Bedford, IN? Nice place? (Indianapolis, Bloomington: how much, employment, schools)

[dreaming4south]

Hi, we are looking at a possible move to the Bloomington/Columbus IN area next year. I have tried to find as much info as I can about those cities and the surrounding suburbs, and we have already driven down there once to look around. My husband is leaning towards Martinsville, he likes the small town feel of it. I am not so thrilled with the school statistics, and saw that Bedford and Columbus schools are rated better.

So, can anyone give me some information on living in Bedford? We are coming from a suburb of Chicago, and can't wait to get away from the congestion and taxes. The taxes down there seem to be so much more reasonable than up here!

How are the people? I worry that in a town like Martinsville, we will be seen as outsiders and not welcomed, since the town is so small and isolated from the bigger cities. Would Bedford be the same? Or are the people of Indiana welcoming all-around?

Are there areas of Bedford or Columbus (and their suburbs) that we should avoid? Although I am guessing that, unlike Chicago, we can probably walk anywhere at anytime! Still, it would be nice to hear from a local about anything we won't get from a webpage of statistics.

Oh, and my husband says we should concentrate on the Bloomington side (hence Bedford) as opposed to the Columbus side, because there would be more flooding and tornadoes in Columbus since it is flatter than where Bedford is at. Any truth to this? I lived through a tornado when I was very young, and fear them, but yet here I am, looking at an area that probably gets more severe weather than we presently do near Chicago!

I look forward to any information you can give me! Thanks!

[plaidmom]

I think you will get more responses if you move this to the general Indian forum.

Bedford (and Columbus) is not really considered part of "Indianapolis".

If Bloomington is an option, I would consider that as well. Lovely smallish college town set in the rolling hills.

[rrah]

dreaming4south--I don't have time for a complete answer right now, but will try to get back to you tomorrow. I also moved back to IN from the Chicago area. We choose Bloomington, and I would do so again. Bedford is a bit small. Is there any reason you don't want to live in Blloomington, or Monroe County, itself?

[dreaming4south]

Plaidmom, I did not realize there was a separate forum just for the state of Indiana! I thought it was just Indianapolis and northern Indiana - oops! I figured that Bedford was closer to Indianapolis, so that is why I asked here. It surely would make more sense to ask this on the other forum, so if I copy and paste, that should work. Thank you for pointing this out to me.

rrah, if you do have any info, I would still be happy to hear it. We are interested in smaller towns, or I should say my husband is, and he just did not feel that Bloomington was "it" when we explored it. Since I would prefer to move to Northern Georgia, we have compromised. At least I will still have one growing season better in south-central IN than I do up here near Chicago! Bedford is slightly more south than Bloomington, too, but I can't get my husband any more south than that, so I will take it! And I liked what I saw of it, so that does help. I just don't know enough to make a more informed decision!

[rrah]

Bedford is definitely small. I live in Monroe County, but am only about 20 minutes from Bedford. I go down there for a few things so am fairly familiar with the town. My daughter attended an afterschool activity there. She was never made to feel like an outsider, and I found the parents friendly. Just remember that lots of people have a common history, as in all small towns, so you may feel like you've missed something sometimes. Best advice--don't talk about how much better your Chicago suburb was/is constantly and you'll be fine.

Bedford/Lawrence County is safe. The two things I would watch for are nearby quarries, and know that there is a PCB clean up going on at GM. Here is some info about that.
GM Powertrain Bedford Facility | Region 5 Cleanup Sites | US EPA

Personally I would choose Bedford over Martinsville.

[domergurl]

sorry sorry sorry ... I'll move it!!!!

You can all chant:

Moderator, do you job!!!!!!

[domergurl]

Thread moved, whew!

Not sure where your place of employment will be, but if you are working on the Martinsville/Bloomigton side, living in Columbus will be a bad location. On a map, it looks close, but in reality, it takes me almost an hour to get from Columbus to Bloomington because of the roads ... 2 laners, curvy and hilly. The opposite is true, if you work in Columbus, living on the Bloomington side won't be very convenient.

Martinsville is a nice town and you'll have closer access to Indianapolis and be close to Bloomington too. I don't think that you'll have problems being accepted ... just be cool, which it sounds like you are!

Best wishes for a nice, less stressfull Hoosier life!