Hello,

I lived in Beaumont about 9 years ago and my husband is looking at a job offer in the area so we will likely be moving back. I loved the people I met when I lived in Beaumont, even if I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of living in S.E. Texas. I'm really excited about the possible move back and was browsing online and found this site. We live in Illinois at the moment in an old house in a historic neighborhood. However, the community feeling isn't here. I love our old craftsman home, but I really long for the community feeling. We all have big front porches, but no one sits outside on them and I barely know my neighbors after living here for almost 6 years. Since my husband and I are suckers for old homes, we naturally gravitated to this neighborhood. The homes are amazing!

My questions are:

1. Does this neighborhood have a strong sense of community?
2. What about kids in the neighborhood? I have a 3rd grader, 7th grader and 9th grader.
3. That leads me to the next question of schools. Where do the kids go to school? Are you happy with the schools in the area?
4. Right before we moved, Crockett St. was just being built. Has that taken off? I see it is really close to the neighborhood.

Thanks so much for any and all info, good or bad.

Christie

Christie,

So glad to hear that your family may be moving back to the area! I've lived in Beaumont for 25+ years and finally moved to the Oaks Historic District about 7 years ago and can honestly say that this neighborhood has a true, old time, community feeling. People make an effort to get to know each other here and there are ample opportunities to spend time with each other - walking on our tree-lined streets, visiting in our off-leash Dog Park (the only one in Southeast Texas!), monthly neighborhood association meetings, annual holiday party, etc. We're trying to revive our monthly wine tastings - Vine Time - that were sadly derailed by a couple of storms and never got back on track. We look out for each other and love to welcome new members to our neighborhood family! The only children my husband and I have are the four-legged kind, but there are young families with children of the same age as yours in the neighborhood so I'll let others with direct knowledge address our schools. Crockett Street has taken off, the City has invested a lot in improving the appearance of Downtown and there's an active group working on a new Children's Museum downtown next to our new Downtown Event Center. I think you'll be pleased with the progress we've made in Beaumont in general and the Oaks Historic District Neighborhood in particular! There are some great houses for sale now and I hope you'll find one you love!

Paula