basic ?s, schools, pediatricians, gyms (Greensboro, Oak Ridge: crime, how much, houses)

[rkeash]

We are hoping to move to the Greensboro area late this summer. We will be coming down in 3 weeks and again in July. Our largest concerns are school systems, good neighborhoods, and safety. Through research, these are the elementary schools that I have found to be very highly rated.
Brooks Global ( area code 27408)
Morehead Elementary (27410)
Oak Ridge Elementary(27310)

Can anyone agree or disagree with these? Can anyone add a primary school to this list. We are hoping to see a few of them when we come down. Any feed back would be greatly appreciated. Also looking into good pediatricians and a nice local laid back gym to work out in. I know this a lot at once, any advice would be great as I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Thanks

[GSOGIRL]

My family and I moved to Greensboro three years ago and love it here. It is a great place for families with lots to offer. You are correct that Brooks, Morehead, and Oak Ridge are all wonderful, high achieving schools. My daughter started Morehead this year and is learning amazing things. The teachers are excellent and parents are extremely involved. There are many wonderful neighborhoods, just depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to spend. Some established, family friendly neighborhoods are Hamilton Lakes(250K and up), Hamilton Forest(250K and up), Starmount(300K and up), Sunset Hills, Fisher Park and Irving Park. If you PM me I would be happy to talk in depth about these.

Wendover Pediatrics is where our children go and the doctors are excellent and always available and really take the time to get to know your child and family.

If you have any questions just PM me.

[luckofthedraw]

All three schools you've mentioned have well-deservedl reputations. Our kids go to Morehead, and love it there. We considered Brooks, but the year-round schedule was difficult to manage for us. Since we don't live in Oak Ridge, that was not an option.

Morehead and Brooks are magnet schools, which means you may or may not be accepted, depending on availability.

Brooks is intensely focused on academics. Morehead is a little more laid back, focusing on adding a balanced program of performing arts into the mix.

I don't know about Brooks, but Morehead has a great deal of parental involvment. It's not unusual to randomly go eat lunch with one or both of my children, and see 6-7 other parents there, doing the same thing.

As far as pediatricians go, we have an extraordinary one in the Greensboro Pediatricians practice. Unfortunately, I do not think she is accepting new patients.

Like GSOGirl, we prefer one of the older, more established neighborhoods, and live in Sunset Hills. Houses range from low $200's to $750+. The mix of people here is fun. We have people ranging in ages from doctoral students to senior citizens. There are lots of kids, and neighborhood kids' activities, and access to some of the best resources the city has to offer.

Formal neighborhood activities include an annual BBQ in the park, Easter Egg hunt and parade (for small people), neighborhood yard sales, and many others. The more informal gatherings are what make Sunset Hills special. It's not unusual to go to the park on a nice day, and find 20 kids playing there.

Sunset Hills is an active neighborhood, with a neighborhood association that is constantly communicating what's going on. We get a monthly crime report from the police department, and alert each other to anything suspicious, through our website.

Good luck in your choices. Greensboro is a great place to raise kids.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like to visit Sunset Hills while you are here. I'm not sure if you can visit Morehead during the summer, but I'll be glad to ask.