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My husband, daughter (elementary age) and I are moving to Lexington soon and would like some advice on a few areas that we're considering. Here are my answers to the questions from the Newcomers Please Read post:
-Where you are working - near Lexmark
-How much you are willing to spend on housing - $250,000 or less
-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate - 20 minutes -If you have kids: Private school or public school? - Public
-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: suburbs
-Community amenities important to you - grocery store, play areas,parks -Pie or cake? - cupcakes!
I'd like for my daughter to get started at one of the elementary schools that participate in the world language program. So far I'm interested in neighborhoods that go to Athens-Chilesburg (Andover Hills), Wellington, Stonewall and Picadome. I'm wondering what sorts of reputations these schools and surrounding neighborhoods have? We are a pretty casual family and like to BBQ, watch sports and go to the park. We'd also love to be near other families so that my daughter could make some friends in the neighborhood to play with. We are considering going to the Unitarian church.
I'm visiting soon and plan to look at a home in Andover Hills, one near the Wellington school, and a few near there that actually attend Picadome. Also interested in Rabbit Run, but there's nothing available right now.
Stonewall and Picadome are long-established, good schools on the south side of Lexington - I think there's some renovation going on at Stonewall right now. There is also Clays Mill Elementary School, about halfway between Stonewall and Picadome (perhaps a little closer to Picadome). Stonewall is also close to the UU church, as both are in the Clays Mill Road vicinity. However, the commute to Lexmark from this area will be considerably longer than 20 minutes, especially in the afternoon, if your husband comes through downtown - the alternative would be New Circle Road, which may be a bit faster but is lengthier. Given the amenities of this part of town, it may be an acceptable trade-off.
Shopping of all kinds, plus parks, a good branch library and outdoor activities can be found in the Clays Mill/Harrodburg/Nicholasville Road vicinity. Houses near Stonewall School are a bit more costly than your budget allows, but you might look nearby and find a house which suits you well. Are you looking for brand-new construction? Both older and newer houses, almost all well-mantained, are in this part of town.
Yes, the drive to Lexmark probably would be both shorter and faster from Andover Hills rather than from the Southland area (Southland is a shopping center located between Rosemont Garden and Nicholasville Road. The residential area around it is also known as Southland, or Southland/Twin Oaks). However, I have the impression that Andover Hills houses are both newer and more costly. Far more newcomers live in Andover Hills and the other newer developments near Hamburg Place than do in Southland proper.
Just about anywhere in Lexington is a 15-20 minute drive at most. We lived in Beaumont for years, with my dad commuting to Lexmark. With traffic, it was about 15 minutes for him.
If you want your daughter to start in the language program, you'll want to get her into Maxwell. My brothers and I all went there -- it's a great school. Half the school day is taught entirely in Spanish, and the kids pick it up quickly. Not sure how admissions are now (we all went in the 90's), but used to there was a selection process due to the number of people trying to attend. It is still a public school, however. The county will provide bus service for your daughter, or you could drive her yourself (from Beaumont or other south suburbs, it's about 20 minutes to Maxwell).
Beaumont's school district is arguably one of the best in the county, if your daughter goes to one of the "regular" public schools instead. Rosa Parks Elementary, Beaumont Middle School, and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. I can't speak for Rosa Parks, but I enjoyed middle school at Beaumont (the name's misleading, though -- it's not in Beaumont) and loved my experience at Dunbar. Beaumont also offers miles of walking trails (including access to Harrods Hill Park), and convenient shopping. Just about everything you need is right in the neighborhood. There's also easy access to the airport (about 2 miles away).
The risk at the moment with Andover Hills is that nobody knows if it will stay in ACE district once the new elementary school that will be built on Deer Haven arrives. That is sure to mix up the current district boundaries. However, Andover Hills has enough people who know enough people to put up a good fight to keep ACE as their school. Worst case would be Andover Hills goes to either the new school or Liberty Road Elementary.
I lived in Andover Hills for several years and kept my old house as rental. Just moved about 8 months ago and miss many things about Andover Hills! It is a great neighborhood. Values have gone almost back to 2005 prices this year since it is the ONLY neighborhood in it's price range in ACE, which is the preferred elementary school for that area.
I do not know where the perception that people new to Lexington move to 40509 comes from. I moved there after I had been in Lexington for over 20 years. The neighbor across the street moved from Palomar (Southside neighborhood), the next door neighbor moved from Pera Place (Southside neighborhood), the elderly couple two houses down built their house and moved from East Lake and the elderly couple they sold it to moved from Idle Hour. I have sold 8 houses in Andover Hills, and exactly half were to people new to Lexington and half to exisiting residents.
Almost 45% of my work is with out of town buyers and they actually seem to buy in SW Lexington more than anyplace else.....WHY? New comers have a hard time processing all the opinions about schools and usually will just take the safest route and buy in one of the best districts. Just in the past year, I've sold two houses on the same street in Dogwood Trace to people from New England, one in Firebrook to a family from out of town and out of towners in Gardenside, Devondale, Chevy Chase, Woodfield, Hartland Palomar and Beaumont. The six I sold in 40509 last year had 3 that were new to town, and 3 that moved to a new location within the Hamburg/40509 area. People from out of town move to all the parts of Lexington, so don't feel like you won't fit in any place you move to!
I think you will find the SW part of Lexington a bit more well rounded for good schools but not the best drive to Lexmark.
CAB591-my sons are in the Spanish Immersion Program currently. It has been watered down quite a bit since you were there, but is still a great program. The county will provide transportation IF there are enough kids from the school in an area to merit it. If memory serves, we had to have about 20 kids to get a bus. If there aren't enough kids to merit the bus, then parents have to provide transportation.....but the great thing about any magnet program is that you don't have to live in the district, you only have to live in Fayette County. I've lived in 3 different school districts and have been able to keep my kids in the same school. It really frees up where you can live. Good description of Beaumont too!!
It is a good school. That school got a lot of the neighborhoods that had been in Clays Mill Elementary and Picadome, both good schools.
Guess you're talking about Willow Bend or Wellington for newer houses? The houses on Winthrop get a lot of traffic. There is a train that runs several times a day on the southeast part of the neighborhood. I think I'd avoid anything in the newest part of Willow Bend between the tracks and Winthrop in your price range. Most of those houses are much cheaper and most buyers I take out there don't care for the transformer station that you can see.
Wellington is a nice area. Close to about anything you'd ever need, but it can be a hassle to get out of the neighborhood since everybody in town is usually coming to that area for shopping/dining. I think I would avoid the busy streets and any on some of the funky lots they have in that neighborhood. That area was developed on the old RJ Reynolds tobacco company land. That is why Vincent Way looks like an old dragstrip. Reynolds Road use to go straight from the mall to Clays Mill and Vincent is the old part of Reynolds Road.
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