Alien moving to Indiana (Elkhart area) (Goshen, Granger: appointed, transplants, real estate)

[Sne4]

Greetings all,
I am currently negotiating with my company about a relocation to the Elkhart area(from europe). This have created an unlimited no of questions, so any tips y'all think might come in handy - just shoot!

The time period is most likely to be ~2 years, this is most likely to mean that me, my wife and our two kids (4,6 yrs old) will need to find somewhere to live within commuting distance to the city of Elkhart. Therefore i have listed a few topics below that i am grateful for help with:

1. Housing: Is it common to rent a house in the US, or what will be the best option in your opinion, with my timeframe?

2. Schools: Are there any schools(public?) with especially good reputation on ESL and non-hispanic mother tongue pupils?

3. Due to current job situation in the US(and the world) i'm skeptic on getting a work visa for my wife - which will put her in Indiana with an H4 visa - eg make her a housewife, how common is that in the US - and do you have tips of community activities, or anything that can be developing to do? (she will go crazy if just being isolated in a foreign country)

4. Where to live? We're not big city people, so something quite, rural - with a school as described above - is there such a thing?

[domergurl]

As far as public schools go, the best public schools are in Granger, not far from Elkhart at all. The school system is called Penn Harris Madison. If you want good public schools in a rural setting, check out Northridge schools. As far as ESL services, I'd venture to say that Penn would have more services, but I could be wrong. You can google the Indiana dept. of education, or go to my thread called "useful places to find information about Indiana ... I think that's what I named it ... and I have a link there.

Best of luck to you and your family.

[Sne4]

Thanks for a quick reply, i will take a look at Granger, i drove past there during a past visit, just too bad that i didn't know of these moving plans at that time..
Also great to hear about Northridge, since i am looking at Middlebury as one alternative.

[jodyrose]

Originally Posted by Sne4

Thanks for a quick reply, i will take a look at Granger, i drove past there during a past visit, just too bad that i didn't know of these moving plans at that time..
Also great to hear about Northridge, since i am looking at Middlebury as one alternative.

Sne, not sure where you will be working, but if Middlebury isnt too far away, then you might also consider Fairfield School district which is east of Goshen. Lots of newer home construction there, in the $200K range and the schools are top notch. I grew up there, my folks still live in the area, so I would be happy to give you tips, if you need them. Good luck on the move, stay in touch with CD, this is the BEST place to find local information.

[Sne4]

Thanks Jody, i will have to check that out to. I will be working in Elkhart and i'll soon get a chance to compare the different locations - things are going fast now - less than a month to our house hunting trip. Right now it feels like a rental house would be a good to go. That relocation package included a 2 years limit paying the closing costs of a house purchase.

CD looks like a very active forum - i'll probably check in -atleast- now and then to get a chance to see all inputs on Indiana.

[azbaked]

I'm from the area but currently live in AZ. Depending on how far you want to drive back & forth to work (especially in the winter) & if you're wanting small town living I myself would want my kids going to either the Middlebury, Fairfield or Wa-Nee schools (Wakarusa/Nappanee). Concord schools in Elkhart might be ok too, don't know, haven't been home in awhile.

Good luck in your move, hope you & your family will be happy where ever you choose.

And have a safe, happy, fun 4th everyone!!!

[cdr18]

Hey, Sne4...

So did you find a place to move in the Elkhart area. I would also second the Wa-Nee area, as they have good schools and are also undergiong somewhat of a revival with economic news lately. In addition, this community is small but have very positive and forward thinking.

[fallingwater]

Hello there. You will find this website helpful as most people on here are very forthcoming with information. I live in Granger and moved to this area because of the schools. I have not been disappointed thus far. I feel the school is progressive in terms of constantly letting us know how our child is doing in school. The website is awesome and as soon as a teacher grades my child's assignments, it shows up on the website. I no longer have to ask him for papers. This is my child's first year and the school has made him feel very welcome. Since he started school his counselor will call him down on occasion just to see how he is getting along. They really do seem to care. There also is a very strict anti-bullying rule, no exceptions. That makes the learning environment a lot more enjoyable.

I also wanted to rent but found it difficult as rental homes are hard to find, especially in Granger. Property taxes are very low for homeowners but rental properties have high property taxes so I am assuming that is why rent is very high. I at first thought it was due to Notre Dame being in the area but most students live a lot closer to campus. So we took the plunge and bought a home. Real estate is reasonable (compared to where I came from) and this is the nicest home I have ever lived in. Its also the biggest. We had to go buy furniture

Your wife staying at home is very acceptable. I currently stay home but most of it is due to not finding a job yet. Also Granger is a mix of a lot of transplants. I am not from this area myself and most of my neighbors are from other places as well.

Keep us posted and ask more questions if needed!

[Sne4]

So - now it´s decided and done. Now we live in Middlebury, just a few more weeks until all our belongings hopefully have made it safe across the Antlantic. The school seems to be great, but I do of course not have much to compare with from the US school system. The school nurse actually dropped by and asked how we were doing when our kid got sick(we prefer to see this as just kind and not just due to the current pigflu situation)

@Fallingwater: I looked at Granger too, but the few rental properties that I found on the market were too pricy, just as You found too.

I must say that all the people that I have met so far are very friendly and that I like the small town feeling - with everybody knowing everybody. Except us of course yet. But we'll get there too.

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by Sne4

So - now it´s decided and done. Now we live in Middlebury, just a few more weeks until all our belongings hopefully have made it safe across the Antlantic. The school seems to be great, but I do of course not have much to compare with from the US school system. The school nurse actually dropped by and asked how we were doing when our kid got sick(we prefer to see this as just kind and not just due to the current pigflu situation)

@Fallingwater: I looked at Granger too, but the few rental properties that I found on the market were too pricy, just as You found too.

I must say that all the people that I have met so far are very friendly and that I like the small town feeling - with everybody knowing everybody. Except us of course yet. But we'll get there too.

Congrats! I hope it all becomes an easy transition. The concern you found from the nurse Im sure is genuine.