Martinsville/Bloomington Area (Ellettsville, Bloomfield, Monroe: apartments, rentals, houses)

[neeilly]

We currently live on the SS of Indy and I want out! We have been looking at houses between Martinsville and Bloomington. Lots to choose from, but a lot of unanswered questions about these areas:
What are the schools like? Any areas better than others? What kind of resources are out there to research the different school systems?
Unfortunately I need some of the big city amenities so proximity to these is also a concern.
I can only read so much, so hearing from some of the locals or past residents would be helpful.
Thanks for the help.

[rrah]

Are you looking closer to Martinsville or Bloomington?--different school districts. I can say from experience that the school system in most of Bloomington/Monroe County (Ellettsville is a different district) is pretty darn good. Ellettsville is not bad, just different. I don't know anything about the Martinsville schools. I can answer any other questions you have about Monroe County.

[Godsdove]

Well I've lived in Bloomington all my life (though we are selling our home and moving to TN....but not because of anything negative about Bloomington). I graduated from Bloomington Schools and think they are pretty good. There have been a lot of changes over the years...and I think that both High Schools (North and South) have some differences....but either one would be a good choice. In Ellettsville their school system seems to be top notch as well from what I can gather. I honestly don't know much about the Martinsville Schools.

[caution]

any suggested zip codes to search for upper-middle rentals, preferably on the S or SW side of Bloomington? thanks

[Godsdove]

I think the only zip on the south or southwest side is 47403. At least that is our current zip. The other zips in the area are 47401 (main zip), 47402 (think that is more downtown), 47408 (East and southeast side), and then 47405 and 47406 are IU related zips.

Edited to say:
There is also 47404. I think that might be downtown to west of downtown. So that is another zip to check out.

[caution]

Thanks Godsdove.

I've been living in major metro areas so long that I think in terms of zip codes, but I forget that a city like Bloomington has far fewer than I'm accustomed to.

I was able to figure out the zip codes within reasonable commuting distance of Crane using a Realtor website.

I still have to get through my interview and visit the area, but I wanted to get an idea of the rental situation at least.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread about Martinsville

[rrah]

Most of the upper middle rentals are on the SE side of town--farthest from Crane.

The SW is predominantly single family homes on acreage. Very few apartments. Those that do exist probably wouldn't be classified as upper middle. There is a complex right off of 37 and Bloomfield Rd. I can't recall the name of it---starts with a B. They are fairly new and look nice from the outside at least. If you're looking to rent a house, you may find something in the SW