anyone with info on South Bend, IN?

[analog_kid86]

There are a lot of nice areas south of Ireland Rd. on the south side of town. I don't know much about the schools, but there are decent libraries to be found.

[LeslieannS.]

My husband was transferred to Elkhart with the railroad and we are moving this summer. I have done a ton of research and I think the best place by far is Granger. My son graduates high school in June and my daughter will be in the 5th grade. The schools in Granger have the highest test scores in the area. Darlene, are you from Virginia? I am guessing because of your member name-lol. We are from Virginia also.

[racefanwiggy]

Not trying to discourage your hubbies job offer, please research the company. The area has been hit very hard by unemployement, due to r.v. manufactures closeing doors. The crime in the city of South Bend is high for that size of city. I used to live in North Liberty, In which is southwest of South Bend, In and west of U.S.31 about 8 miles. I have moved to just west Indianapolis, In in 2006 due to better paying jobs, better schools. I used to work for the City of Mishawaka, In. As far as the schools in the area Penn-Harris-Madison school district is ok, they basically cover the eastern half of St. Joesph county and only have 1 high school. The John Glenn school corparation is good smaller school system better education. The Union North school system is good. The South Bend Community School corparation is below standards as far as there levels in areas. Was a grad of S.B. Washington. Just got custody of my daughter and she now goes to Avon schools with me in Indianapolis area. She is in the 3rd grade was in So. Bend schools and she has the equivalent of a 1st grade level. Just be careful, it is a dieing area up there. Yes every where is stuggling, but the area is being hit extremely hard. Have family members that are being handed pink slip just about on a daily basis. Most are relocating to new areas to basically start over. Houseing is high for the area, I pay less for my house here and have more house for the price. That goes for apartments as well. Just remeber that you are located half way between Chicago, Il and Detroit, Mi, there has been a lot of speculation to that being the reason for the higher crime rates. I hope this helps you, but just becareful.

[squirrelwoman]

My mother in law is a teacher in the Laville school district. I've had occasion to help with the middle school outdoor science lab and talk to her about the school. From what I've seen it's VERY good. If you search websites with statistics on school districts, I'm sure you will confirm this. Last I looked, it was one of the top in the area in terms of tests scores, parent and student satisfaction etc... The school grounds are beautiful with a large outdoor learning lab, native prairie and pavilion. I've heard good things from parents with children in the laville school district as well.

We lived in Lakeville, which is within the Laville district in an apartment just off 30 on 4. I can't recall the name of the complex, but it was quite nice. Houses in this area are usually quite expensive as it's in the country. It is a bit of a commute, but if his job was in the south side of South Bend it wouldn't be bad at all.

I've also lived in the Scottsdale area on Inwood. It's a nice little subdivision (older with lots of trees). I know the house value went up in the five years my parents lived there, though I'm not sure what it is now. The west side is an area you should probably avoid. And there are areas of the south side that are going down in value as well.

Hope this helps!
Squirrel woman

ETA: Also, Lakeville is very close to Potato Creek State Park, which is a great place for hiking if you are an outdoorsy kind of person at all. It has miles of foot trails, bike trails and horse trails as well as a lake for fishing. It's just a great place for family fun.

[KiM57]

i agree that you have to be very careful what area of south bend you are moving to. i have lived here nearly my entire life and certain areas are gradually getting worse. i too would recommend moving to granger, mishawaka (most areas), or another small surrounding town (there are several between south bend and plymouth...lakeville, walkerton, north liberty). this area is very diverse in many ways...you've got farms, shopping, entertainment, etc. all very close together. it is also only about 35-45 min. away from the beach in michigan city, in. or about 1 1/2 hours to a way nicer beach in st. joe, mi. hope this helps! : )

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by JstmeinVA

Hubby has put in for several job offers and one was for South Bend IN, was wondering how the area is. Housing, sales tax, schools? any info would be great, just trying to do some research on the area. Thanks for the help.

Darlene

Did you end up moving to the area? I relocated here over a year ago cuss my husband got a job in South Bend. Indiana was never on my radar but sometimes you have to move where the jobs are. I personally would only recommend Granger if you can afford it. I personally found Granger affordable because property taxes are pretty low here. Granger has some very pricey subs heading up into the million mark and there is a misconception that the whole Granger area is this expensive. its not, trust me. Im no millionaire.

We lived in Mishawaka for a year while we rented. Finding a decent rental was tough but I had pets. Rent seems high to me for what you get. It was actually cheaper for us to buy in terms of monthly payments. We saved approx. 500 a month by purchasing a home. My son is thriving in the Penn school system. Good luck and let us know what you decided to do.