Should I move to Ft. Wayne? (Fort Wayne: live, winters, adult)

[Interpol76]

I was born and raised in Fort Wayne, and I found it to be an extremely dull, gray, boring city with absoutely nothing to do for a guy my age (20-something) to do. Fort Wayne is also a stereotypical conservative, soccer mom type of a city, lacking culture with a very snobby to downright mean sort of vibe. But, If you are a conservative, obsessed with sports, love strip clubs, chain restaurants and box store shopping then Fort Wayne is paradise on earth. The weather here is awful too....disgustingly sticky and hot in the summer and freezing during the winter months. The only decent months in Fort Wayne weatherwise is late September to mid/late November where dew point levels are suppressed and the wind chill isnt cracking your skin yet.

[sandynorthrop]

Originally Posted by mslina

Hi all! I am in the process of finding a city to relocate to. I am currently living in San Diego, Ca...I know what some may say or think "why leave?" Well, I have many reasons why...one major reason I just don't like it. I was born in Ohio and raised in Northwest Indiana and I really miss the mid-west. It's been a while since I've been to Fort Wayne so I just wanted to know what people think about it. I have a lot of family who live in a small town in Ohio that is only about 45 minutes away and I work in the health care field and I have a daughter who will be starting school next year. So, I am really curious to hear what people think of it, that actually live there. Any and all information will be greatly appreciated

[brainiac138]

Originally Posted by Interpol76

I was born and raised in Fort Wayne, and I found it to be an extremely dull, gray, boring city with absoutely nothing to do for a guy my age (20-something) to do. Fort Wayne is also a stereotypical conservative, soccer mom type of a city, lacking culture with a very snobby to downright mean sort of vibe. But, If you are a conservative, obsessed with sports, love strip clubs, chain restaurants and box store shopping then Fort Wayne is paradise on earth. The weather here is awful too....disgustingly sticky and hot in the summer and freezing during the winter months. The only decent months in Fort Wayne weatherwise is late September to mid/late November where dew point levels are suppressed and the wind chill isnt cracking your skin yet.

so is L.A. if you don't go out and look for what the town has to offer. While I agree with Fort Wayne's dependence on big chain stories, I have to say that there is way more than the conservative, boring stereotype. For one thing Fort Wayne has a really vibrant art and music scene. Also, the park department is actually pretty phenomenal for a city of its size. You seem to forget about all the programs the library runs, as well as all their resources. Speaking as someone who has living in Chicago, L.A., and Fort Wayne, all in my 20s, all in the last few years, I have to say Fort Wayne is not that bad, and at times, I miss the vibe it has.

[LateNight]

Originally Posted by Interpol76

I was born and raised in Fort Wayne, and I found it to be an extremely dull, gray, boring city with absoutely nothing to do for a guy my age (20-something) to do. Fort Wayne is also a stereotypical conservative, soccer mom type of a city, lacking culture with a very snobby to downright mean sort of vibe. But, If you are a conservative, obsessed with sports, love strip clubs, chain restaurants and box store shopping then Fort Wayne is paradise on earth. The weather here is awful too....disgustingly sticky and hot in the summer and freezing during the winter months. The only decent months in Fort Wayne weatherwise is late September to mid/late November where dew point levels are suppressed and the wind chill isnt cracking your skin yet.

This view of Fort Wayne sounds familiar. It's the kind of city the kids and younger people love to rag on, but you really have to see other places to appreciate the stable qualities that FW has. It's not Las Vegas, but neither is Vegas really. And believe it or not, Fort Wayne is where all the people from surrounding areas come to party. Fort Wayne is the kind of city you move to when have all the pee and vineger is out of your system, and you just want a nice, comfortable life - LOL, and there is nothing wrong with that. You just have to see how out of whack other cities can be, and then see how easy it is to live in FW. I agree with Braniac's points as well.

[keginthecloset]

Fort Wayne has some good and bad things just like any other city. Here is my opinion, in my early 20s if that matters. I'll start with the bad.

Bad:
- Weather
I CANNOT stand the winter weather. Actually this summer was cold Forth of July was in the high 60s so much for the summer! Anyways though I hate snow and cold weather (Freezing Rain) it is awful to drive in
- Set Up
I don't like the way Fort Wayne is set up. Everything is spread out. I think a lot of big cities you can take the interstate from one part of town to the next but you can't really do that in Fort Wayne. For example I live just south of Fort Wayne and go to school there but I don't take the interstate there like I would rather do because the school is located 15 minutes off the interstate like everything else.
Due to this IMO Fort Wayne is like driving in a small town with all the stop lights only with big city population traffic. BAD combination.
- Unqiue
As someone else said it's pretty much all chain stores. So in terms of stores/restaurants you aren't getting anything special here.

Good:
- Safety
Overall it's a safe city and good to raise a family. As someone else said though stay away from Anthony Blvd.
- Cost of Living
It's affordable, what more can I say?
- Entertainment
One of the best cities for minor league sports there is a hockey, baseball, basketball and I think there is still a football team too. Plus some good concerts well mostly country and rock concerts. I don't think a lot of hip hop. They just raised the roof on the Colesium within the last few years and that has drawn some big names for example I saw Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith after they did that and I doubt either would have came to Fort Wayne had they not raised the roof.
- Location
It's like right in the middle of Indy, Chicago, Detroit, and Columbus which is nice. Plus if you like the lakes you just have to drive half an hour north and there are ALOT of lakes to enjoy. So buy a boat!
- Education
Some good schools for kids plus a lot of colleges. Ivy Tech, IPFW, Indiana Tech, Saint Francis, plus more.

I think that while it is bad right now the downtown area will be a good thing in the near future. I think the new baseball stadium is a great start and there has been a lot of talk of getting a casino and I believe they will have one before long. So hopefully they continue to develop the downtown and make it something special and a must see part of town.

I am ready to graduate college hopefully next spring and move on then. There are parts I like about the Fort Wayne area it's home and I fit in I guess you could say but i'm ready for something different. I mostly just want to get away from the snow and cold winters but even if I stay in Indiana it would probably be Indy. The Colts and Pacers are there plus it would be something new and exciting for me. But hey from what I can tell it sounds like Fort Wayne might be a good choice for you.

[wintergrace]

Originally Posted by brainiac138

so is L.A. if you don't go out and look for what the town has to offer. While I agree with Fort Wayne's dependence on big chain stories, I have to say that there is way more than the conservative, boring stereotype. For one thing Fort Wayne has a really vibrant art and music scene. Also, the park department is actually pretty phenomenal for a city of its size. You seem to forget about all the programs the library runs, as well as all their resources. Speaking as someone who has living in Chicago, L.A., and Fort Wayne, all in my 20s, all in the last few years, I have to say Fort Wayne is not that bad, and at times, I miss the vibe it has.

I am considering moving to Ft Wayne and wondered if anyone could say more about the arts and music scene? I know there's a symphony...any jazz? How about art galleries, gallery crawls, artist groups? Any info you could provide would be appreciated.

[wintergrace]

Originally Posted by keginthecloset

Fort Wayne has some good and bad things just like any other city. Here is my opinion, in my early 20s if that matters. I'll start with the bad.

Bad:
- Weather
I CANNOT stand the winter weather. Actually this summer was cold Forth of July was in the high 60s so much for the summer! Anyways though I hate snow and cold weather (Freezing Rain) it is awful to drive in
.

I have been living in the South for 10+ years...what is freezing rain like in Ft Wayne? Does it make the roads dangerously icy (with thick ice or black ice?) or is it just miserable to look at and feel? Please advice...I'm considering living in Ft Wayne and working in Warsaw...freezing rain sounds like this might be a bad idea.

[keginthecloset]

Originally Posted by wintergrace

I have been living in the South for 10+ years...what is freezing rain like in Ft Wayne? Does it make the roads dangerously icy (with thick ice or black ice?) or is it just miserable to look at and feel? Please advice...I'm considering living in Ft Wayne and working in Warsaw...freezing rain sounds like this might be a bad idea.

Freezing rain is no fun to drive in it does make it dangerously icy. It's worse to drive in then snow. With that said I know someone who lived in Tennessee and asked him how the winters comapred and he told me, this is just his opinion, that it snows more in Indiana but in Tennessee they get more freezing rain and he would rather have the Indiana winter.

No matter where you move if it snows there is going to be freezing rain I would think. I don't think Indiana is as bad as some other places but it does happen here and it is dangerous to drive on. I'm not trying to scare you into not moving here just being honest.

If it was me i'd want to live close to where I work if you get snow. There are people who drive 30-45 minutes one day to work and I drive it for school and it's no fun in the winter time. That's something I would consider is living as close to work as you can while being comfortable/happy.

[mizsandy7]

Every town has its goods and bads. All are right in saying the Fort is a good place for family. I stated the South side is bad because there seems to be more shootings there than anywhere else. And a lot of it appears to be gang or domestic related. And not all of the south side. I look at the weekly crime section in the newspaper and it always seems to be around the Anthony ,McKinnee St area. We found the housing prices are wonderful, and it all depends on weather you want the city feel, (historical Ft wayne downtown is great, closer to the main library and ball park) or suburban N,NE,SW sides are great. Also theres is a smaller area called Waynesdale which is south , closer to the airport and its ok. Jefferson Point a main shopping area as well as Glenbrook Mall. But there are lots of other smaller shopping areas that also are great! As you can see, it's an all around town. My daughters and I like Marshall store which is NE. Lots of good prices . Good luck!

[cdr18]

As a college student, I would highly recommend FW to move here. It has a great healthcare system, great colleges (I actually attend IPFW, and it is growing by 10-15% every year). Especially for kids, this is an ideal sized city for a family. The things I like most about Fort Wayne is the historic feel you get. Yes, there are blighted areas, but for the most part the city of FW does a great job of cleaning those up. I mean come on, it is in the Midwest and we all know how many factories were once here. HOwever, Fort Wayne takes great strides to clean up the blight in the city. Another positive for Fort Wayne is the suburban areas. Whether it be the Northeast, Northwest, or Southwest, all our great places to raise a family. Also, the bike system in Fort Wayne is amazing compared to where I grew up. It seems like every year they are adding on to the Rivergreenway and Aboite new trails. Plenty of churches also in the area. Also, a thing to note, that Fort Wayne has grown significantly in the past couple years. I know that was through annexation but Allen County has actually grown quite significantly as well. Everyone wants to be in a city that is growing, correct?

This is kind of a side note, but how massive is that hospital going to be on I69 and Dupont. The crane seems to be 50 stories high. I have never seen that type of project in Fort Wayne EVER!!