Moving To Peru (Indianapolis, Kokomo, Porter: apartments, low crime, home)

[keri capelli]

What I have seen in Peru Indiana wasn't something I would be proud of at all!! There is nothing for teenagers to do there. Main street looks very trashy!!!! It's going to take alot more just a new mayor!! You have alot of Meth labs there and Peru Indiana is number one for house foreclosure. Alot people are very set in there ways and just don't want any changes.

I have talk to the Mayor who is in office now and he seems to be a very nice and kind . May the best man/lady win in the mayor's elections.

Good luck to both!!!

[redhd7]

I really appreciate the helpful comments. We are excited to come visit in July. I like the low crime rate and housing prices. Houses that size out here are going for a minimum of 300,000 and that is in bad neighborhoods. Thank you all, and any more comments, positive or negative are welcome, but please, I am here for information. If you feel like being sarcastic, I would appreciate it if you did it somewhere else. I just want facts! Thank you.

[tomterriffic]

Peru is known for two things...factories and layoff. The endless cycle is to hire then layoff. Hire then layoff. There just are not many good jobs there. Even the factory owners don't live there for the most part. They live in Noblesville, Carmel, or Westfield.

People in Peru can't seem to get ahead and it's a fairly depressing place for the most part. I have family members still living up there. The only reason they stay is elderly family members they need to care for.

The area has a circus school, too. That's one thing I am not sure was mentioned. It's way better than the museum. Hands down.

[chuckbrick]

I am a current resident of Peru and I have to say life there is getting better. Good management does things right, Good leadership does the right things and I think we have both in our mayor. Buildings and land are being redeveloped, buildings that can't be are torn down. Main street has been completely redone in most of the city, including new sidewalks, streetlights, and a third lane (woo hooo!) In fact, our property tax rate has dropped largely due to redevelopment and the added value of the properties.

Oppotunity is where you find it. I ran a successful tool business for three years in the Logan/Peru area. I did'nt sit around waiting for a factory job or someone to tell me what to do next. I can be a great place to live, but anyplace can be with the right attitude.

[keri capelli]

I will have to agree with you chuckbrick that with the right attitude any place can be a great place to live at. I will be moving to a small town near Peru at it's in the country.

[keri capelli]

Now I have a question for anybody that wants to answer it. Why in little country towns everybody knows everybody's business? I really don't understand that. The reason why I ask is because I'm not use to that. I'm moving from a town in Missouri that is 35,000 people to a small country town in Indiana. The reason why I'm moving is because I marrying the love of my life and he is a farmer. I love country but, just wondering that's all.

Have an awesome day!!

[ghoagland]

I would have to say that Peru is like most small communities in the midwest. I have live in Peru most of my life and know the pros and cons very well.

Yes, I do feel that Peru is in need of more shopping choices. Also, we could use more family dining choices as well. Peru has a very low median household income and for the most part the majority of people have little or no post high school education. There isn't much in the way of entertaining in Peru, unless you like the circus or high school shows. Drug use is a problem here as well, but you will have that anywhere. The home prices listed before are low for a nice home but you can find an abundance of foreclosures.

As for the pros, Peru is an hour away from Indianapolis, 2 hours from Chicago, 45 minutes from Fort Wayne and 20 minutes to Kokomo. With such a central location, it doesn't take long to go to a major city. Peru is quiet and for the most part does have a low crime rate. In fact the drug problem is the only real crime threat we have. With the low income levels, the cost of living here is incredibly low. The crime rate and low cost of living are why I came back and decided to raise my family here. We do currently have some local development going on, but much more is needed. There are plenty of opportunities here as well.

Personally I feel like the majority of Peru has such a negative feeling about the city that no one takes pride into the community any more. Also, the financial profile of most families I think has contributed to that as well. It is hard to make business last here due to the low income levels. I hope this info helps and I encourage everyone to get involved!

[tljent]

Peru is just about like all of the other small towns around there. They were built on a manufacturing economy that has severely impacted growth opportunities for the city. Just like all the other small towns the new jobs are coming in the form of retail...low wages...bad benefits.

I grew up in Huntington and unless you're rich there is no real opportunity to establish yourself in this area. I drove to Fort Wayne for everything including work.

If you're established and looking for a great small town I couldn't recommend any better area than cental Indiana. If you're young and looking to make something of yourself this probably wouldn't be my first choice.

It's funny too because you're coming from SoCal and I'm getting ready to move to the southwest..fun stuff!

[DragonseyeGlassworks]

My name is Holliday. Friends call me Holli. My husband is Richard Smith. He is running for Mayor of Peru. There is a lot of info on us and our views on his website www.RichardSmithForMayor.org (broken link). Our current Mayor, Jim Walker is a decent guy. We personally don't dislike the man. He has done a fair job. You will not hear us talk negitively against him. There are things that do need to be changed here. What community is all a bed of roses? None that I know about. What we know and feel in our hearts is that if enough of us put a positive attitude and are willing to put in some hard work to improving things, it will happen. We aren't rich. We don't come from one of the old money crowd here. We feel that is a good thing as those are the ones who tend to fight change. Either way as small towns go, this isn't bad. I know all about SoCal as i'm a UCLA grad. Lived in Pasadena and Glendale for years. Also lived in Seattle, Reno, SLC. It was a culture shock but a good one.

For those of you who live here and what to do more than talk bad about Peru, call me and we will talk about what you can do to help improve the town.

By the way Jennifer, my daughter Nicole just bought a 4 bedroom, 2 and a half bath, 2 car garage home on East 6th street for 96k. Beautiful woodwork, stained glass windows, nice library room with pocket doors. There are many deals to be had. This is the number one reason to move here! <vbg> TTYS. Holli

[AlabasterMuse]

I can't say much of Peru thus far. I lived in North Carolina most of my life and I'm older than old dirt. I watched the textile industry there decline until it withered completely away, leaving our state (not just the small towns) devastated. I've watched the furniture manufacturers begin to wane as well. However, two years ago my husbands job transferred us from a little town in NC that had one single caution light to Amarillo, Tx. Amarillo, I thought to myself was more than I could handle after being from a tiny town in the east. Yet, I came to love the city, the people and the over-whelming availablity of jobs there. I fell into my job, a complete new line (not furniture or textiles) and worked hard to learn something new after so long. When we moved here just about 6 weeks ago I thought I could put that same effort into anything new that came my way. I was terribly wrong. How can I do that when there's no jobs there? Day after day I find myself scrolling the want ads of Peru and surroundings counties and towns, nothing. I look online to every resource there is I can think of, nothing. Even the jobs that are listed don't pay anything at all. Heck, even the rednecks in NC pay more than Peru, Logansport and Kokomo. I'm highly disappointed in the area that I will call home for now, perhaps another two years at best. Miami county needs to look to their future and it isn't always nested within the local people. Others moving into the area can attribute to their workforce with fresh ideas and a growing expectation that perhaps they themselves don't have. Perhaps those here will wish me luck in my endeavor to be a productive portion of their small town and hopefully something will open soon. I'm going stir crazy sitting at home.