Louisville KY

[SashaBreeze]

I have lived in a sparsely populated county in central KY my entire life.  There is a very very good chance that our family will be moving to Louisville in the next couple of months.

I would love more information about:

• free opportunities that children will enjoy
• "good" neighborhoods
• farmers markets or other good grocery markets
• medical community.  I have 3 children that have to see pediatric endocrinologist and also one child with autism.  Also will need a intact knowledgeable pediatrician.
• homeschool community and get togethers?
• the good and safe parks vs. the ones I will not be wanting to take my kids to
• Special education in the public school (for my son with autism)
• public transportation
• bike/pedestrian paths

I am a country girl through and through.  I traveled pretty heavily in my late teens and early 20's but I have only ever lived in the backwoods of our fine hills.  Any tips or need to know advice?

This all hinges around if everything falls through with this new job, which it is starting to look more and more like it will.  If so he will go and live with his cousin in Louisville for a month while he scouts out a place for us and then we will move up with him.

So exciting and nervous!

[kellyrenee]

I'm in Louisville, I can't answer all of your questions, but there is a Yahoo Attachment Parenting group that is pretty active online.  If you ask your questions on there it will send an email to all the members and they will reply to you:)   My DD is only 1 so we don't have experience with the schools yet, I have a friends who works at Friends school, which is a school specifically designed to have kids with disabilities around kids without diabelities (they aren't ever taken out of class for a "special class".  It's something you might want to look into, but it is private.  They might be able to help you figure out the best public school, too though.  (Louisville has a crazy public school system that I still do not understand, but I know you have to rank schools, and not all kids in one neighborhood go to the same school.)  

The highlands area is very crunchy friendly, I see baby wearing in the area, you can walk to the grocery store, and there is a heavy area on bardstown road where you can walk to everything.  The east end is kinda' the wealthier area, and it's very expensive to live there.  If you drive too far west downtown, you'll know.....  We got to highland family medicine for my husband and I, but a different pediatrician, I wouldn't recommend ours for you:)

The bus system is pretty good, I've taken it to school a few times, the medical community seems excellent to me (I go to school in it, but I've never seen another one, so I can't give you a comparison).  I've liked Kosair the few times I've been in it.  I've seen homeschool groups at the zoo a few times, so I guess there are some active ones :D.  

I've only been in Louisville about 2 years now, but we really enjoy living here, we love the zoo, especially the splash park.  I'm still learning my way around the city though.