6 Questions about the current state of life in Ft Wayne (Fort Wayne: real estate, daycare)

[wintergrace]

May be relocating to Ft Wayne soon and would like to have reasonable expectations (find they make a move more pleasant).

1. Is ice prevalent in Ft Wayne? I'm under the impression there's snow in Ft Wayne and ice further east. True?

2. Any good, spicy Indian food in Ft Wayne?

3. In general, are natives welcoming of newcomers?

4. Any thoughts on Haverhill Elementary school and Summit middle school in 46804? Any known problems with these schools?

5. Since I have school aged children, is swine flu a big problem there?

6. Anything I should or shouldn't do to make my life in Ft Wayne easier (pet peeves of locals I should avoid?)

Appreciate any help you can offer.

[belovenow]

- Snow and Ice in Fort Wayne isn't bad at all. We do get the occasional storm, but it's nothing to worry about. Last year there was an ice storm which swept the entire northern half of the US, but that was an unusual event.

- We've an awesome Indian restaurant in southwest Fort Wayne called "Taj Mahal." The owners are very friendly, and the food is absolutely wonderful. I used to live in NYC, and honestly, this place is just as good if not better than the best places I found in Midtown Manhattan.

- The natives of Fort Wayne are very welcoming to newcomers. It seems to be a mid-western thing, but seriously, people are very nice here.

- No known problems with either one of those schools. South West Fort Wayne has great public schools.

- Flu and h1n1 are making their rounds everywhere right now. People are being cautious, but I am seeing a lot of sick kids right now (at my kids daycare, at their school, and at my business). I wouldn't be too worried about it as my family living all over the rest of the US is seeing the same.

- You won't have a problem in Fort Wayne - there's no odd pet peeves of locals to avoid. It's a nice town - your kids will love it here. Weather is generally nice year round with just a few months of real cold each year. Over the past few years I've posted a lot about Ft Wayne so feel free to scan my past postings for more information. You're looking on the right side of town (Southwest), you'll be ok here.

[ShadowCaver]

Originally Posted by wintergrace

May be relocating to Ft Wayne soon and would like to have reasonable expectations (find they make a move more pleasant).

1. Is ice prevalent in Ft Wayne? I'm under the impression there's snow in Ft Wayne and ice further east. True?

2. Any good, spicy Indian food in Ft Wayne?

3. In general, are natives welcoming of newcomers?

4. Any thoughts on Haverhill Elementary school and Summit middle school in 46804? Any known problems with these schools?

5. Since I have school aged children, is swine flu a big problem there?

6. Anything I should or shouldn't do to make my life in Ft Wayne easier (pet peeves of locals I should avoid?)

Appreciate any help you can offer.

Have lived in the FtW area, and worked therein, for majority of the past 9 years. And must say that it is a good, nice, enjoyable area - as a hillbilly boy from the Ozarks, I do miss my hills, hollers, caves, and springs, but will admit that find this area attractive too in its own manner. Right now, the trees are just awesome, esp. w/ the sunrise/sets. Downside is the bitterly cold winds during winter - not much to block the winds, and they will cut through ya. Anyhow, to your questions, which mbuszu gave very good replies to already:

1. ice and snow are not uncommon in the area, but ice IMHO is more, much more, prevalent towards Indy/Franklin etc line... there will be some here, but more snow than ice.

2. Taj Mahal has an excellent reputation - have not tried it, but its on the to-do list.

3. lol, they are fine - just don't putter on Coliseum Blvd., and you'll be ok

4. don't know... but schools around here are also quite good.

5. as mbuszu stated, its everywhere - no more here than anywhere else really [which hard to state now since they are not checking for swine/H1N1 anymore ]

6. see answer to #3 above ... Seriously, there is quite good local restaurants, festivals, state/county/city parks/greenways/bikepaths, rolling hills, etc., plus relatively close to Chicago, Detroit, Indy, Cleveland, Cincinnati, etc. - all w/in ~3-4 hours. One of biggest issues I have here is how the planners have created what appears to me a lack of foresight in designing the roadways - Coliseum is a mess,,, Lima [IN3] is a mess,,, Carrol road will become one,,, etc... IMHO there should not be a hundred [slight exaggeration ] friggin traffic lights on what I would consider main arteries for getting traffic/people from point A to point B, w/o crud of slowing down every block or so. Sorry for rant,,, There is this resident's pet peeve

BTW, the minor league sports scene, and of course schools too, is quite good. Komets and Wizar,,, errrr... Tin Caps both champions past season - and both have quite good facilities, the baseball park being brand new. Other minor sports also are entertaining and good. Quite a few national acts come through the area to perform also.

Good luck

[wintergrace]

Thanks ShadowCaver and Mbuszu! I am new to this forum and appreciate the help.

[cdr18]

I think you will enjoy living in Fort Wayne. What I find the problem the most is that when you move from a big city, you will think Fort Wayne has nothing to offer. But you have to give it time! If you give Fort Wayne the time to settle in, you will find that it is a very welcoming and comfortable place.

[BanyanTree]

In South West Allen County, there are 2 public middle schools - Summit and Woodside. Both are good schools. The high school here is Homestead which I hear is a wonderful school.

There are 2 Indian restaurants that I know of. One is Taj Mahal and the other is 'Taste of India', next to Hyatt Place. Both are decent. Taj being the better one. More importantly, right next to the Taj Mahal restaurant, is the Taj Mahal grocery store with Indian vegetables which you will not find at the regular grocery store.

We are of Indian origin and one of the reasons we moved into SW Allen county area was the Indian grocery store!

Our daughter is enjoying her school here and has made quite a few friends already. That is a big plus for us.

Real Estate is affordable. Traffic jams as others have pointed out, is practically non-existent.
Overall, a positive experience. Good luck with your decision.