though because W-S is a school of choice district. You can chose other schools in your zone, you just may get on a waiting list instead of getting priority if you directly feed into the neighborhood school.

The W-S school website explains it.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools - WSFCS

Join Triad Treehouse and SAHM&Dad group on meet-up.com. I have a 3 yr old too and those parent groups really helped me figure things out.

Good luck!

[hollatjagirl]

How about walking around Old Salem? I like Reynolda village and Sherwood as well!

[RooBaby]

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions and help! I can't wait to see these areas in person.

Originally Posted by enlightenme

Lewisville and Kernersville is more of a generic, cookie cutter type of life. They are great communities if that is what you are into...

My husband is really liking the size of the houses in Kernersville (he's 6'7" so high ceilings/big rooms are necessary, and he would like at least 4 bedrooms). Hopefully we'll be able to find something of good size (in our price range!) in one of the older, more established neighborhoods in Winston.

[arbyunc]

I'm just curious...what is a "generic, cookie-cutter type of life"? I know plenty of people in Lewisville and K'ville, and I think most of them are rather interesting people who do interesting things. I guess they're all missing out on the incredible uniqueness of living in a Winston-Salem neighborhood. Should I tell them their life sucks, or just let them go on thinking they have it pretty good?

[enlightenme]

Originally Posted by arbyunc

I'm just curious...what is a "generic, cookie-cutter type of life"? I know plenty of people in Lewisville and K'ville, and I think most of them are rather interesting people who do interesting things. I guess they're all missing out on the incredible uniqueness of living in a Winston-Salem neighborhood. Should I tell them their life sucks, or just let them go on thinking they have it pretty good?

Sorry to offend. I wasn't meaning a bad life in any way. Simply those communities have far more of a newer subdivision type of housing, strip mall and chain restaurants type of eating. You tend to not be able to walk around to coffee shops, parks, etc. except for maybe a quick walk around your subdivision. The people don't suck at all, they tend to like a newer, bigger house for the money. Nothing wrong with that! Lots of people can't be bothered with the headache of owning an older home, want more land, privacy, etc and move out to the 'burbs. I personally did it and find it pretty bland. I miss having sidewalks and being able to walk to a cool bookstore, farmer's market, unique place for breakfast.... you just don't get a lot of that outside of downtown city limits and it feels to me more like a generic environment. I didn't mean the people were generic, it is more the area is cookie-cutter....Like I said before there is absolutely nothing wrong with Kernersville, Lewisville or Clemmons. I simply find myself in my car a lot more than I like to get away from the Subways, Hardee's, McD's, Great Clips.....

[arbyunc]

^ Fair enough. I'm not offended, by the way...I was just a little unclear about what you meant. Thanks for clarifying!

Unfortunately I think the type of neighborhood the OP desires is rare in the Triad, and in the South in general. Buena Vista, Robinhood Rd., Sherwood Forest--although they are in Winston-Salem and are very "walkable", there's not a whole lot to walk to except other houses or maybe a neighborhood park. In general neighborhoods consist of houses, schools, perhaps churches, while the restaurants and shops are located in other areas. There are a few exceptions, such as West End and a few "nodes" here and there (as someone described earlier), but in general you won't find big-city type neighborhoods where everything you need is within walking distance. The good news is that, no matter where you live (even in the surrounding communities), you're never more than a 15-20 minute drive from most things you'd want--shopping, restaurants, cultural events, etc.

[d_Random]

Try this web site:

Get Your Walk Score - A Walkability Score For Any Address