Work at La Bonhuer...live where? (Memphis, Germantown: apartment, insurance, condos)

[gator girl]

Hi,

We are considering a position at La Bonhuer and don't know much about Memphis. If we decide to move, we would need to be within a 15 minute commute for emergency calls. Price range in the $500K-700K range. Schools are not an issue, as our children are grown. Safety and convenience are very important, b/c I will be home alone when husband is on overnight call. What areas would you suggest looking? We have always lived in the suburbs for the schools, but would consider living in town if safe. How long of a commute would Germantown be?

Also, what areas are prone to flooding? How big of a problem is that?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Pearlbob]

A lot of doctors and nurses live downtown, tons of condos and homes available (albeit most are pricey). Also some nice apartment as well. Midtown also has some very expensive/nice neighborhoods where a lot of medical professionals live. In your price range, you can choose anywhere - Memphis is VERY inexpensive. You could really buy about the best of the best of the best ANYWHERE in or outside of Memphis.

However, schools in the city are horrendous; you'd more or less have to send your kids to private school along with everyone else. Suburban schools are much better. And also, just from personal knowledge, most MD's send their kids to private school anyways, no matter where they live. Well, I'd say about half and half, no matter where they live. Not sure where you are from, but Memphis city schools are the worst in the state, and county schools are so-so. Some are great, some have gone downhill.

Germantown to LBCMC, during rush hour, would be an hour or more. Non rush hour times...maybe 30 minutes?

No flooding problems here. Maybe one underpass here and there on some old streets.

and p.s...it's Le Bonheur.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by gator girl

Hi,

We are considering a position at La Bonhuer and don't know much about Memphis. If we decide to move, we would need to be within a 15 minute commute for emergency calls. Price range in the $500K-700K range. Schools are not an issue, as our children are grown. Safety and convenience are very important, b/c I will be home alone when husband is on overnight call. What areas would you suggest looking? We have always lived in the suburbs for the schools, but would consider living in town if safe. How long of a commute would Germantown be?

Also, what areas are prone to flooding? How big of a problem is that?

Thanks for your thoughts.

First of all, you might want to learn the spelling of your new employer: Le Bonheur. But fear not, even though it's a French name, no one even bothers pronouncing it anywhere near its French pronunciation.

There are some incredible in-town neighborhoods within an easy 10-15 minute drive to Le Bonheur. Or even within 5 minutes. I'll mention just three.

Harbor Town is a new (10-15 years old) neighborhood right next to downtown on Mud Island. It's built to look old: small yards, big front porches, lots of sidewalks. From Harbor Town to Le Bonheur would take 10 minutes MAX.

Just south of downtown is South Bluffs, a gated community overlooking the Mississippi River, connected to downtown via a nice walking trail. Cybill Shepherd owns a home there. It's also built to look old. The trolley stops just outside the gate. It's also a very short drive to Le Bonheur.

Those two neighborhoods are downtown and would allow you to enjoy many of the benefits of downtown Memphis: the symphony, the Broadway musicals, the restaurants, the sports, Beale Street, etc.

Closer to Le Bonheur is Central Gardens, an historic neighborhood originally built along trolley lines, essentially the first "suburb" of Memphis back at the turn of the century. Homes range from grand old mansions along Peabody Ave and Belvedere Blvd to Victorian cottages and craftsman bungalows on smaller side streets. As the neighborhood name implies, homes in Central Gardens are famous for their beautiful, manicured lawns and gardens. And to be honest, the soil is so rich in Memphis and the growing season is so long, it's almost a shame to live there and NOT become a gardener.

Central Gardens is part of Midtown, a more eclectic section of town just east of downtown. It's got Memphis's fantastic arthouse movie theater (Studio on the Square), the zoo (one of only four in the country with panda bears), excellent restaurants, playhouses, Overton Park, Rhodes College, and the Overton Square entertainment district.

From anywhere in Midtown to Le Bonheur would also take only 5-10 minutes.

With a budget of $500-700k, you shouldn't have any problems at all finding very nice, very classy homes in any of those neighborhoods.

I personally would not want to live in Germantown and make the commute to Le Bonheur. Depending where in Germantown, it could take you a solid 30 minutes. Plus, I happen to like the older, historic neighborhoods and living closer to Memphis's really cool downtown. Germantown does have beautiful homes, to be sure.

Best of luck! I hope you enjoy living in Memphis as much as I did. I really miss that city.

[gator girl]

Thanks for the quick reply and correction of my awful spelling! We probably would want to live within 10- 15 minutes to the hospital. I had no idea that Germantown was so far! Since our kids are grown, schools are only important for resale and it sounds like you either live in town for convenience or out of town for schools. What is the difference between downtown and midtown? Is the hospital downtown? Are there historic homes in either of these areas that are safe? What are the "don't cross" boundary streets?

We are looking at Le Bonheur and Children's Hosp of Philadelphia. I'm going from a small southern college town to two potentially dangerous areas and I'm really nervous about both prospects!

Thank you for your kindness~

[gator girl]

Thanks JMT for the run down on neighborhoods. If flooding is not a problem, living near the river would be wonderful. As a matter of fact, I am a master gardener, frustrated by central Florida heat and humidity! Living in an historic home with the ability to garden sounds great! I appreciate your input!

[Pearlbob]

LB is in the medical district, which is essentially between downtown and midtown. Honestly though, I live in midtown and could walk downtown, if necessary. It would be a bit of a hike, and I sure wouldn't do it in this heat, but I could do it. I work downtown and it takes about 8 minutes to get to work everyday.

Central Gardens is wonderful (my turf) National historic district, thus home prices will always go up and up. You will find smallish 3 br/2 ba homes for over $300k easy. But, prices top out and even the grandest estates are usually around the $500k mark.

Just an idea for Central Gardens...if you search realtor.com (or crye-leike.com, our local realtor) and search for zip code 38104...start searching the most expensive homes in that zip code and they will be in Central Gardens. That will give you a good estimate of what you're looking at.

Most people who live in CG understand that they must send their kids to private school, so schools will never be a factor when selling a home here. People live here for the neighborhood, not for the schools. Kids or not.

Search for zip 38103 and that's downtown. you'll find more expensive homes there, but they are all new. There are celebrities and sports stars that live downtown, so don't ever think that the area is unsafe. It's touristy, so there are a lot of panhandlers, but that problem is being worked on and that's something you'd see in any city.

That's my quick advice...search for homes in those 2 zip codes (also 38112 for midtown, but that can include more iffy areas, although the expensive areas there are just as nice), just search for homes $400k and up...and you'll see many gorgeous homes.

[JMT]

Pearbob, you're the man! Central Gardens is the most beautiful neighborhood I've ever lived in.

And gator girl, I can't imagine that you wouldn't fall in love with Central Gardens as soon as you see it. As Pearlbob said, you could almost walk to downtown from Central Gardens, and the homes there keep their value. You could also walk from there to the Overton Square entertainment district which has playhouses, lots of restaurants and clubs, and the coolest arthouse movie theater in Tennessee.

Belvedere is my favorite street in all of Tennessee. In the middle of summer it's completely shaded because of the huge trees in the median. The homes are stately but not gaudy. I mean, these are homes with the original leaded glass windows, not vinyl replacements.

Here's a link to the Central Gardens Association:
Home - Central Gardens

Another neighborhood with superbly beautiful homes is Evergreen. It's a few blocks north of Central Gardens and just west of Overton Park. Evergreen is closer to Rhodes College so it has a smattering of university people. I-40 was originally supposed to go right through Evergreen and Overton Park, so many homes in Evergreen were torn down to make way. The interstate was eventually routed around the city, sparing Overton Park but leaving a big chunk of Evergreen vacant. When the homes were rebuilt a few years ago, they were built to look old to blend with the rest of the neighborhood, and they really do. It's a beautiful neighborhood, within walking distance of the Brooks Museum, the Memphis College of Art, the zoo, Overton Park, and the Overton Square entertainment district.

Here's its neighborhood association web site:
Evergreen Historic District Association

[gator girl]

Ya'all are awesome!!! If everyone in Memphis is as nice as you, I will look forward to our visit next month!

Central Gardens looks amazing! I can feel my thumb getting greener by the minute!

Thanks again!

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by gator girl

Hi,

We are considering a position at La Bonhuer and don't know much about Memphis. If we decide to move, we would need to be within a 15 minute commute for emergency calls. Price range in the $500K-700K range. Schools are not an issue, as our children are grown. Safety and convenience are very important, b/c I will be home alone when husband is on overnight call. What areas would you suggest looking? We have always lived in the suburbs for the schools, but would consider living in town if safe. How long of a commute would Germantown be?

Also, what areas are prone to flooding? How big of a problem is that?

Thanks for your thoughts.

I too work in the medical center around Le Bonheur and have much experience there. You will be pleasantly surprised what your price range will buy you in Memphis. That will get you into a great house in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the country. However, Le Bonheur is located in the middle of one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country, and you will have to deal with the challenges of that. For me, it has been extremely frustrating and surprisingly fulfilling at the same time. Close to LeBonheur is downtown and midtown. Downtown is an up-and-coming neighborhood that already has several thousand upper-middle class and wealthy residents with a large number of great restaurants and activities. However, it suffers from the problems of any Southern minority-dominated community, especially considering it has rose to almost nothing in the last decade. You can avoid these problems by living on Mud Island, which is a master-planned community downtown in the middle of the Mississippi River. It is considered the first in the country, and the designers have gone on to design communities such as Celebration, Florida. Your housing dollars won't go near as far here as they will in the rest of the city. The South Main/South Bluffs area downtown seems to be the hottest at the moment. It was what Mud Island was 10 years ago, with lower prices. This is primarly an old warehouse area that is fast becoming residential. If you want the big yard and big beautiful house, Midtown is for you. The best area is probably Central Gardens. Also consider the area around Overton Park. Your price range will buy you a very nice home in this area. However, ghetto area is integrated into Midtown (less so in Central Gardens). Very expensive homes are known to be just down the street from crack houses. Most Memphians are scared of this, but it is not a problem for those living on the good streets in Midtown (except for petty crime like leaf blowers stolen, so get good insurance). There are tons of great locally-owned restaurants in Midtown, as well as Downtown, and a great community. The best area in Midtown is around Belvedere Ave and Central Ave, but there are plenty of other good areas. I would contact Sowell Realtors since they specialize in Midtown and Downtown (the 15 minute radius of Le Bonheur). If you send me a private message, I'd be happy to give you my contact information.

[Kabluey]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

A lot of doctors and nurses live downtown, tons of condos and homes available (albeit most are pricey). Also some nice apartment as well. Midtown also has some very expensive/nice neighborhoods where a lot of medical professionals live. In your price range, you can choose anywhere - Memphis is VERY inexpensive. You could really buy about the best of the best of the best ANYWHERE in or outside of Memphis.

However, schools in the city are horrendous; you'd more or less have to send your kids to private school along with everyone else. Suburban schools are much better. And also, just from personal knowledge, most MD's send their kids to private school anyways, no matter where they live. Well, I'd say about half and half, no matter where they live. Not sure where you are from, but Memphis city schools are the worst in the state, and county schools are so-so. Some are great, some have gone downhill.

Germantown to LBCMC, during rush hour, would be an hour or more. Non rush hour times...maybe 30 minutes?

No flooding problems here. Maybe one underpass here and there on some old streets.

and p.s...it's Le Bonheur.

Unless rush hour has increased enormously in the past 10 years, I can't see an hour commute for an average rush hour. My parents live in the G'town Station area of G'town ("ghetto" Southwind, lol), and they work at the VA and Shelby State, make a daily commute leaving home at 7:30. Whether you take city streets or Nonconnah Parkway, I think it takes 30-40 minutes. Non rush hour can take 20-30 minutes. On a very bad day, in the past, it could take up to an hour. Part of me remembers them taking Nonconnah Pkwy, but another part of me sees them taking city streets, Poplar Pike, etc. I think you gotta just check the traffic. The highways were very speedy in the past, but maybe they've gotten congested.