Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
African American educated single mother relocating from Pittsburgh to Tennessee, seeking; information on kindergarten cut-off, safe area near Vanderbilt University
I am a college educated single mom from Pittsburgh, PA that was recently offered a position at Vanderbilt University. I am most likely taking the position and things will have to happen quickly. I dont know much about the area and would appreciate any insight. I found a furnished condo on 3415 W End Avenue. Its a 2 BR for 1300. Is this near the college? Is this a safe area? We are African American. Is this a diverse area? In Pennsylvania there is a cut off as to when a child must turn 5 before going to kindergarden. My son does not meet that deadline here as his birthday is in late October. Are there similar rules in TN? If so are there good childcare centers nearby or what are the school districts like. Does anyone know if I should consider another neighborhood? Any information will be helpful.
I think I know those condos. Yes, it is very convenient to Vandy. It would be a long walk but it's possible to even walk to Vandy from there. It's a safe area. There's two or three parks in the area; a couple of small ones and Centennial Park almost across the street from Vanderbilt. And it's convenient to other areas of town; you can get on I-440 and loop around to downtown, or to the airport. There's quite a few restaurants in that area and a few small markets but you'd have to go elsewhere for a large supermarket (not a long drive, but a few miles).
The only negative is it doesn't look like the kind of place where there's that many other kids around (I don't know that for a fact), or where you could just let a kid go out to play by himself; not because of it not being a safe area but because it's a heavy traffic area around there and I don't think those condos have much in the way of an open area where a child could play. It would probably be okay for a five-year old, but it probably wouldn't be a good choice for, say, an eight-year old who would want to go out by himself with his little buddies.
There's a variety of ethic groups that live in the general area, as well as others who have a bit of an alternate lifestyle (artist and musicians) but it's predominately white. If you're really asking if you'd have a problem being black in the area, the answer is no.
I don't know much about childcare (not having a child), but I'd be surprised if Vanderbilt itself didn't have some kind of childcare. If not, I'm sure you could find something in the area. I know some of the churches nearby have some kind of daycare.
I know that area well, if there's anything else you need to know, just ask. With a $1300/mo budget you should be able to find something readily enough in the Midtown area.
I think I know those condos. Yes, it is very convenient to Vandy. It would be a long walk but it's possible to even walk to Vandy from there. It's a safe area. There's two or three parks in the area; a couple of small ones and Centennial Park almost across the street from Vanderbilt. And it's convenient to other areas of town; you can get on I-440 and loop around to downtown, or to the airport. There's quite a few restaurants in that area and a few small markets but you'd have to go elsewhere for a large supermarket (not a long drive, but a few miles).
The only negative is it doesn't look like the kind of place where there's that many other kids around (I don't know that for a fact), or where you could just let a kid go out to play by himself; not because of it not being a safe area but because it's a heavy traffic area around there and I don't think those condos have much in the way of an open area where a child could play. It would probably be okay for a five-year old, but it probably wouldn't be a good choice for, say, an eight-year old who would want to go out by himself with his little buddies.
There's a variety of ethic groups that live in the general area, as well as others who have a bit of an alternate lifestyle (artist and musicians) but it's predominately white. If you're really asking if you'd have a problem being black in the area, the answer is no.
I don't know much about childcare (not having a child), but I'd be surprised if Vanderbilt itself didn't have some kind of childcare. If not, I'm sure you could find something in the area. I know some of the churches nearby have some kind of daycare.
I know that area well, if there's anything else you need to know, just ask. With a $1300/mo budget you should be able to find something readily enough in the Midtown area.
What's the traffic like with it being a college area? How far are the nearest shopping malls? How about the sports complexes where the Titans and Predators play? At 5 my son loves sporting events believe it or not. It will be tough to be away from out beloved Steelers. Is it impossible to get tickets to a Titans game as it is to get tickets to a Steelers game here. I know you said you dont have kids but do you know of nearby things I could do with my son for fun. I would imagine the Vandy Hospital is on campus and that is where we would both get our medical care. One thing on that note though. Whats the weather like? My son has a severe case of asthma and the humidity here in Pittsburgh kills him as does the pollen? What can we expect as far as winters? We have a Jeep with 4 wheel drive as the winters here are horrendous. Thanks for all of your help.
What's the traffic like with it being a college area?
Both West End and 21st are heavily traveled. It’s not too bad except during rush hour, then it can be stop-and-go. Unless the traffic is particularly slow, it’s still only ten minutes or so from the area you mentioned to Vanderbilt.
How far are the nearest shopping malls?
There is some retail shopping at White Bridge and over on Charlotte (two or three miles from the condo location). The nearest big mall is Green Hills, you can get on I-440 to Hillsboro and be there in 10 to 15 minutes. Getting to the other malls will take you a little longer. There are some nicer strip malls over on Charlotte (a Super Wal-Mart, Best Buys, Costco, Target, etc.)
How about the sports complexes where the Titans and Predators play? At 5 my son loves sporting events believe it or not. It will be tough to be away from out beloved Steelers. Is it impossible to get tickets to a Titans game as it is to get tickets to a Steelers game here.
The Predators play at the arena, which is on Broadway (Broad begins downtown at the river and then turns into either West End or 21st near the I-65 loop around Nashville). The Titans play at the stadium right across the river from downtown. You can get to them easily enough from the Vandy area, but traffic and parking during an event can make it slow getting in and out. By the way, sometimes they let visitors come over to the Titans training camp at MetroCenter (I work about a miles from there). You can get game tickets, but you’ll have to paid a premium if the Titans are having a winning season, or if they’re playing one of their “big rivals” such as the Colts. It’s fairly easy to get tickets to the preseason games.
I know you said you don’t have kids but do you know of nearby things I could do with my son for fun.
The Frist Center down the street from Vandy has kids art stuff; there’s sometimes kids events at Centennial Park; the Centennial Sportsplex is nearby (it’s a large indoor hockey and skating rink); the three parks in the area have playground equipment; it’s not too hard to get to Greer Stadium for a baseball game (the Sounds are a nice, little AAA minor league team); there’s the Cumberland Science Center (or Cumberland Adventure Center I think they call it now), not nearby but fun for kids; Warner Park further out is a huge park, there’s a natural center and sometimes there’s events like hot air balloon races. There's plans for a Black History Museum near Bicentennial Mall but I haven't seen any progress on it so far. By the way, it's fun to take kids to the Mall and let them play in the fountains. The Farmer's Market is nearby. There's also a children's museum here (frankly, I'm not sure if it's in the same place it was or not).
I would imagine the Vandy Hospital is on campus and that is where we would both get our medical care.
Vanderbilt Hospital is on 21st, and nearby is Vanderbilt Children Hospital. Both are large and top-rated. Vanderbilt is a “Class A” (or whatever the highest rating is) trauma center, and VCH is the only Class A children’s trauma center in the region.
Whats the weather like? My son has a severe case of asthma and the humidity here in Pittsburgh kills him as does the pollen? What can we expect as far as winters? We have a Jeep with 4 wheel drive as the winters here are horrendous.
Winter are cold, but not as severe as the Midwest. Typical low nighttime temperatures in winter will be in the twenties or teens, sometimes lower--rarely but occasionally to zero or a little below. Snow will vary from year to year; some years (like this one) we don’t hardly get any snow, on other years we can have a few snows of 4 to 6 inches each. Once every 15 or 20 years we get an ice storm--beautiful to look at . . . bad if your power goes out. Summers are hot and humid, especially during the months of July and August. Pollen here can be bad at times; this is a native hardwood forest area--lots of trees and shrubs and flowering plants. It seems to affect people differently; some come here and say their allergies are better, some come and say their allergies got much worst.
Alley,
I cant thank you enough for all of your information. This position was offered at the last minutes as the original candidate backed out. My move will take place in about a month. I plan to fly down next weekend to look at the condo. I chose something furnished as it is going to be such a quick move. My son and I are probably going to start all over with just a few suitcases. I am going to have my mom mail us a few things but I think it will be easier to just get everything new which is why I was asking about nearby malls. We have acquired so much junk in the past four years that this is the best opportunity to just throw all this stuff away. LOL..... Are there a lot of options for local banks? I would imagine in such a large city there would be. We have 10 different banks in Pittsburgh at least. Which are best. I promise this will be my last question. Srry to keep bothering you.
In that case, you might want to think about going to Opry Mills; it's a huge outlet type mall north of downtown.
There's a couple of banks between the condos and Vanderbilt. Sorry, I can't think of the names of them offhand. First Tennessee probably has the best reputation in town, but I don't think there's a branch right in that location. There are several banks in town: Bank of America, SunTrust, First Tennessee, US Bank, Bank of Nashville, Union Planters, Primetrust, Citizens, AmSouth, and at least a couple more. Banks merge and change their names so often I can't keep up with them.
By the way, you will be coming during the hottest part of the year. From mid July to mid August is almost always hot and humid.
I went to B school at Vanderbilt and rented a townhouse in Green Hills. I loved it there. Great shopping and restaurants were nearby. Hillsboro Village is another place you might want to consider. A friend of mine just rented a furnished house with a fenced-in yard for $1500 near there. She was relocating from D.C. and wanted a shorter term lease until she could decide where to buy. With a small child, you might find that a house or townhouse (some of them have small yards or large patio areas) would give you a bit more room to spread out.
You might also want to check the bulletin boards at the B school, law school and hospital. A lot of people post rentals and sublets for students and faculty, and you might find the perfect spot for you and your child. Campus publications are another good source for nearby rentals.
Nashville's a great town-- I really enjoyed my years there. Hope it all works out for you!
In that case, you might want to think about going to Opry Mills; it's a huge outlet type mall north of downtown.
There's a couple of banks between the condos and Vanderbilt. Sorry, I can't think of the names of them offhand. First Tennessee probably has the best reputation in town, but I don't think there's a branch right in that location. There are several banks in town: Bank of America, SunTrust, First Tennessee, US Bank, Bank of Nashville, Union Planters, Primetrust, Citizens, AmSouth, and at least a couple more. Banks merge and change their names so often I can't keep up with them.
By the way, you will be coming during the hottest part of the year. From mid July to mid August is almost always hot and humid.
I bank with citizens here that would be way convienient. I will check with my branch here about the branches in nashville. everything you post is so helpful.
No, I don't think there's the same. I think it would be like if it there was a First National here and a First National in Omaha. Same name, different bank. Citizens began locally here (it's actually a "black-owned" bank, BTW).
[i]Warner Park further out is a huge park, there’s a natural center and sometimes there’s events like hot air balloon races.
Haven't heard of a hot-air balloon race in Nashville in quite a long time...wish there were, we'd love to come bring our balloon and fly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
