Kid friendly neighborhoods in Charlottesville, VA

[edbtr]

Hi,

My husband got his dream job in Charlottesville and we are moving there in the late spring/early summer. We have a 2.5 yo and a 5 month old, and can't do the kind of neighborhood research we would like to do before moving there. Does anyone know of neighborhoods that have young families and kids, or that are kid friendly. We'd like to be in the city, rather than the county (probably) and would love it to be a walkable neighborhood. Also, if anyone had any suggestions for preschools and other fun things to do with kids, that would be great! Thanks, Ellen

[LBW]

No real advice, but I have to say I'm completely jealous. My best friend lives in C'ville, and I visit her a lot. I've wanted to move there for at least ten years, but DH would have to find a job there, and so far he's had no luck. It's a fantastic town. You're going to love it.

[lizajane]

first of all, you will be THRILLED with charlottesville. i was born there and lived there for all 18 years before college. my mom and dad are still there, as well as my sister, BIL and nephew, and my brother who is about to graduate from UVA.

i don't think i could name neighborhoods for families because i was there SO long ago and my sister's neighborhood isn't ideal for families. it is pretty close to the university. i can definitely ask her to list some, but i am sure you will get responses from ryan and katie and others, too.

i can tell you that i went to st mark's preschool and it is still a good one. my mom worked with preschoolers in a hospital program and said they were always good, smart, well behaved, happy kids. i went to st anne's belfield for 8th grade- 12th and they also have a preschool and elementary school. it is now a VERY expensive program, but it is also a TOP private school. (i am not being stuck up... it is way different now than what i was when i went there. John Grisham's kids went there, as well as Howie Long's. so they have tons of money now!)

while i am name dropping... be ready to run into sissy spacek in bodo's bagels! i have seen her there before.

and bodo's bagels is freakin' awesome and you must go there RIGHT away. as well as arch's frozen yogurt. and charlottesville coffee, which has a play area for kids and is a meeting place for moms.

i went to greer elementary and i am pretty sure it is still a good school. my brother went to greenbriar which was pretty good, too.

greenleaf park is a fun one.

downtown has a city market on saturday mornings that my sister loves and i like to go when i visit. she likes to take her son in the stroller. the downtown mall is an outdoor walking mall that has good restaurants, bars, shops, etc.

barrack's road shopping center has some ok stores and i think the mall has some better ones than they used to, but don't expect anything too exciting in terms of grandscale shopping!

the Va Festival of the Book is coming up and is definitely worth checking out. i think march 24? it is all weekend with plenty of kid events. and almost every single event is free. this is my dad's "thing" so i am biased, but i am pretty certain you would not be dissapointed!

"the corner" is the university hang out spot- bars, textbook stores, etc. rugby road is where all the fraternities are.

golly. it is fun to talk about.

and what is the dream job????

[MartiesMom2B]

I have a friend who's ex husband in relocating from Charlottesville. Their house is located in a family friendly neighborhood that's on a cul-de-sac. If you are interested in hearing more, feel free to PM me and I will pass you info to her to pass on to the ex.

[JdrKuhnert]

We just moved from C-ville last September.
We were in the Venable neighborhood off of Rugby Rd. It's in the city, close to the university, Barracks Road mall, and downtown. We only had one car and my husband could walk to work at the University. There are some nice parks around. There is also a public swimming pool and some great sprinklers at Greenleaf Park. We were close, but not too close to the Corner. It's an older neighborhood with quiet streets. However, not all of the streets had sidewalks. I really enjoyed walking through the neighborhood for exercise. I bought a jogging trail book from a running store and adapted it for my walks. It was a great way to see stuff.

There seemed to be kids everywhere in our neighborhood. I'm not sure about the schools, because my guys aren't school age. There were a few preschools and daycare centers around.

I did Stroller Fit in Pen Park and really liked it. It was a great way to lose the baby weight and meet people.
I second Bodo's bagels. Yum. I would love a breakfast bagel sandwich right now.
My favorite coffee place was also within walking distance - Shenandoah Joes. Yummy. They always made my son hot chocolate just the way that he liked it.

Albermarle Family magazine is a great resource for family activities. The put out a yearly book with tips and coupons.

[kedss]

We currently live in Charlottesville, we have a 5 year old and an almost 9 month old. Walking is an adventure, because there are very few flat places in C'Ville, which is great for exercising, but hard on the 5 year old some days. There are some good preschools, great parks and lots of other kids. Feel free to PM me!

[rprav8r]

OP, I sent you an email.

[edbtr]

Is an environmental lawyer for the Southern Environmental Law center working on clean air issues.

[LarsMal]

Originally Posted by lizajane

and bodo's bagels is freakin' awesome and you must go there RIGHT away. as well as arch's frozen yogurt. and charlottesville coffee, which has a play area for kids and is a meeting place for moms.

Oh, Bodo's...how I love thee!!!! I think I need to take a drive to C'ville very soon just to get my Bodo's fix!