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Old 02-26-2014, 05:29 PM
 
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Hi there, I am doing a nation wide search of places I might want to retire to, I would be looking for

low crime

friendly, welcoming people

housing under 190k with some acreage

VA facility like outpatient clinic with a VA hospital in driving distance

Pretty nature

4 seasons, with good amount of rainfall

low property taxes

I been searching MLS listing on Realtor website, and see a lot of listings in my price range and meeting my criteria around Bedford and the outskirts of Bloomington and etc. I don't a job, as I am retired, please tell me how life is around these areas for retirement living and such. thanks
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Old 02-26-2014, 07:59 PM
 
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What I've heard about Bedford is that property is much cheaper than Bloomington, Indiana which is 24 miles further north.
The VA clinic would be in Bloomington. Hope you get some more replies from people who live in Bedford.

Indiana - Locations
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Old 02-26-2014, 08:15 PM
 
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thanks yea I see their is a VA clinic in Bloomington. Guess Louisville has a VA hospital,I am checking out some real estate listings around Seymour IN as well, up the road from Louisville. Friend of mine told me that the area around Nashville IN, is real pretty for Indiana standards as well.
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Old 02-26-2014, 09:42 PM
 
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Indianapolis has a va hospitol too.
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Old 02-26-2014, 10:28 PM
 
Location: Volcano
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Quote:
Originally Posted by starrider434 View Post
thanks yea I see their is a VA clinic in Bloomington. Guess Louisville has a VA hospital,I am checking out some real estate listings around Seymour IN as well, up the road from Louisville. Friend of mine told me that the area around Nashville IN, is real pretty for Indiana standards as well.
Yes, that area is real pretty, and in fall foliage season it is absolutely spectacular. That's also the time of year that all the restaurants feature persimmon pudding.

It's fairly quiet anywhere you go in that area, and yet because it has a major university, Bloomington has a lot of the amenities of a much larger cities, like some good shopping options, some fairly good restaurants, and excellent entertainment options, if you go for such things.

Christmas time, be sure to catch the Holiday Market there, and the annual appearance by the celebrated Tuba Santa Orchestra.
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Old 02-27-2014, 06:03 PM
 
Location: Bloomington IN
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I live 1/2 way between Bedford and Bloomington. I am in Monroe County. I've spent a fair amount of time in Bedford. People tend to be distantly friendly, if that makes sense. Like many small towns, it matters to people if you were raised there. I suspect though that it's a little different with a retired crowd.

Property taxes are capped at 1% in the entire state. Like most of Southern Indiana there are some stunningly beautiful areas.

The VA clinic in Bloomington would be about 35-45 minutes from downtown Bedford as a reference point. Google maps indicates the VA hospital in Indianapolis would be about 1.5 hours. I think that is a bit of an underestimate. It's probably more in the hour 45 minutes range. The VA hospital would be about the same distance and time. I've driven from Bedford to Louisville a few times and think Google Maps is a bit off.

A good amount of rainfall is subjective. Can one grow a vegetable garden as an example? Sure, but I often find myself watering at least once a week.

One thing to know about Lawrence County, and probably many of the counties in Southern Indiana is that there are no zoning laws. You need to be careful where you live.
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Old 02-27-2014, 09:15 PM
 
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Is it better to live out a tad off the beaten path outside of Bloomington/Bedford?.....or off the beaten path, say a tad north of Louisville, like in Scottsburg for instance? At least if I were closer to Louisville, I could use the main VA hospital there. Both regions have homes under 190k with some acreage, which is what my spending range is....
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Old 03-01-2014, 09:25 AM
 
Location: Columbus, IN
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Quote:
Originally Posted by starrider434 View Post
Is it better to live out a tad off the beaten path outside of Bloomington/Bedford?.....or off the beaten path, say a tad north of Louisville, like in Scottsburg for instance? At least if I were closer to Louisville, I could use the main VA hospital there. Both regions have homes under 190k with some acreage, which is what my spending range is....
I think it would just be a matter of taste. If it was me, I would choose the Bloomington area because it is big enough to have nearly anything you would want, except maybe for your VA hospital, and some of that quirky college town culture. I also like the rolling hills and the very rural feel of the Bloomington area once you get a few miles out of town. I'm not as familiar with Scottsburg. I'm sure it is also very rural once you are out of the town, but Scottsburg is over 30 miles from Louisville. Bloomington is only 45 miles from the Indianapolis Beltway and since Bloomington would have most things you would need, you wouldn't need to make the trip very often.
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Old 03-01-2014, 12:27 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by starrider434 View Post
Is it better to live out a tad off the beaten path outside of Bloomington/Bedford?.....or off the beaten path, say a tad north of Louisville, like in Scottsburg for instance? At least if I were closer to Louisville, I could use the main VA hospital there. Both regions have homes under 190k with some acreage, which is what my spending range is....
Have you searched on line regarding real estate (home prices with acreage)? Prices in Bloomington
are high if considering an existing home with acreage unless you go further out. I am not familiar
with Louisville other than inside the city limits where there are beautiful neighborhoods and homes
but prices are high.
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Old 03-01-2014, 02:30 PM
 
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I would pick Bedford over Scottsburg without any hesitation. There is a VA in the Scottsburg area, but to get to the one in Louisville it would take you at least 45 minutes with no traffic, and with bridge construction and other delays I would count on longer. There also isn't quite the scenic beauty in Scottsburg that there is around Bloomington or even in Lawrence County although Scottsburg is maybe a half hour from Madison which is beautiful. The drug problem (mostly meth) also seems to be worse around Scottsburg and Austin than in Bedford, although there are plenty of people with problems there as well.

I actually think Madison might be a really good option for you. There is a VA medical care center 30 minutes away in Scottsburg (VA Healthcare Center, Scottsburg - Louisville VA Medical Center), though the main hospital in Louisville would be about an hour away. Other than that though, it fits what you're looking for perfectly. You get all the seasons and have some great outdoor/nature opportunities along the Ohio River as well as at Clifty Falls state park. I think there are several people who retire to the area so you may have some peers nearby. You'll have all four seasons, a much more reasonable real estate market than in Bloomington (land there seems to be some of the most expensive in Indiana), and there are also lots of little shops, restaurants, and art galleries in the town. You would be an hour +/- 15 minutes to Louisville depending on what part of town you were headed to, and about an hour and 15 minutes to Cincy if you wanted to get to the city.

Of your other options, I would look mostly south of Bloomington and west of state rd 37. Land will be cheaper there than over by the lake and you would be closer to Bloomington than if you went all the way to Bedford. Like it's been said, the people are friendly enough, but I don't think you'll find a close group of friends or much to do there as a retired person that's not from the area. You'd be driving to Bloomington for most everything you wanted to do.
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