possible relocation to West Lafayette (Indianapolis, Elizabeth: house, rental, income)

[patken44]

It takes 2 to 2.5 hours to get to Chicago driving. I took Amtrak there once. I think it took close to 6. We literally could have driven to Chicago, driven back, and made some decent progress driving back to Chicago in the same time it took to get there. We had to stop at least three times on the way there (twice for passing freight traffic, once because it was so delayed the train crew had hit the limit on how long they were allowed to work and Amtrak didn't have a new crew ready to meet them somewhere). Pretty much everyone I know who has taken the train to Chicago has some similar horror story. I think people can generally be grouped into two categories here: those who think taking the train to Chicago someday sounds like a good idea, and those who have vowed to never make that same mistake again.

Now, I haven't driven much in/through Chicago, but my impressions are as follows. First, going from Lafayette north on I-65 is generally a breeze. The trouble only really begins once you hit Gary and turn west. Even then, as long as a) it's not rush hour or b) you don't hit construction (and this is a big if), I haven't had too much trouble. But again, I don't have much experience here, so take that with many grains of salt.

[Hokieed]

Thanks again for the info. How about Indianapolis? Does that city have much to offer? And, how is the drive there to the Airport? Unfourtunately, I do fly somewhat often.

[patken44]

Well, that depends what exactly you're looking for. My knee-jerk reaction would be to say it's the 13th largest city in the US, so it probably has whatever you're looking for. The airport's on the west side of Indy, so the drive is a snap. Straight down I-65 to I-465 S. The other option is Lafayette Limo, which runs a shuttle to the airport. They make 9 trips daily.

[ndb]

Originally Posted by patken44

Well, that depends what exactly you're looking for. My knee-jerk reaction would be to say it's the 13th largest city in the US, so it probably has whatever you're looking for. The airport's on the west side of Indy, so the drive is a snap. Straight down I-65 to I-465 S. The other option is Lafayette Limo, which runs a shuttle to the airport. They make 9 trips daily.

Indy airport is hands down the easiest airport I've flown out of. Easy to get to, easy to navigate once I'm there, decent service and overall size.
I always fly through there if I can, even though o'hare is often cheaper. The convenience is completely worth the extra coin.

[phlute23]

My husband and I returned from WL last night. It was a great trip. Really enjoyed the area and my husband decided to take the position at Purdue so we are headed there in June! We will go late april to hopefully buy a home. I learned a lot about the area and options for living. Even toured some homes and loved the prices in comparison to where I live in Southern Calif. ! We could never buy here so we are excited to be able to buy something there. I will also be moving my business to WL so if you find out any tips there Hokieed as far as what I need to do in that area to start my sole prop., please let me know. I haven't researched that yet. I think you'll enjoy your trip in April.

[Hokieed]

Phlute23: I guess we'll both have to get used to Black and old-Gold. It's quite a departure for me from Orange and Maroon. We are excited about our first home too. I've been keeping an eye on the market there and it appears we will have quite a pick. You wil be living like kings compared to Southern CA.

I'll be sure to share any tips I have for your company. That's my first order of business... to find 3,000 to 4,000 Sqare feet for light industrial/manufacturing. Anyone have any tips?

Have a good one.

[LiaS]

I also join those who recommended to buy a house in the West Lafayette School District. When I was looking for a house here a couple of years ago, we wanted a new house (didn't want to do any repairs for a few years), in W. Lafayette school district. It turned out that the only neighbourhood meeting these standards is Amberleigh Village. University Farms is also great, older houses, but newer than other areas of W. Lafayette. Amberleigh Village is very nice, it has walking trails and some wooded area, a pond. A lot of people drive here from other areas of town so they can enjoy the trails. If you don't mind a diverse population (the neighbourhood includes people from many countries and the newest couple of streets are quite heavily asian--most are professors at Purdue), I think it's a great neighbourhood.

[sponger42]

Did you eat at Arnis?

[Hokieed]

Looking at Amberleigh Village from Satelite on Google earth, it does look like a nice place to live with the trails nearby. Thanks for the tip LiaS. I'll have to keep my eye out for any homes for sale nearby.

I also noticed the homeowners association for that neighborhood. I noticed quite a few neighborhoods with HOA's... What is everyones experiences with HOA's in the area? Am I going to have trouble getting thorough by-laws and approvals and site-inspections if I want to put a vegetable garden in my back yard? Are they a hassle, or a good way to protect the property values in the area?

[phlute23]

Purdue had every meal organized ahead of time, so we did not eat at Arnis. We did eat at some great restaurants while we were there though. La Scala was one of my favorites.

I heard a lot about how the WL Schools were the best but I never really asked for detail as to what makes them the best? I also heard that the county schools in WL (Harrison, Klondike, Burnett Creek, Battle Creek) were also very good. We liked homes in Linbergh Village as well as Amberleigh Village. Arbor Chase was nice too. I think University Farms is great but probably a little over our price range for now. We are anxious for our return trip in April to see what is available then.

One more quick question regarding hospitals and health care. Which is the better hospital? I heard they are building two more in the near future. Also, I will be looking for a good high risk OB when we get there. Any tips on that? Thanks!