SoCal to Granger (or thereabouts)

[djuhas]

Originally Posted by Jakehorror

Hahaha! There's no WAY I could afford a house in San Diego! We're moving to L.A. and then in a year or so we plan on trying to buy a home in the Ontario or Fontana area. Renting to start.

Ontario or Fontana area???? HAHAHAHA good luck, make sure to keep your doors locked and keep to your self. Just moved from that Rathole Ontario and Fontana or as its called out here Fontuky, is the meth capital in California. Like they say "what do you get when you put 10 people together in Fontuky,? A full set of teeth" You want culture shock???? Your gonna get it!

[djuhas]

Originally Posted by bob abooey

Ontario or Fontana area???? HAHAHAHA good luck, make sure to keep your doors locked and keep to your self. Just moved from that Rathole Ontario and Fontana or as its called out here Fontuky, is the meth capital in California. Like they say "what do you get when you put 10 people together in Fontuky,? A full set of teeth" You want culture shock???? Your gonna get it!

You always have such negative and bad things to say about Indiana Jakehorror, wait till you get a couple of years under your belt in California, i cant wait to read your posts about how you want to move back, HAHAHAHAHAH

[jo-el]

Hi! I made the move from Seattle to Granger in August. I grew up in Michigan and moved away for nearly 20 years; my husband is a Seattle native. It's culture shock for both of us in many different ways - but my husband likes it.

I'll first say that the people are very welcoming and kind, but private. The housing will feel extremely inexpensive to you (but taxes vary GREATLY from one house to another so do your homework) and P-H-M (Penn School District - specifically look for Discovery Middle School) is where you want to be (I searched Middlebury, Goshen & Elkhart too - my husband just commutes 30 min), however MANY people that live in the district don't send their kids there . . . they go to private Christian schools. My kindergartener attends and is having a stimulating and fun experience. The Granger area has an active MOPS group for your toddler and the Harris Library Branch (which is beautiful) has scheduled lap story times. The Soccer Zone is another place to check out with soccer teams and an inflatables area (not what you are used to, though). Thus, there are ways to become active quickly with your child. Bridges preschool in the area has a play-based curriculum and is well respected - the wait list is longer for younger children so if interested submit paperwork when you arrive. I take my toddler in to South Bend for preschool for the diversity.

The culture shock comes in many ways - lack of trees, water and mountains . . . lack of shopping that is currently so easy in So Cal (thank goodness for Chicago - less than 2 hrs away) . . . extremely hot & humid summers, lovely falls and bitterly cold winters. People are out and about in their yards in the summer (not parks) and closed in their houses in the winter. The other thing to get used to is the septic tanks & wells (education) and lack of sidewalks. Notre Dame is also gorgeous and we'll be doing our family bike riding on campus because of the pathways.


From a family perspective the move has been successful and the kids are loving what is available. From an individual perspective, I miss my friends, the city activities and the diversity on the West Coast - but knew that would be an issue coming in. We are a multicultural family and seek out diversity. We have met several friends from other birth cultures which helps fill the need. Again, thank goodness that Chicago is a quick jaunt away.
I can offer more info on specific questions. Wishing you luck on your move!

[claremarie]

Jo-el,
We are moving to the area this summer. My husband is already teaching at Notre Dame and commuting back to Virginia on weekends. We haven't found a house yet, but have spent time scouting out neighborhoods. So far, the neighborhood we liked best, because of the wooded lots and some actual elevation changes, was in Niles. Here in the DC area, we are used to living in Virginia while the kids' school and husband's office was in Maryland, because it's all really one metro area. Is there any reason we should NOT look in Michigan? Our kids will be in private schools, so the public school quality is not really an issue for us. Are property and/or income taxes higher in Niles than in South Bend or Granger? We've asked around, but no one has given us any clear answers. We know that unless we find something in South Bend (which seems unlikely) that we'll be dealing with wells and septics, but are there any other issues that we've overlooked? Thanks!

[Tricia 2]

Thanks Jo-El! I will print out your info and keep it handy for when we get here - my daughter loves story time! My husband grew up in Michigan too, he is really excited about this move.

We are in town for two days house hunting and frankly having a really difficult time finding a house to rent. With the number of for sale signs we've seen in every neighborhood, I can't figure out why! We keep checking on craigslist, the Tribune, even in the Elkhart paper, we've talked to realtors and property management companies - nothing.


Any suggestions would be VERY welcome! We really want to be in Granger, 3 bedrooms, reasonably nice neighborhood, and we've budgeted $1500 for rent. Are we just off base? One person said she would rent, then said she thought the market was getting stronger and she was going to wait to sell. We can find tons of stuff way cheaper in South Bend, but the neighborhoods look too sketchy for me and my husband says the others are ND student housing. Help!

[soon2relocate]

After reading info suggesting that Granger is the best area to move within the Penn school district for school aged children. Test scores were great also. We are from California also with a job transfer for my husband to Bristol. When looking at all the neighborhoods within Granger any suggestions? Thanks to anyone with help.

[jo-el]

In response to your questions -

MICHIGAN: We did not look in Michigan so I don't have input on taxes, etc. I do know that the Reserve in Niles is supposed to be a beautiful area, although I haven't seen it myself and don't know where the cost of housing starts. I do know a family that drives from there to St. Joseph's in S. Bend for school and she says the commute is just fine with a carpool. We also have a friend building in Buchanan, MI but I haven't been there either.

RENTALS: I have only seen signs for rentals in S. Bend, BUT I do have a friend who is in a rental in Covington Shores (Knollwood area). They found it through a realtor, but it wasn't easy. The housing market is very slow right now.

GRANGER NEIGHBORHOODS: I don't know of an undesirable neighborhood in Granger, but they do differ. You will see that when you tour the houses. There are definitely starter neighborhoods with homes in the high 100s - low 200s without upgrades and then it moves on up from there. Covington Shores is a good example of a place that has good resale value with houses that start in the 300s and move up into 1M+. There are newer neighborhoods with large homes and no trees and older neighborhoods with wooded lots. You'll see homes that need a lot of updates and those that need none. You will have choices. One thing to make sure of is that your "new" home has a dry basement and no water-proofing issues. This area has a lot of wet weather and many leaky basements, including ours. We've corrected it, but the problem was not disclosed to us when it should have been.

Make sure you contact the school you are interested in when you have a potential address to confirm the school boundaries. Here is the link to Discovery MS: About Discovery Middle School — Penn Harris Madison School Corporation

I hope that points you in the right direction . . .

[Swanns6]

Hello I live in Elkhart, IN, a little bit away from Granger. I'd stay away from the Elkhart if I was you. We tend to have gang problems and poor road conditions (also known in mishawaka). Goshen is bad for gangs as well. I would suggest South Bend or cities on the opposite side of Granger. Any questions just ask, I am very familiar with the area.