possible relocation to West Lafayette (Indianapolis, Richmond: for sale, rentals, houses) - (IN) - City-Data Forum

phlute23 · 01-17-2008, 08:29 AM

My husband and I are considering a move to West Lafayette from the west coast. I am interested in finding a safe residential area near good schools to buy a home no more than 200k. (but would really like to buy around 175k if possible.) My husband would be commuting to Purdue. Any thoughts on neighborhoods? Any thoughts on living and raising a family in West Lafayette in general? We are both from the midwest and really would like a slower pace area with friendly people. I appreciate any replies

phlute23 · 01-20-2008, 09:13 PM

Before this one gets too far buried, I thought I would check in again for any feedback.

Thanks!!

Hokieed · 01-21-2008, 07:50 AM

From all the looking I've been doing, you will be able to find a great house for $175,000 in West Lafayette. Most of the nice 3 bedroom, 2 bath houses start at $150,000 with some finds at $125,000. But I would wonder about the neighborhoods of those homes.

My wife is going to Purdue as well, with me moving my Mechanical Engineering based small buisness there. The cost of housing was definately one of the reasons we chose Purdue. Also, the university is top notch and all the people were very friendly and welcoming.

Where are you moving from out west?

phlute23 · 01-21-2008, 02:29 PM

Thanks for the response, Hokieed! It confirmed what I was already thinking about West Lafayette. I am anxious to check it out for myself. I noticed you are from Virginia. We are also considering Richmond as a possible location change. Any thoughts on that as far as safety, affordability, etc?

We are moving from San Diego. It's a great place for many, but for us midwesterners, it is too crowded and expensive. We look forward to a slower pace and actually getting to know our neighbors

I am looking forward to more posts on this topic.

sponger42 · 01-21-2008, 04:48 PM

WLAF is a snoozer of a town. I moved to LA from there and I'm dreading going back for my MS. Still, Purdue's a great school, and there's some fun things to do around town if you like outdoorsy stuff and are fairly easy to please.

Edit:

When you visit, be sure to go to Arnis at Market Square in Lafayette. Get the pizza and/or the Arni's Jr. Salad. YUM! Best pizza anywhere. You might want to ask for extra sauce if you like marinara, sometimes it's a little thin nowadays.

If you're life is going to center around the university, I'd try to find a place between the Levee and Purdue--where US 431 makes a triangle with US 26. There's entertainment on the Levee and Downtown within walking/biking distance, and Purdue is likewise within Walking/Biking. The Levee, Riverfront, and Downtown have become very pedestrian/bike-friendly with the conversion of Main Street Bridge to a walking bridge.

Unfortunately, the "hotspots" are all student (and I mean undergrad) hangouts, so you won't find much in terms of nightlife (beyond college kids getting obnoxiously drunk). Better luck downtown, but it's still VERY sedate compared to most SoCal towns.

The only drawback is some student noise/disturbances in rentals near the Levee.
The further north you go from that triangle, the quieter things get, but the further it is to get to anything. There's not really any housing to the south, just the Purdue powerplant and some agricultural fields.

If you don't care about driving, there's plenty of places on the outskirts, or even in the sprawl of suburbs, but you'll need to drive everywhere and that's kind of a pain.

The older suburbs near University Farms (the area around 50 W and Cumberland) are kind of nice. Again, bike-friendly with new trails that meander in to the University and to a marshy/pond/lake area by the golf course. There's also a supermarket and some food/shopping on US 52 where 50 W crosses it, which is walking/biking from there. In the winter, you'll need to drive everywhere--especially when there's ice and snow--unless you're crazy like me.

The suburbs to the West of the University are so-so if you want sporradic cookie-cutter subdivisons stamped incongruously into the corn-field countryside. Don't try biking on those country roads regularly. It's just too dangerous.

Don't have much info on Lafayette proper, outside of downtown. You could always rent/possibly buy an old victorian on the hills around downtown. Many of them are run down and for sale if you want to fix them up. I saw one FSBO for $83,000. 4br 2ba. Next to the park. From there you can bike or bus in to Purdue, and walk to such exciting places as... The County Library! Or... The Courthouse! lol

ImGibby · 01-21-2008, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phlute23

Thanks for the response, Hokieed! It confirmed what I was already thinking about West Lafayette. I am anxious to check it out for myself. I noticed you are from Virginia. We are also considering Richmond as a possible location change. Any thoughts on that as far as safety, affordability, etc?

We are moving from San Diego. It's a great place for many, but for us midwesterners, it is too crowded and expensive. We look forward to a slower pace and actually getting to know our neighbors

I am looking forward to more posts on this topic.

I used to live in VA and spent a great deal of time in Richomond. I liked both a lot, but not real sure how Richmond ranks as far as affordability and safety...I was to young to be concerned with such things at the time

.

I loved VA as a whole because of the beautiful scenary and the colonial history and architecture...I did a lot of mountain biking when i was out there and it was paradise.

phlute23 · 01-23-2008, 03:42 PM

Wow, thanks for all of the info Sponger! I appreciate everyone's replies and am looking forward to checking things out for myself. Any more thoughts on this would be appreciated

popcorn247 · 01-23-2008, 03:53 PM

I grew up in Lafayette and went to Purdue. I think the area is great!!

Hokieed · 01-24-2008, 11:29 AM

I've only been to Richmond, VA a couple times, so I don't know too much about the safety or economy of the area. I do know it will be cheaper than San Diego. BTW, my sister lived in San Diego for a time and loved it. She said the burritos where better than anywhere in the US. Loved the weather too.

VA is a great state and it will be sad to move from here. I live in Manassas, VA until college and now live in the mountains of VA near Virginia Tech. The appalacians are truly a wonderful place to live. Also, being near Washington, DC, you have some possible options as far as weekened trips are concerned. Another town we looked at moving to was Knoxville, TN. What a great up and coming town!

Hokieed · 01-24-2008, 11:31 AM

Another quick, funny thing about West Lafayette. Whenever we ask people living there what there is to do, their typical reply is that,"Chicago is only an hour and a half away."

Or, Indianapolis is only an hour away.

And on that note, it appears that West Lafayette has a very active commuter railroad system, with trains to Chicago and Indianopolis every day. We will probably use it to visit chicago a few times, since we absolutely hate to drive there.