Information on Indiana requested... (Elkhart, Goshen: live, district, about)

[shifuimam]

I've lived in Indiana my entire life (Indianapolis for most of that time; Lafayette for the past year or so), so hopefully I can give you some good information.

Originally Posted by brightcopperkettles

What is the weather like in Indiana; specifically, what is life like in each of the seasons and why?

We get all four seasons here. Depending on the year, winters can be pretty brutal (IIRC it got down to -12 this past December) or mild (I remember one year it was 55 outside on Christmas Eve). Summers are usually hot, hot, hot and muggy. The one thing I really dislike about Indiana weather is the oppressive humidity that hits you some days in June, July, and August. This summer hasn't been too bad - it really just depends year-to-year.

Spring and fall are beautiful. Southern Indiana, particularly Brown County, is known for its stunning fall colors each year and attracts a lot of drivers coming down to take photos and whatnot. The climate is good if you're a gardener; my mother has grown all types of wildflowers and perennials at each of the homes she's owned throughout the years.

What are the people, homes, etc., like in general?

That really depends on the area. Where are you thinking about living? Indianapolis is a large city (twelfth largest in the US, last time I checked), but it's very suburban. The Indy downtown metro area is only about a mile square; the rest is suburbs for about ten miles in all directions, in addition to burbs outside the Indianapolis city limits. Fortunately, because of this, you can live rural without being too far away from things like supermarkets, hospitals, and the airport.

Being in the Midwest, there are parts of Indiana that are pretty conducive to a very low standard of living. The area in and around Gary is pretty rough for the most part; it has one of the highest capital murder rates in the union. I haven't lived in any of the very small, rural towns throughout the state; most of my life experience has been with Indianapolis and the surrounding area.

My husband and I are looking for a rural home (just a place we can have a large garden and a few chickens) near a town that has a nice small Methodist church, good shopping, a movie theater, hair salons, restaurants, etc. Any ideas?

Is the housing affordable? Anywhere that is nice for retirees who want to make friends and have a garden and a few chickens, etc.?

FWIW, I grew up in a town just East of Indianapolis called New Palestine. It's quite rural - we lived in an upper middle class neighborhood that was surrounded by corn and soybean fields for miles, but we were only a ten-minute drive from the loop around Indianapolis, and even closer to a major shopping area.

That entire quandrant of the Indy area has really grown in the past few years, and it's a good place to look if you want rural without being too far out in the middle of nowhere. One of my aunts had a small farm for awhile about half an hour outside Indianapolis where she raised chickens, horses, and beef and milk cows.

Of the four "sides" of Indianapolis, I really think the East side is your best bet - the north side(Fishers, Carmel, etc.) is upper middle class and pretty expensive, although it's certainly more developed than other areas, as it grew and was suburban-ized long before the other parts of Indy. The south side (Greenwood, Beech Grove, etc.) is turning into a junior version of the sorth side, with the cost-of-living rising and more upper middle-class developments. The west side should, in my opinion, be generally avoided - unless you go further outside Indy, the airport is over there, and it tends to be a pretty low-income area for quite a way outside the downtown part of Indy. Plus, although it sounds silly, if you want to go to Indy a lot, living on the west side means you're always driving into the sun, which can get annoying.

I personally would love an area that has an annual festival of some kind, a farmer's market, etc.

Any insight you all could give us would be helpful.

I've noticed that small towns within an hour of Indianapolis tend to do well in this area - Lafayette has a wide range of festivals and events throughout the year, in addition to a local farmer's market that runs three times a week when crops are in season.

I really like living in Lafayette, to be honest. I wasn't sure about it, having lived right downtown in Indianapolis for three years before moving up here (I changed jobs), but I've grown to like it here. It's not so small that I don't have access to places like Meijer and Kohl's and Target, but it's not as big as Indianapolis, and getting places is a lot faster. Plus, because Lafayette is a college town, the public bus system is very good. It's also only an hour north of Indianapolis, so it's no problem going into Indy for classical music from the ISO, or for family events (most of my extended family is in the Indianapolis area).

If you want a small town environment, I'd suggest considering Lafayette or Bloomington. Both house Indiana's two largest public universities, so there's more culture and things to do than other towns with a relatively equal population. Indiana's cost-of-living is pretty low across the board compared to other states, particularly comparing Indianapolis to other large cities.

Hope that helps!

[Hrtnurse1]

I have had the opportunity to live in the very busy Northwest Indiana area as well as Warsaw, Indiana now. I also visit Indy as my son lives there for college. Warsaw might be a really good match for you. Warsaw is both rural and town. There is alot of acreage, rolling hills, and farms on the outskirts of town. The town center is beautiful with a georgeous old courthouse, and lots of quaint shops. There are a TON of churches to choose from including Methodist. I believe there are two or three. We have a fair every July and the county fair grounds are in town. There are over 100 lakes in Kosciusko county as well as beautiful nature trails. We have a variety of resturaunts both chain and mom and pop shops, hair salons, a movie theater, bowling alleys, and a roller rink. The YMCA is great here with a ton of programs. There is a small hospital in town. Anything serious goes to large hospitals in Ft. Wayne. Center Lake located in the middle of town has a georgeous park along the lake as well as a botanical garden. There are frequently fairs at this area that are alot of fun. Winona Lake is a thriving up and coming town that is frequently grouped with Warsaw. It is centered around the lake and there are many upscale galleries and eatieries if that is your thing. Some fabulous food and great people there! The town is welcoming to newcomers as it is the orthopaedic capital of the world so we have a ton of well educated "transplants" here along with native Warsaw people. Warsaw is about 35 minutes from Ft. Wayne if you get the itch to go to the mall or other venues. It is an easy commute to Chicago as well as Indy. Although I sometimes miss the hustle and bustle of my hometown as well as family but I find them coming out to see me often to sit at the lake or hang out in our large wooded yard. Housing prices are very modest here. I am sure you will be able to find what you want as it is definitely a buyers market right now. Taxes are low too. You should come for a visit. There are several hotels in town. I recommend the Ramada as I stayed there when we did the town tour and the staff was very helpful in recommending places to visit and eat. If you have any questions just let me know.

[IndyMac]

There a lot of towns in Indiana like what you are looking for, probably none better than New Harmony. It's a small town of 1,000 along the Wabash River in Southern Indiana. They have several festivals throughout the year, a farmers market and several local restaurants. There are a lot of people that grow there own gardens, show you should fit right in. New Harmony even has it's own small cinema.

About 25 minutes away is Evansville, which is the third largest city in the state and has anything you would ever want. Evansville has several large festivals of it's own, including the best festival in Indiana, the annual West Side Nut Club Fall Festival.

Indiana has some of the most affordable housing in the country and most people I know that moved here were able to afford a bigger house than they moved from.

For the most part Hoosiers are friendly people who are welcoming and happy to get to know you or content leave you alone if that's what you want. And we love our basketball, especially high school and college.

New Harmony, Indiana
Historic New Harmony
West Side Nut Club Fall Festival

[Keith n Beth :-)]

I agree with Cobolt I lived in Seattle for 10 years but grew up in Illinois ...the midwest is just better in so many ways . I have lived for a short stint in San Antonio and it was nice but nothing like the quality of the heartland of the midwest . I can't wait to sell our house in Maine and move to Ft Wayne , and Cobolt home sounds like it's calling my friend .

[cdr18]

Keith n beth, what part of fort wayne are you looking to buy a house in? Have you been to Fort Wayne for awhile? It has really grown and the suburbs and becoming really desirable. Especially the Southwest and Northwest parts.

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by brightcopperkettles

What is the weather like in Indiana; specifically, what is life like in each of the seasons and why?

What are the people, homes, etc., like in general?

My husband and I are thinking seriously about selling our home and moving, but we are not sure where. We have thought about Midwest as it is halfway between WA and SC.

I just got a job (working from home) for a company in Indiana, and I was wondering if this would be a good place for us to live. My husband is retired (he was a Seattle firefighter), and I still work.

My husband and I are looking for a rural home (just a place we can have a large garden and a few chickens) near a town that has a nice small Methodist church, good shopping, a movie theater, hair salons, restaurants, etc. Any ideas?

Is the housing affordable? Anywhere that is nice for retirees who want to make friends and have a garden and a few chickens, etc.?

I personally would love an area that has an annual festival of some kind, a farmer's market, etc.

Any insight you all could give us would be helpful.

From what you describe on wants, I think Indiana might be for you. I live in the northern part of the state, just outside South Bend. I live in the burbs although it is semi rural. I think you are going to have many options open to you that finding where you want to go in Indiana, might take some time. The weather in Northern Indiana can be quite gloomy but when the sun shines, it really can be nice. Lots of farmer's markets and I find the food at the stores to be quite superb because many of the grocery stores buy veggies and meats locally. I really like that cuss how many times has there been issues with food imported from places like Mexico? I prefer food from hardworking farmers in the area. Amish markets are wonderful as well. Good luck. Hoosiers are quite friendly and will offer any advice you need on here.

[cdr18]

Originally Posted by fallingwater

From what you describe on wants, I think Indiana might be for you. I live in the northern part of the state, just outside South Bend. I live in the burbs although it is semi rural. I think you are going to have many options open to you that finding where you want to go in Indiana, might take some time. The weather in Northern Indiana can be quite gloomy but when the sun shines, it really can be nice. Lots of farmer's markets and I find the food at the stores to be quite superb because many of the grocery stores buy veggies and meats locally. I really like that cuss how many times has there been issues with food imported from places like Mexico? I prefer food from hardworking farmers in the area. Amish markets are wonderful as well. Good luck. Hoosiers are quite friendly and will offer any advice you need on here.

I grew up south of Elkhart but that is so funny that you mention the fruits and vegetables. Now I live in Fort Wayne and the vegetables, at least where I shop now, don't seem to be as fresh as what I grew up with. Maybe it is just me, but when I lived there I loved shopping at Martin's Supermarkets. I think they have the best produce of any grocer I have experienced with. Where do you go shopping?

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by cdr18

I grew up south of Elkhart but that is so funny that you mention the fruits and vegetables. Now I live in Fort Wayne and the vegetables, at least where I shop now, don't seem to be as fresh as what I grew up with. Maybe it is just me, but when I lived there I loved shopping at Martin's Supermarkets. I think they have the best produce of any grocer I have experienced with. Where do you go shopping?

I shop at Martin's! I love that store. They have awesome customer service as well. As much as I complain about how Indiana gets on my nerves, I have no complaints about the food.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by cdr18

I grew up south of Elkhart but that is so funny that you mention the fruits and vegetables. Now I live in Fort Wayne and the vegetables, at least where I shop now, don't seem to be as fresh as what I grew up with. Maybe it is just me, but when I lived there I loved shopping at Martin's Supermarkets. I think they have the best produce of any grocer I have experienced with. Where do you go shopping?

south of elkhart? me too!

[girlbuffalo1]

I'm from Lafayette and it's great--big enough (especially including Purdue and West Lafayette) for some events and shopping and small enough to not get lost or really have any 'bad' parts of town--the average home here (3 bd 2 bath newer in a subdivision) is probably around $130k (can go higher or lower depending on what you want