Mixed Race Family (Indianapolis, Bloomington, Terre Haute: transplants, rent, crime)

[CJBoatz]

Hi! My family is a mixed race family (Black & White). We are looking for a nice town to move to in Indiana where we can live happily & raise our children and racial issues aren't really an issue. We don't really want to move to a big city like Indianapolis, but maybe a smaller one in that area. Any recommendations?

Thanks!

[rrah]

CJ--Indiana is an interesting state in that the geography, the economy, the culture, etc. change from north to south, east to west. A few more requirements like what kind of jobs you might need, housing cost "wishes", etc. might be helpful in terms of making recommendations.

I can tell you immediately that racial issues aren't as big of a deal in Bloomington, but I don't know if Bloomington would meet your other needs. I've not lived in Northwest Indiana for many years, but suspect that a mixed race family is less of an issue there than in some places. Although you don't want a big city, you might consider some of the smaller cities in the state.

[JulieL]

CJBoatz,
Columbus Indiana is a great place to live. We are about 45 miles south of Indy. We have several mixed families in Columbus. Columbus is known for its diversity. Come on over we'd love to have you. If you have any more questions about Columbus' cost of living, jobs, or schools DM me I can give you any information you may need. Good Luck in your decision making!
JulieL

[CJBoatz]

Originally Posted by JulieL

CJBoatz,
Columbus Indiana is a great place to live. We are about 45 miles south of Indy. We have several mixed families in Columbus. Columbus is known for its diversity. Come on over we'd love to have you. If you have any more questions about Columbus' cost of living, jobs, or schools DM me I can give you any information you may need. Good Luck in your decision making!
JulieL

Hi JulieL!

Thanks for your reply! I do have a couple of questions for you! What is the average rent for a 3 bdrm apt/house. I prefer a house because I have 2 dogs & 2 cats. Also, schools...my daughter is in 1st grade, can you recommend an area where the schools have a good reputation and also, I may be returning to school myself this fall. Is there a community college there in Columbus?

[fabumom07]

CJ,I live in Ft Wayne and I think it is a great place to raise a family. I live Southwest and my favorite neighbors are Hispanic dad/Caucasian mom, with 5 children It's a nice working class to professional area and many other areas of Ft Wayne are as well.I am sure there are areas to avoid such as Waynedale and outlying country towns for your particular family. There are many transplants from other states here, so its a bit more progressive.

When I moved here at age 11 from CA, the black kids sat at a different lunch table than the white kids, which was shocking to me. I am now 40 and my children are pretty much color blind to the race of their friends and classmates. Someone spray painted "I Have A Dream" with a rainbow on an intersection by our home last year- and we never have graffiti around here-and it stayed for about 4 months I think. That made me smile.

[CJBoatz]

Fabumom, Thank you so much for your post! That is exactly what I'm looking for...a place that is color blind! My little daughter is so beautiful and sweet, I just want her to be happy. I'm currently living in Virginia Beach. I moved here when I joined the Navy 10 years ago. Now I want to move to a smaller town...somewhere that my family can "put down roots". I'll be researching each town that is recommended to me! Thank you for taking the time to post a reply! Have a great day!

Originally Posted by fabumom07

CJ,I live in Ft Wayne and I think it is a great place to raise a family. I live Southwest and my favorite neighbors are Hispanic dad/Caucasian mom, with 5 children It's a nice working class to professional area and many other areas of Ft Wayne are as well.I am sure there are areas to avoid such as Waynedale and outlying country towns for your particular family. There are many transplants from other states here, so its a bit more progressive.

When I moved here at age 11 from CA, the black kids sat at a different lunch table than the white kids, which was shocking to me. I am now 40 and my children are pretty much color blind to the race of their friends and classmates. Someone spray painted "I Have A Dream" with a rainbow on an intersection by our home last year- and we never have graffiti around here-and it stayed for about 4 months I think. That made me smile.

[fabumom07]

I would like the town as a whole to be color blind, but I'm not sure we can make that claim yet! Of course, I have put effort into bringing up my children to see skin color as just another physical attribute, but I have been pleasantly surprised not to have to deprogram them of any negative terms coming from their Midwestern classmates. The schools in my area seem to put effort into teaching non-prejudice. I really appreciate that.

All the best with your plans of moving to a new area.. May it be the happy rainbow you envision.

[coffee12]

yes how about pittsburgh

[jyakimic]

<mod edit, orphaned from above>

I highly recommend West Lafayette. I've lived here 12 years and have no intention of ever leaving. The area schools are top-notch. Population of WL is probably 40,000- but if you include our attached city (Lafayette) and the university, we probably have around 150,000 people here.

I am a white male american but have coworkers and friends of various other ethnicities and "races". In my neighborhood, I am certainly in the minority as it is mainly populated by people from all over the world that have recently moved to the US, mainly for university or high-tech work.

I don't think my 5 year old, who has been in day care with a very diverse group of kids for 3 years, has any idea what 'white' or 'black' means in the context of people. We've never really discussed it, I suppose he is as likely to ask why some people have different skin color as he is to ask why some people have different hair color.

In any case, it is still america and I'm sure there are racists of every color represented in the area as there is anywhere, but I really do not see much compared to growing up in rural Indiana or within larger cities.

[Badlands17]

If cost is an issue, Terre Haute probably has the cheapest home values of any mid sized city in the state. There are some nasty parts to raise a family, not necessarily as far as crime and pollution (which despite what people who haven't been there in 30 years will tell you, does not smell except for a very localized area on the southwest side), but the kids in some of the schools aren't really motivated to graduate HS and go to college (the education system is great though). Mixed race kids are common, with a scroll through the racial demographics of the schools showing them to be about as prevalent as black kids. Racial tensions are not an issue; black and white kids hang out with eachother regularly.