Moving to Waco -- Woodway area (Houston, Dallas: cul-de-sac, real estate, new house)

[jpbpds]

My husband's job is transferring us from Austin to Waco. We've looked around a bit and we like the Woodway area. We have two daughters -- one going into 3rd and one into 6th. From what I have read, the Midway ISD is a good district, athough the intermediate school (5th and 6th) doesn't seem to have as much good press as the elementary schools. We drove by the middle school and it's unbelievably huge. Can anyone reassure me that the intermediate and middle schools will be a good experience? My oldest is very smart and very good in math. She was accepted into all-girls magnet school here in Austin but will have to forego that. I think she'd like to join the choir too.

I was wondering also if anyone knows of a neighborhood association, group, book club, anything -- in the Woodway neighborhood?

Thanks for any input.

[texasdiver]

jbppds

you are on the right track looking at Woodway. I teach at Midway HS and although we currently live in the China Spring area (NW of Waco) my wife and I are looking to move to Woodway to be closer in to work and also to where all the after school activities happen (music, dance, sports etc.).

The middle school you drove by was the old high school until 2003 when the new HS was finished. It looks enormous but parts of the middle school are currently occupied by administration offices so the entire building isn't being used just for middle school stuff. Also, there are large gyms and an enormous performing arts center in the building that would never have been built had the school been designed as a middle school and not a high school. The performing arts center in the middle school is twice the size of the theater in the actual new HS and the HS orchestras use the middle school facilities for performances.

In any event, Midway's intermediate, middle and high schools are relatively large but they do a good job in breaking them up inside the building into different smaller school groups so your daughters will have a core group of students and teachers they work with. The intermediate school operates almost as 4 independent schools within the same building to keep things intimate for the kids.

If not Woodway than your choices are more limited. Lots of nice neighborhoods within Waco proper but the Waco ISD is struggling. Teachers I know there have more horror stories than you can imagine. Mostly about the administration but also the students. Waco ISD is socio-economically challenged and has been bleeding middle class families for years as they flee to the suburbs. If not Midway then the next choice would probably be China Spring which is a 3A school system and somewhat more rural. Lots of new upscale subdivisions in the China Spring area but my perception is that the community is more insular and self-satisfied in China Spring. If you have boys playing football it's great. But with girls there are more limits. We have 3 girls ages 2, 5, and 10 and are moving from China Spring to Midway exactly for that reason. To give them more opportunities in music, culture, and diversity. And I'm sick of driving so far for every little thing.

Oh, and Midway has great Choir. At the HS level it is highly competitive.

As for neighborhoods specifically. I don't know your budget but Badger Ranch and Twin Rivers are the two biggest Master Planned Communities and both feed into South Bosque Elementary which is probably perceived to be the best elementary of the 4 current elementary schools. The Midway ISD just passed a new bond measure last week that will result in building a new elementary school in the Hewitt area and a new intermediate school out US-84 towards McGregor in addition to a lot of other expansions to existing schools. The school district is growing steadily but not as explosively as those in the hot Dallas and Houston suburbs so it isn't out of control.

Anyway, if you have the money, buy a house in Badger Ranch and your youngest daughte will be able to walk to South Bosque Elementary school and you'll have a gorgeous saltwater community pool and lots of other amenities.

Welcome to Badger Ranch

PM me if you have any specific questions

[jpbpds]

texasdiver,
Thanks very much for the insider's viewpoint. That really helps to explain why the Middle School is the size of an automotive plant! No Badger Ranch for us -- we bought new houses in new communities twice now and we're ready for something in an established neighborhood with lots and lots of trees! I have contacted Ms. Holland, the principal of the intermediate school, and I think we're going to try for a tour in June sometime.

[texasdiver]

jpbpds

Yep, up until 2003 the middle school you are looking at was a 4-A High School.

If you like established neighborhoods with trees then Woodway is for you. I suggest concentrating your search on the area bounded by Lake Waco, US-84, Ritchie Road, and Estates Drive. That is more or less "Old Woodway" and there are lots and lots of beautiful houses at the ends of secluded cul-de-sacs surrounded by hills and trees. Most of this area will feed into Woodway Elementary. The southern 1/4 will feed into South Bosque Elementary. They are the two highest scoring schools in the Midway system. Partly or mostly because they are the two that have the highest socio-economic group of students.

My wife and I are currently house searching in that area as well. Of course we have the advantage of having lived in the area for the past 5 years so we know what we're looking for. There's a lot on the market but you'll find a difficult time encountering a modern house in an older neighborhood. Most of the stuff we're looking at in the older neighborhoods is pretty dated. But we've got our fingers crossed.

[billiefan2000]

I recomend Midway HS also as a great school to send your kids in the Waco Texas


BTW:

Hewitt Elementary I also recomend as a good school to send your kids if you live in the Woodway area



Midway High School*-*Class Reunion Websites



BTW Woodway has a Taco Bell and a Jack in the Box and La Fiesta Restaurants




Radio-Locator: Radio Stations in Woodway, Texas.

[lesliechance]

Welcome to Woodway! BestLife magazine.....boy did they have it wrong! I have lived in Waco all of my life. Most Waco high school graduates go off to college and come right back to raise their families. The students who come to Baylor end up falling in love with the town and staying here to work and raise families. That is why we are experiencing such a massive growth! My husband and I are a prime example of this. I am a local who chose to stay...and he came here for Baylor Law School and never left.
Please take time to visit our Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce to learn about all the new exciting things going on here!
I grew up in Woodway, graduated from Midway High, and my daughter will start Woodway Elem this year. It is a perfect community with everything you could possibly want. You will be very happy here.
I love this town so much, in fact, I decided to end my decade long career in healthcare to sell Waco real estate. I am totally passionate about my town and the people here. I just love to work with people relocating here. I am a perfect fit for newcomers because I can tell you about and show you all the wonderful things about McLennan County.
I am so excited you are taking to time to find out more about this great community you will be apart of. I would be thrilled to meet you!
Please call me for anything at all.
Leslie Chance
ERA Graceland Real Estate
Waco, Texas
254-716-1132

[krickers1201]

Hello, my husband is going to be transferred to the Woodway, TX area, (we currently live in Tucson, AZ) and I'm trying to find out how the summers are over there. Is it pretty humid? It looks like it could be pretty sticky, especially for a desert rat.
Also, Can anybody recommend a good christian school? I have a kindergarten, 3rd grader, and a 6th grader. I'm feeling a little bummed about the area, it seems like most people don't have much nice to say. Is the lake that Waco borders useable for waterskiing? How are the bugs, etc?
Thank you all

[TXTwizter]

Originally Posted by krickers1201

Hello, my husband is going to be transferred to the Woodway, TX area, (we currently live in Tucson, AZ) and I'm trying to find out how the summers are over there. Is it pretty humid? It looks like it could be pretty sticky, especially for a desert rat.
Also, Can anybody recommend a good christian school? I have a kindergarten, 3rd grader, and a 6th grader. I'm feeling a little bummed about the area, it seems like most people don't have much nice to say. Is the lake that Waco borders useable for waterskiing? How are the bugs, etc?
Thank you all

Summers in Waco can be brutal, but being as your from AZ you should be used to that...only exception is, we have humidity. Not as saturated as Houston, but not as dry as AZ. An average summer day has temps from 95-105 with humidity ranging from 20%-50%. It all depends on which way the winds are blowing from.
If you are moving to Woodway here are a couple of schools close to you,

First Baptist Woodway (http://www.fbcwoodway.org/default.htm - broken link)

Trinity Lutheran Church, Waco, Texas

Waco is what you make of it, like anywhere else. Although I grew up here, I dont particularly care to live here anymore. Being a gay male, the vibe isnt what I find in Austin, Dallas or Houston.
I had to relocate here until after the first of the year because of Hurricane IKE, so Waco has been my escape if you will.
As far as bugs, well, we have mosquitos, crickets, waterbugs, and in rocky areas, like Woodway, you may even encounter a few scorpions, but there is nothing particularly dangerous.
Lake Waco does have boating, and they raised the lake water pool level 7 feet a couple of years ago, so there is definitely plenty of room....fair warning, dont go boating south of the Highway 6 twin bridges, alot of underwater trees. Other than that you should be fine.
Check out my profile pic and that should give you an idea of what the area looks like.......guess what, WE HAVE LOTS OF TREES!!

[krickers1201]

thanks for the links for churches in the area. I really hate humidity, I'm not sure what I'm going to do!! But hopefully the other opportunities will even it out. I would Love to be down in Austin, but that just doesn't look like it will pan out for us.

[jpbpds]

Hi, I'm the original poster to this thread, wondering about moving from Austin to Woodway back in May, and I'm happy to report the move is complete and I am enjoying Woodway and Waco very much. First of all, let me say the traffic here is SOOOOO much better than in Austin. I like the compactness of Waco -- if you need to go to Home Depot, there's one and that's plenty. We have a great home-grown Texas grocery, HEB, very close to my home. My kids attend Midway ISD. (One is a 2nd grader at Woodway Elementary and one is a 6th grader at the intermediate school.) The schools are great and the kids have settled into them. And yes, there are trees!!!! Lots of trees here in Woodway and the squirrels have taken the place over. Woodway is surprisingly hilly. As far as heat, well, this is Texas, and it tends to be hot and humid in the summer. But the other half of the year is gorgeous.

As a former Austinite and a liberal, I was afraid that folks in Waco/Woodway would be too conversative but I have found them to be friendly and respectful of different views.

Waco has a wonderful zoo, Cameron Park is nice and the old suspension bridge and Brazos River downtown are very pretty. I like to think Austin was like this when my folks moved there in the 60s.