Moving to Fort Wayne, Need Advice! (Austin, Dupont: apartments, to rent, how much)

[nikik15]

Hello, my family will be moving to Fort Wayne from Austin, Tx and I would love some recommendations from anyone who can help.

First of all I need to know the best area where I should be looking if we want to rent a house or townhome. We have a one year old and another on the way and I would like it to be near a playground, library, pool or somewhere we could walk or ride a bike to. And obviously safe!

Also, I need the name of a good pediatrician. I want a doctor who will listen, is not opposed to an alternate vaccine schedule, and who is easy to talk to.

I was also wondering about hospitals for delivering our second child. I was reading about Parkview. Has anyone had really good experiences there? Or bad ones?

One last thing, can anyone tell me a good Obstetrician to go to? I think I like Women's Health Advantage, but I wanted to make sure that they weren't to big of a place that they don't even remember who I am because they have so many patients. I had to deal with that when I had my first baby.

Thanks for any advice, I would really appreciate any help I can get!

[brainiac138]

As for what neighborhood to move into with those specifications, it all depends on how much you want to spend. There is not really any bad neighborhoods in Fort Wayne except for the South East side of town. There are other neighborhoods that aren't as nice as others, but not really any that are any more or less safe. I would say the South West side of town, which is pricier, is a bit more of what you are looking for, however, the the North West side of town, the areas close to Bishop Dwenger Catholic high school, is more laid back and also family-friendly. The North East side of town is very suburban and pretty bland, but has nice schools in the area. High schools to stick close to are Northrop, Northside, Snider, and Homestead. I will say stay away from looking for places to live downtown, just because it is a commercial downtown and not really a family-friendly area, as are most of the neighborhoods bordering the downtown area which are just full of students, recent grads, partiers, punk rock types at best, and really slummy at worse. Living close to Lake Side Park will give you access to their great playgrounds, their beautiful rose gardens, and get you close to the River Greenway trail, a walk and bike trail along the rivers in Fort Wayne. But, there are plenty of great parks all around the city.

As for libraries, you are in luck, Allen County has one of the best library systems in the country and the best library system for a city the size of Fort Wayne. Every neighborhood in the city is serviced by a library branch, and in some case a few branches are minutes from each other.

As for the hospital, Parkview Women's and Children's Hospital in the North Campus is usually considered the best hospital of its kind in the area. Also, I hear Parkview Pediatrics has great pediatricians on staff, but I don't have any first hand experience with that.

[JOJOG]

Dupont Hospital is a fantastic hospital to deliver in! It feels like a hotel- great food, spacious rooms, wonderful staff, amazing newborn photos, etc..... I wouldn't deliver anywhere else!! I have heard horror stories about Parkview Main but Parkview North seems to be fine.

[fabumom07]

Welcome to Ft Wayne!

For apartments, I recommend Preston Pt on Hwy 14 In Aboite township. Very nice pool and working on Aboite Trails for biking etc. Willows at Coventry is close to the library in Aboite, but they have had several fires, which is worrisome with small children.

All the pediatricians are good at Lutheran Pediatrics, try Dr Cohen, hes not big on unnecessary meds.

Parkview North is very nice ,as is Dupont, both have nice new labor and delivery rooms. My friend the nurse says Parkview though. I went with Lutheran on 24 and had excellent care. Womens Health Advantage is very good. I would see any of the practicioners there.

Good luck, fabumom

[ABQT]

Fort Wayne will be an adjustment from Austin, but it's a nice little town with friendly peeps.

As stated in other posts, there are honestly not a ton of horribly bad areas of town. The biggest differences you will find is in the age of homes... and how well they've been kept up.

Generally, I'd recommend southwest for you... It's more family-esque... more rural/suburban (many neighborhoods have been annexed by the city in the last years, so they get city services and taxes, but still retain a more remote, almost country-living).

Now, if you want to feel more like you're in the 'big city', people may disagree, but... look into West Central. It's right next to downtown and many people shy away because of the more urban feel. However, there are beautiful homes... it's within walking distance to the main library and other things downtown... and... depending on the neighborhood, the people tend to be more liberal and progressive.

Good luck!

[mbuszu]

Southwest Fort Wayne is my recommendation. It is more built up than the NW side, has fantastic schools in the 46804 and 46814 zip code areas, and there's really quick access to downtown via Illinois Rd. State Road 14 (SR 14 aka Illinois Rd) west of I-69 is undergoing lane expansion right now which will be completed at years end - it's kind of a mess but we all are looking forward to the bike trails on both sides, turning, and passing lanes.

[brainiac138]

West Central is an awesome neighborhood. It is, by far, Fort Wayne's best.

[fabumom07]

West Central is wonderful if you are young, gay, or liberal and anti suburb with kids. I used to live there, as a childless college student, and as a teen with my ultra liberal mom.

I understand that people want to give West Central its props, but for a young mom who says "obviously safe" in her post, I really want to make sure that we focus on HELPING HER navigate the tempo of our neighborhoods. If someone wants to start a post on how wonderful West Central is, they should by all means. I really believe in listening to the needs of people who want to live here, and giving them an accurate picture.

[Colts]

Originally Posted by mbuszu

Southwest Fort Wayne is my recommendation. It is more built up than the NW side, has fantastic schools in the 46804 and 46814 zip code areas, and there's really quick access to downtown via Illinois Rd. State Road 14 (SR 14 aka Illinois Rd) west of I-69 is undergoing lane expansion right now which will be completed at years end - it's kind of a mess but we all are looking forward to the bike trails on both sides, turning, and passing lanes.

Co-sign. My wife and I live in Aboite Twp. (46814), and we love it here. Schools are great, and there's plenty of wooded areas that are spectacular in the fall months.