Possible relocation to Alexandria - HELP! (Pineville, Ball: appointed, violent crime, new home)

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by TexasMama

It does! Thanks! I'll pass the info to my husband so he can check that area out.

Plus, you have grocery stores and other retail along that stretch of Jackson Avenue. And the Alexandria Mall is close by.

[Rmaf623]

Some of the nicest apartments that I can think of in Alexandria are Nottingham (on Jackson Street Extension next to a five story bank building), Beau Terre (near the intersection of Jackson Street & Horseshoe/Twin Bridges), and a new complex called Magnolia Trace off of Highway 28 West in a neighborhood called the Lakes District, and the Rosewood (at the intersection of Bayou Rapides Road and Heyman Lane).

The Walden Point isn't that nice and the Hermitage on Jackson Street isn't great either.

[TexasMama]

BRMan and Rmaf623....I can't thank you enough! It's pretty scary moving to a place you know nothing about, but it's nice to hear info from real people in the area.

I'll cross Walden Point off my list. We did inquire about Magnolia Trace, but they told me they have a long waiting list and honestly, for $1200 a month I'd rather have a house! IF we have have to live in an apartment until we're ready to buy, I'd like to keep rent around $1000 a month.

My husband works near the mall so that will be a plus. Any idea what schools the Nottingham complex is zoned for?

[la-meplus3]

Hi! I wish both of you luck in your move to Central Louisiana. It will be a big change compared to the areas both of you are from. BTW, my best friend lives in Arlington....
If all you are interested in is parks and that kind of recreation, you'll be ok. There is a nice park in Pineville, Keys Park. If you take the Pineville Expressway, off Hwy. 49, take the Hwy. 28 East exit and its just about a block on the right. The zoo here is ok. But believe me, everything will be much smaller than what you are used to.
I would stick to Pineville if you can find a house there. It is a much nicer area and not so many bad spots. There are some good websites to rate schools, you can get a lot of info from them. My 4 yr. old will be starting kindergarten this year and I'm in about the same situation as you guys. Homeschool or try my luck with public schools, I'm very protective of my little boy...
I recommend the magnet schools (some of them). My daughter (now 12) went to Phoenix Academic Magnet 1st through 6th. It is about as close to private as you can get and a good class of people. Very strict and fast paced though and they must maintain a high grade point average. Peabody Montessori Magnet is an excellent school but kinda hard to get in. My son is actually on the waiting list.
I recommend both of you checking out the Bayou Moms website. You can get a lot of info and ask questions there. I don't know alot about the rental market, I do know some people who rent in Alexandria though, but not in the greatest of areas. The housing market is very expensive around here. We will be looking for a way to list/advertise a home for sale/rent pretty soon. I can't do it on here. But will probably call one of the real estate agent to take care of it, haven't really decided yet.
Also, we have a small (but growing) children's museum called the Treehouse. It is located downtown and has alot of activities for the kids. I am a peer counselor for the Central La. Breastfeeding Coalition and we have a monthly support group meeting there, the kids love it. Check out the zoo too, although much smaller than the zoos you are probably used to, its ok and the kids will enjoy it.

[TexasMama]

la-meplus3, thanks for the info! All of my kids were born in Arlington I realize the area is much smaller than what I am used to, but I kinda like that. Do the public schools offer pre-k for everyone? Around here, you can only get in if you're on public assistance and/or speak english as a second language, so we don't qualify. My son just turned 4 and is wanting to go to school so bad. I found the bayou moms site the other day and have found lots of helpful info on there. I think my biggest fear other than finding a house will be making friends! My husband works a lot and I don't know anyone in LA.

[la-meplus3]

I'm not totally sure about the pre-k in public schools. I want to say it is for the under privileged kids here too. Or at least the kids that have a need for it. There are a few churches that offer pre-k, my almost 5 yr. old son went to Pineville Park. But I feel like I may have seen something on the news about expanding the pre-k, but you can go the rapides parish school board web site and probably get some info there, or at least a phone number to call. Again, I prefer the magnet schools, some of them anyway. We had a great experience at Phoenix Magnet. But not all of them are like Phoenix so definitely check them out. Another good thing with the magnets is that if you have to move again, you can stay at the same school from anywhere in Rapides Parish. Your children will enjoy the Treehouse Children Museum, we were there this morning and so many kids were there. They do alot of activities with them during the summer, on Saturdays too. Check out their website. We had a meeting there this morning with the Breastfeeding Coalition. There are some moms that join us from a Mom's Club, I tried to get the website for ya'll but they said it isn't working right now. But I think the Mom's Club is national with different chapters in areas. They are mostly stay at home moms and meet monthly. The second Saturday in August the Breastfeeding Co. has an event for World Breastfeeding Week. It is a big thing and the kids get free train rides, etc. There will be balloon animals and face painting and booths set up. Hopefully ya'll will be able to make it to that. I think the mom's club is going to have a booth there. What kind of property are you looking to rent and for how long?

[TexasMama]

Originally Posted by la-meplus3

What kind of property are you looking to rent and for how long?

We have 3 kids and a Basset Hound, so at least 3 bedrooms. We're planning on renting for a few years.

[tbayle]

We have a 13 yr old, a 6 yr old and a very tame weimaraner that sleeps in her crate. We need a one or two yr. rental. house/3 beds at least/2 car garage.....I am not sure about the mom's clubs-they seem like they are probably for moms of toddlers and little ones, and my youngest is 13!

[la-meplus3]

Hi again, I wanted to let you know about a really nice fitness club in Pineville. It is called the Louisiana Athletic Club. Website Louisiana Athletic Club - Memership fitness center and gym in Pineville, LA - Home
I think the rates are very reasonable. They have a large variety of fitness classes and two indoor pools, the pools are treated with bromine, a safer alternative to chlorine, which is a huge plus for me. It is a pretty new facility, check out the website...I think you'll be impressed.

[tbayle]

I found their website earlier and have already contacted them. It sounds great! Are you a member?
I am wondering if there are any public pools or ones that belong to clubs where people hang out together and swim/tan. That was actually what I was looking for when I stumbled across the health club....but of course, their pools are for classes not lounging.