I give up.... (Huntsville, Madison, Butler: appointed, fit in, apartment) - Huntsville-Madison-Decatur area - Alabama (AL) - City-Data Forum

wls2624 · 07-09-2009, 03:35 PM

Three weeks until I'm down there and no place to live, can't decide on schools, cities, etc. I'm overwhelmed and am begging my husband to change his mind about the job.

Signed,
Stressed to the MAX!

HB2HSV · 07-09-2009, 03:38 PM

Where's that glass of red wine, bubble bath and Bach ?

Breath in... breath out...

wls2624 · 07-09-2009, 03:42 PM

I will definitely be doing that tonight....I have been searching the area since January and have been down there checking out the area and I still have no idea what to do or where to go

gsp4ever · 07-09-2009, 03:47 PM

Take a deep breath. Maybe take your dogs for a walk.

It's always stressful to move. Normal to be overwhelmed. This is a major life change for everyone in your family. The path of least resistance is probably for you to stick with your plan to go to the Residence Inn. I can tell you that it won't be the end of the world if you kids end up at Columbia HS. I have worked with/in all the high schools in the area and there are many good schools. People on this forum tend to be very opinionated and tend to be very pro Grissom and Bob Jones HS to the detriment of other perfectly good schools in this area. They also rely too much on things like the Great Schools website and the Newsweek rankings. Of course there are probably onlye 15-20 of us regular posters and we all have our opinions.

Also, you are going to need some time to find the perfect home on a big piece of land unless you just have major $$ to spend. Even then, it may not be on the market at this time. It took us over a year to find a home and we were in an apartment most of that time.

deesonic · 07-09-2009, 04:21 PM

Truth is, you could throw a dart at a map of the metro Huntsville area and there's 95% chance it will hit a pretty nice area. As much as people say avoid this place or that, there are not many bad places to be here. And like gsp said, even if your kids end up at Columbia, that's not so bad really. It's a brand new school actually. If you are good parents, your kids will be fine wherever they go to school. I graduated from SR Butler for cryin' out loud and I turned out okay.

friday13 · 07-09-2009, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wls2624

Three weeks until I'm down there and no place to live, can't decide on schools, cities, etc. I'm overwhelmed and am begging my husband to change his mind about the job.

Signed,
Stressed to the MAX!

Without adding more stress to the situation, consider this: once you found your place, either temporary or permanent, around Buckhorn, call the school and make sure you're zoned for that school, especially if you live on the blurred boundaries of the school zone - remember Bavadicane (the Italian army guy) that found a place off Slaughter and wrote here in horror that he was zoned for Hsv schools, although his mail service was provided by Madison City (35758), a fact he disappointedly learned about after he had moved in.

Now, to the housing situation. Stay put at ResidenceInn especially if it has been arranged for and paid by the company. How old are your kids? Teenagers? Don't be afraid to "uproot" them after 3 months if you move to Bukhorn. Have a heart-to-heart, tell them to suck it up, do it for the family, it's part of the growing-up process. First "stumble" of many in their young adult life. If they're younger kids, they'll adjust. Just don't make this process a year-long. They have not had time to adjust and fit in and create strong relationships by the time you pick up and move again in your permanent home (provided is only a couple months). Just take it easy on the red wine.

wls2624 · 07-09-2009, 05:33 PM

Thanks, I'm feeling better now. My daughter will be a sophomore and my son will be in third grade. We'll just go to the Residence Inn, since we do know the company will pay because it's in their budget and on their list, and they will allow our dogs. We can get to know the area better and go from there. Who knows, we all just might like that school zone and if not, we know we don't have to be stuck there. Heavy sigh of relief....I think I'll go walk my dogs, take a nice warm bubble bath and have a Land Shark beer since we are out of wine right now

Thanks so much for easing my stress. Although I do still feel like crying, lol!

wls2624 · 07-09-2009, 05:37 PM

ps what is sr butler?

gsp4ever · 07-09-2009, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wls2624

ps what is sr butler?

A Huntsville City high school. It was okay until probably 10-15 years ago and then it fell onto hard times. It is, unfortunately, considered to be one of the "bad" schools in town. Some of the housing projects are zoned for Butler and it is almost all minority students with low household incomes. Not trying to be racist as I've worked in that school and there are some nice kids and teachers there. Some of the kids go to college, too, but not all. I never felt threatened or scared at all. You'll probably meet some educated, upstanding people who are in their 30s (give or take) and older who graduated from Butler back in its glory days. It's located on Holmes Avenue not too far from The University of Alabama in Huntsville and the Research Park. You can also see it from I-565 Westbound on the right sort of near the US Space and Rocket Center.

deesonic · 07-09-2009, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wls2624

ps what is sr butler?

Why that would be good ol' Samuel Riley Butler (or just Butler) High School. It has a stellar reputation. Just ask anyone on the boards!