Living in the city of Lexington less than 200K? (Louisville: real estate, 2009)

[Micah Girl]

Originally Posted by ic-epi

I will, Micah Girl! My perspective as a newbie in the city might be helpful to you since you are in the same boat as me. Let me know if there is a particular area/subdivision you want me to check out and/or take pics of and I'll try to do that.

I'll email if I think of a particular area. I'm really just interested in any nice, safe neighborhood with housing under 200K, decent yard & 4 BRs (because I have 3 kids). If it's in a great school district so much the better, but I probably wouldn't make that a deal-breaker since we are homeschooling currently.

The other thing I know is that we would probably prefer to be inside the circle if possible since we're both likely to be going to the University and the UKY Med. Center for work/school. But again, price is what it depends on.

Thanks for any help.

[nlschr0]

I am going to step out on a limb and say that you really want to avoid Winburn Middle. I haven't spent time there in the past two years, but unless it has drastically changed I would avoid it. I used to work with teachers there and spent many hours in the school. Not only does the school have its issues, but the surrounding neighborhood has a history of higher crime rates and drug-related issues. Ashland, Meadowthorpe, and Henry Clay also might have some issues but I would still consider their opportunities - I think that they could really offer some advantages. However, I would have to see some proof of drastic changes to ever consider Winburn for my child. I would probably even go far enough to say that it is the worst school I have worked with (and I have worked with many "low-scoring", "bad-reputation", "inner-city" schools).

[ic-epi]

Originally Posted by nlschr0

I am going to step out on a limb and say that you really want to avoid Winburn Middle. I haven't spent time there in the past two years, but unless it has drastically changed I would avoid it. I used to work with teachers there and spent many hours in the school. Not only does the school have its issues, but the surrounding neighborhood has a history of higher crime rates and drug-related issues. Ashland, Meadowthorpe, and Henry Clay also might have some issues but I would still consider their opportunities - I think that they could really offer some advantages. However, I would have to see some proof of drastic changes to ever consider Winburn for my child. I would probably even go far enough to say that it is the worst school I have worked with (and I have worked with many "low-scoring", "bad-reputation", "inner-city" schools).

That's the issue I'm having right now. My oldest child (and possibly my middle child, but my oldest will be in 7th grade next year) will qualify for the QAC and very likely be a candidate for Dunbar's Math and Science program, and he would love that program and benefit from it so much. But I'm told by the school district that he has basically no chance of getting in that program unless I enroll him in the QAC, which means Winburn. Coming from very small schools in safe neighborhoods, plus the added change of a new city and his first year of middle school (sixth grade is elementary here), I just think it's too much for him and I don't want him in that environment. I think it's a terrible choice to be forced to make. Frankly, it's making me seriously reconsider if we should instead live in Versailles, despite the lack of magnet programs, etc. I don't know much about the schools there but they seem good by the scores.

[gimme it]

If we went the public route, I too would be interested in the magnet schools, but what's it like to be in a great program which is in a so-so school? Is it better to be in a middle-class, neighborhood school that is fairly homogenous? I'm thinking that we might have no choice but to do Catholic or Montessori. Sayre sounds great, but $15k a year is a big chunk of change. Would love to hear more about your opinions on the best schools.

[lexingtongal]

Hmmmm. My first hand experience is this. We bought our house in the Cassidy district because of the district. The school is wonderful in many ways. Lots of parental involvement. Great kids and families. However our son basically coasted through 2nd grade. He was not engaged nor challenged. If he hadn't had such great friends he would have been bored to tears.
We made the difficult decision to move him into the QAC program at Ashland this year. He misses his friends but loves the academic challenge.
The principal there does a great job in meeting the very different needs of the district kids and the magnet kids. During specials and lunch the two groups interact. Otherwise they are pretty separate. I don't notice too many friendships striking up between the two groups.
The biggest difference between the two groups is parental involvement. The magnet parents end up being the PTA board and the SBDM board. This works out fine and everyone looks out for the good of the entire student body.
I know it will be a difficult decision for us when 6th grade comes along. Living in Morton's district makes the prospect of Winburn even less attractive.
So in a nutshell for our son it has been better being in a magnet in a not so great school than being in a great school that couldn't meet his needs.

[gimme it]

thanks for sharing this. i can see that it's a tough decision.

[NatashaQuick]

I can't speak for the high school itself, but I can say that the neighborhoods around Henry Clay High school are very nice, almost pretentious even. :P however, I find it easier to deal with a few stuck-up neighbors than the trouble-making kind. this is the second time I've lived in this area, though I'm not extremely picky, I want a place where I can sit outside and not have to worry about a) people in my business or b) people causing trouble, and I've had a pretty good time of it here.

I'm not a homeowner myself, but if you're asking about specific neighborhoods, I can give you my impression on them. some areas to avoid are the North end (sadly-used to be very nice), and the Eastland/Winchester Road area, though when you get closer to town on Liberty Road, Richmond Road and even into downtown it's very nice. downtown is very close to the campus area, so it's got its share of college party noise and plenty of traffic at the usual times. however, this area also borders on Chevy Chase, and the actual crime rate is fairly low. you'd keep your car doors locked, but you aren't likely to have your windows broken.

any other specific neighborhoods where you were seeing some houses advertised that you want to know about?

[ic-epi]

Originally Posted by NatashaQuick

Any other specific neighborhoods where you were seeing some houses advertised that you want to know about?

Yes! (sorry to hijack this thread, I seem to be good at that, so I hope I'm asking questions that others can benefit from also).

First of all, when you say "the neighborhoods around Henry Clay High School", you're referring to Ashland and Chevy Chase, correct? Any others in that category? Glendover? How about Lakeview? Are they the ones you're referring to?

Also, how about subdivisions further out (on the SE or SW side)? I want the very safest ones (I'm agreeing with you about pretentious versus troublemaker type people). We've looked at Palomar, Beaumont (and its variations), and also Waterford. Although much of Waterford is in the Southern Middle School district which I thought was OK, I read something disturbing on their website about violence/gangs which has got me thinking otherwise (I liked Tate High for its new IB program). Also houses in Waterford seem to be sitting on the market longer than, for example, Palomar. Any idea why?

I've asked many of these questions before and received some great input but the more people I can sponge information from, the better . Thank you!

[nlschr0]

Originally Posted by ic-epi

Also, how about subdivisions further out (on the SE or SW side)? I want the very safest ones (I'm agreeing with you about pretentious versus troublemaker type people). We've looked at Palomar, Beaumont (and its variations), and also Waterford. Although much of Waterford is in the Southern Middle School district which I thought was OK, I read something disturbing on their website about violence/gangs which has got me thinking otherwise (I liked Tate High for its new IB program). Also houses in Waterford seem to be sitting on the market longer than, for example, Palomar. Any idea why?

In Lexington, Palomar, Beaumont, etc are probably the safest that you will find. Probably the biggest concern is being targeted just by being in one of the wealthier areas. Waterford and Pinnacle also are very nice, family-oriented places, although the entire Tates Creek Rd area is an interesting mix of upscale housing (sometimes VERY) with pockets of housing projects and section 8 rentals. There are also more drug and gang issues associated with some of these areas, and some of the problems trickle into the schools. For example, across Man O' War from Waterford, off of Belleau Wood, is an area that tends to have higher crime reports than average. I personally would consider Waterford or Pinnacle ok from a safety point of view, but we do have friends there who just had their car broken into in their driveway. Also, I seem to remember an unusual case in Waterford several years ago where a burglar was killed by a homeowner who intercepted him in the middle of the night (unless my memory fails me)!

[gimme it]

Is there less crime in areas such as Glendover and Landsdown? And what about the SW area of Harrod Hills, etc? Thanks