looking to maybe retire to Danville or Kokomo Indiana (Indianapolis: real estate, 2013)

[littlebuck]

My husband and I were born and raised in Illinois and left to see the world as a young married couple.
Currently live in CA, but want to retire (we are over 55) and move closer to my family that is located in Illinois without going back to Illinois. Do not like some of the laws in Illinois and the high real estate taxes which are three times what we pay on a home valued the same in CA!
Moving back to Illinois is not an option.
We want acreage with our home so we may hunt, raise some laying hens etc....Looking for a community that cares about each other maybe a throw back to our growing up years!
Danville and Kokomo is not a far drive to my hometown in Illinois is why we are considering them.
Looking for a low crime area if it is possible to find today. Would love to hear from folks who might live in or around these communities that have first hand knowledge of the area.
We are exhausted from the drug and gang element we have experienced in CA. OMG I want to go home, we just have to find it. Can you help us?
Thanks
Litttlebuck

[sweepout]

Well if you're over the age of 55 there is three great appartment towers in downtown Kokomo for anyone for 55, a just built one on Washington Street, Terrace Towers and Civic Center Towers ( Welcome to Kokomo Housing Authority ; they're the last two on that list). Being downtown by City Hall and all that is very safe. There really isn't an unsafe part of town in Kokomo really. If i had to say the most unsafe though I would probably have to say north of Jefferson Street and east of Apperson Way on out, but even that is actually safe. The KPD in Kokomo is really great at what they do. Crime rates in Kokomo has went down drastically since the early 2000's. Kokomo's crime rate is about 210 (US Average is 286.

The nicest homes are new Center Road on the south side of town, and nice, but more coze prices are in the Forest Park Neighborhood north of Sycamore Street and along Sycamore Street to the west of downtown, silk stocking neighborhood is also nice. The rest of town is really nice too though, of course when close to downtown you may run into a really old home or two.

From a community perspective Danville is so small most of your stuff to do would be in Indianapolis, but in Kokomo, you would be close enough to Indy if you chose to, but Kokomo has lots to do in it as well. There is the AMC Theater, two malls, over 20 different parks, including a water park. Several golf courses, the Kokomo Fair every summer, and county fair in Greentown. Arts Pavillion stage in Foster Park which has had several free concerts of famous people over the last few years, talks of a stadium being build in downtown Future Park, Parking Garage/Apartments being constructed to be finished soon in downtown... lots to do for sure, you just have to know where to look! Plus Kokomo has went through tons of renovations and it looks beautiful, has no deficit at all, and was the #1 fastest growing city in the country in 2011, #2 in 2012 (#1 in Indiana), and #8 in the entire country (#2 in Indiana) for 2013 as well!

Plus if you can't get around for some reason the transit in the city (which is FREE) is great! The City-Line Trolley has 5 buses that covers the town very nicely!!

Also, the hospital Howard Regional Health System is GREAT! It's teamed up with some hospitals in Indy, and people even down by Evansville Indiana in Washington Indiana and stuff comes up to Kokomo for Howard Regional, because it offers several things no other hospital in the area, region, or state offers.

Plus like i said before if you so chose Indy would be very easily accessed, only 40 miles south of Kokomo, Lafayette 50 miles west of Kokomo, Fort Wayne about 80 miles north east of Kokomo, South Bend about 65 miles north of Kokomo, and Chicago a little over 100 miles North west of Kokomo!

Also, taxes in Kokomo is low so you don't have to give any arms or leg to them during tax time!

[littlebuck]

Thanks so much for you thoughtful and thorough response!
You have shared good information for us to consider and research more about Kokomo.
We are hoping for a nice home on acreage so we can enjoy the outdoors again on our own land.
Nice to know Indy is close if you need all that it offers.
Thanks again
Littlebuck

[sweetana3]

I would suggest looking north of Westfield which is north of Indy and south of Kokomo. Gives you a closer shopping area of Westfield, Carmel and the shops along 86th and yet the rural nature you are looking for. Of course, it is pretty flat, flat, flat.

You might get more topography in Danville. Danville is cute but very small but it is a fairly short drive to the shops along Rockville Road and then Indy. This gets you 5 or 6 super grocery stores.

[sweepout]

Their is a lot of homes surrounded by foresty area, or open fields or whatever on basically all the edges of town as well, really on the edge of Kokomo in any direction I would say that about. To the west of Kokomo is more foresty and hilly outside of town, and to the east its more flat, although there is trees outside of town there as well of course.
There is Russiaville a small town of around 1,000 to the west of Kokomo also in Howard County, it has things like Subway, and other chains, and like 10 or so miles from Kokomo as well if you're looking for something rural that may be something to consider, or Greentown in Howard County 8 miles east of Kokomo, it has around 3,000 people. Best of luck on the move wherever you decide though!

[littlebuck]

Thanks!
Just discovered Nashville Indiana...
Wooded and nice looking cabin homes.
We are hoping to make a trip this Spring to the areas we are entertaining.
Thanks again for all the good information.

[tweezybird]

Kokomo is wonderful and Tipton to the south is rura. But beware both counties are in process of allowing 500' Industrial Wind Turbines within 1000' to 1500' of the center of homes. It's a nightmare.

[sweepout]

Originally Posted by tweezybird

Kokomo is wonderful and Tipton to the south is rura. But beware both counties are in process of allowing 500' Industrial Wind Turbines within 1000' to 1500' of the center of homes. It's a nightmare.

That's mostly Tipton County that Tipton is in, and not as much Howard County where Kokomo is. They are considerent it on the southern edge of the county but if you live in a town then that shouldn't be an issue. If you're looking for something more rural then Kokomo is then Greentown less than 8 miles east of Kokomo is about 3,000 people but has a lot of offerings, close to Kokomo, Marion, Gas City, and Peru and SR 213 in Greentown leads down to the Indy area, same distance from that as Kokomo is. Greentown is also about an hours drive from Fort Wayne, Indiana's second biggest town (~300,000 people) which is way close to it than any of the others listed, plus its about 38 miles from Indy as well.

-Best of luck in the move wherever you decide

(Ps. also I've been to Nashville before, i liked it, it was very secluded, and a town driven mostly from tourism from the cabins that county rents out for visitors. Just a little too secluded for me personally though, but hey the world is your pickle, or however that goes... lol)