South Bend Info. (Elkhart, Mishawaka, Granger: low crime, job market, neighborhoods)

[cakmke]

My child will be attending Notre Dame. Honestly, I don't know a lot about the city, just what you read in catalogs/brochures... I would like to hear from locals and would appreciate any and all information good and bad about the locale. Most importantly I would like to know about crime, good areas to live in, cost of living, taxes, neighborhoods, job opportunities, things to do, lifestyle...etc.
We are from S. Texas and I've heard about brutally cold winters....
Also we are caucasian, don't know a lick of Spanish, it's tough to get a job here if you aren't bi-lingual.
Thank you !

[Future Trooper]

Originally Posted by cakmke

My child will be attending Notre Dame. Honestly, I don't know a lot about the city, just what you read in catalogs/brochures... I would like to hear from locals and would appreciate any and all information good and bad about the locale. Most importantly I would like to know about crime, good areas to live in, cost of living, taxes, neighborhoods, job opportunities, things to do, lifestyle...etc.
We are from S. Texas and I've heard about brutally cold winters....
Also we are caucasian, don't know a lick of Spanish, it's tough to get a job here if you aren't bi-lingual.
Thank you !

South Bend is a big college town right along the Indiana East-West Toll Road(Interstate 80/90) South Bend has a low crime rate compared to a city it's size. I don't really know about what neighborhoods are "good and bad" I thought most of South Bend was fine. I don't know the cost of living in South Bend but I would check out this website City of South Bend Cost of Living Calculator. Indiana--South Bend Relocation Calculator & Index. Since South Bend is a big college town I would expect for their to be some pretty good job oppurtunities. The schools up their are pretty good and continually rank among the top in the interscholastic academic competitions( which is no walk in the park) Your definition of brutal winters and our defintions of brutal winters are probably different. Up here you can expect temperatures to dip down into the negatives at points during winter. I wouldn't worry about having to know any Spanish up here.

[domergurl]

I grew up in the area. Notre Dame is an island it and of itself. Your child (congrats on gaining admittance, btw .. that HUGE!!!), will be taken care of by the university and will probably rarely leave campus .... most everything they need will be there. My husband went to school there and he knew 2 places, campus and University park mall ... that's pretty much it for ND students.

Winters, yea, we get 'em there. Last winter was particularly brutal (that's what my parents told me). Invest in some gear. The campus is very well maintained.

And then there's the upcoming football season ... breathe and take it all in!!!!! We'll be at the Navy game this year.

No worries, seriously!!!!

[Southside Shrek]

Let's hope and pray that ND's football season will be light years better than the past couple of years.

[claremarie]

No one comes to Notre Dame because they really want to live in South Bend.
As a previous poster indicated, ND is pretty well insulated from the town, and most students, especially undergraduates, live and spend most of their time on campus. The City of South Bend has a surprisingly high crime rate, but most of the problems are concentrated in a few run-down neighborhoods. The campus itself is very safe. The cost of housing is very low, especially compared with the east and west coasts, but property taxes are on the high side. The unemployment rate in the area is very high; other than Notre Dame and the hospitals/medical centers, there aren't many major employers here.
On the plus side, people here are extraordinarily nice. Even at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which is the real test, IMO. Last winter was unusually cold and snowy, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Unlike the DC area, where we lived for many years, life goes on when it snows, for better or for worse.

[flyingwriter]

I live in suburban South Bend (Niles, Michigan to be exact). South Bend is an OK city to live in, however, I certainly wouldn't describe it as a college town. Notre Dame is essentially an island (it actually is its own city) that has little impact on the city at large. Domers (local term for ND students) tend to keep away from locals, and vice versa. As a student, your daughter will spend most of her time on campus and will only leave to go to UP Mall or to the airport to fly home.

South Bend itself is a typical Midwestern small city - think Dayton, OH or Peoria, IL. It has certainly seen better days. It has a high crime rate for its size, a declining job market (who doesn't these days), and a pretty dull (though improving) downtown. The nice areas are the far north side, the area immediately east of Notre Dame, and the northwest side near the airport. Many people live in suburbs like Granger, Mishawaka, Niles, or Buchanan, which are much safer than SB proper.

South Bend certainly doesn't have the college town vibe of somewhere like Ann Arbor, nor does it have the advanced employment opportunities that places like Ann Arbor or Austin, TX have. Most students leave after graduation. There isn't much "lifestyle" to speak of. There are a few places downtown and near campus, but not much. You kind of have to make your own fun here. Many people head to Chicago, which is only an hour and a half train ride from SB. Kalamazoo, MI is about a 1 hour 15 minute drive away, and it is also a fun town.

Winters aren't bad, though we do get a lot of lake effect snow. Coming from Texas it will be quite a shock. Tell her to bring a warm coat.

[flyingwriter]

Originally Posted by Southside Shrek

Let's hope and pray that ND's football season will be light years better than the past couple of years.

Forget that. GO BLUE!!!

[barbershopkerry]

I have lived in other parts of the country, and can tell you that, although not the most exciting place in the world, South Bend isn't too bad. Yes, we do have a crime rate. However, it is not as bad as some would have you believe. (We are 145th on the FBI's crime ratings list of the 330 metro areas in the US.) If you stay away from most parts of the west side and do not mess with drugs or gangs, you'll be fine. There has been a rash of burglaries, but that is happening in EVERY part of the country right now. (It's the economy.) If you have an education, there are jobs available. If you are a high school grad with no further education, however, good luck. Healthcare, finance (believe it or not), and education are the big draws around here for employment right now. Our county has approximately 10% unemployment right now, slightly higher than the national average. However, don't try too hard to find a job in neighboring Elkhart County. The unemployment rate there is approximately 18% due to the demise of the RV and manufactured housing industries in this present economy. While the test scores may appear low for South Bend schools, I can honestly tell you that they don't paint a totally accurate picture of the education your kids will receive. If you have kids who are relatively serious about their studies and you (as a parent) are involved in their schooling, they will be absolutely FINE. This is a community of haves and have-nots. The "haves" (average middle class folk on up) have a tendency to do well. The have-nots (generally from poor, low education households) do not. My kids have absolutely flourished here. I would STRONGLY recommend looking into the magnet schools if you still have school aged children. They are MUCH better than the average neighborhood school.

I live on the south side of town in an area known as Twyckenham Hills/Ridgedale. This area is great! Pretty low crime, large lots and a more suburban vibe than other parts of town. I would also look at Scottsdale, Kensington Farms, Crest Manor, Broadmoor, Miami Heights, Miami Trails, Orchard Heights, Gilmer Park, McKinley Terrace, Edison Park, East Wayne/Jefferson and the Chapin Park Historic District. There are nice parts of Mishawaka as well. Granger is good if you are into the whole taupe tract-mansion, we're better than you phenomenon.

Winters here can be brutal. Summers are generally humid, so that can take some getting used to if you are from a drier part of Texas. Downtown has some nice restaurants, as do other parts of the city. There is not too much "night life" if you are much over the age of 27, although there are many arts opportunities, such as the Broadway Theatre League shows at the Morris. We also have the number 2 rated community theatre in the nation. Our library system (for a city this size) is AWESOME! We also have many opportunities to get involved in the community, from political groups to a pretty darned good barbershop (quartet style) chorus. The problem is that you will have to look for these things. I have seen people say things like "the only thing to do in South Bend is get drunk!" I firmly believe that they feel this way because they have not taken the initiative to find what there is to do in the community.

The people around here are GREAT! Of all of the metro areas I have lived in, this is by FAR the friendliest.

Overall, I'd have to say that South Bend is not too bad. It's not a big city, but it's not a small town either. Too many people move here from places like Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, DC, etc and expect it it have the amenities that these cities had. You won't find some of them. Get over it. Once you realize that, you'll be fine. Take it for what it is. A former industrial town that is trying to create a new identity for itself.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

Forget that. GO BLUE!!!

Oh not you didn't!!!

[Future Trooper]

Originally Posted by domergurl

Oh not you didn't!!!

O yes he did!