St. Pete?

[thirtytwopaws]

Looks like we may be moving to St. Pete from Winston-Salem, NC. DH wants to take a promotion to Florida and he could go anywhere in the state, but I would be able to transfer to a regional office located in St. Petersburg for my job. I would prefer to live close to where I work.Any advice on where to live, schools, etc? Any great neighborhoods? DD is three and goes to a Montessori preschool here. We would probably want to keep her in a Montessori program initially, but then hopefully have good public schools when the time comes. We are no-vax with a religious exemption in NC; I think FL has a similar exemption? Good doctor for this? I am nervous about the move, we are quite settled here! I saw the thread on FL, but was hoping to get some more specific info on this area. Thanks!

[automatonya]

hi!

we moved to st pete jan 2010, then soon after had our first child who is now 9 months. 

st pete is a beautiful city with plenty of outdoor activities. we live in old northeast which is just north of downtown (within walking distance) and we are very happy here. this area and surrounding neighborhoods (crescent lake area, euclid, etc) is very central, walking friendly, close to water and many green spaces and playgrounds. you will find a decent mix of younger folks and families. 

our pediatrician is dr. jeth salomon (6560 9th Ave N # 1  St. Petersburg, FL 33710 phone[phone])    -   he is the only doc in the practice and his sister is the only nurse. while not a holistic minded/homeopathic practice

they are fine with no vax. we have chosen to do delayed/limited vax and they told me how to get the waiver, good times to visit the health dept, etc

dr salomon is very kind and will take time to talk with you. he also seems to value input from the parents. luckily our daughter has not been sick yet so we've only been to him for well-baby check ups but we have been quite happy with him and his office thus far. 

not sure about schools but we also plan on sending our daughter to montessori and there are quite a few in the area. public schools are pretty questionable as far as i can tell but i honestly haven't delved into that yet and i don't have any friends with school aged kids. 

good luck in your search!

best -

tonya

[thirtytwopaws]

I am so glad to hear from someone in the area! Thanks for the information, especially about the doctor, because that was quite an ordeal here. We are making our first visit to the area Labor Day weekend, but from poking around on the internet, we are definitely interested in the neighborhoods you mentioned. I love old homes and being close to everything. We are planning on moving in early November, maybe I will drop you a message then and we can meet up sometime. Thanks again! Melanie