Should I move to Ft. Wayne? (Fort Wayne, New Haven: real estate, crime, how much)

[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

[LateNight]

Hi, I'm a native of Fort Wayne, and lived their till 2005. Moving to the San Diego / LA area next year ironically enough. It's been a few years since I've made a visit, though I still have storage there. In a nutshell though, it fancies itself as a city on the move. You may recall that it's a larger city, but with a small town feel. That still holds true. The public library is world class, and completed a major development in the last couple of years. The downtown continues to be almost exclusivley a business district / work area, and is still lacking in culture and nightlife, though some may be found, a coffee house here and there and decent pubs. A new minor league baseball stadium has been erected downtown for some reason, even though there already is one near the War Memorial Coluseum. Even still, most everything remains on the outside, like a big doughnut. Malls, shops, entertainment, restaurants ( mostly chains and middle of the road fair. Chili's, Applebee's Pizza Hut, etc. ) which is not bad in and of itself. Crime is relatively low, even downtown is safe after dark. It is a prosperous feeling, if somewhat conservative city, a good stable place for a family, has a solid middle to upper middle class population, and the cost of living would be a massive breath of fresh air after living in San Diego. When I moved away, I noticed just how much of a rip-off real estate is around the rest of the country. It really is affordable in Fort Wayne. I wanted to get out of Fort Wayne so much, but there are things about FW that I miss. I never had anything against the town as a geographical location, but it's a big world out there you know?

I feel that if you were to move back to the midwest, you wouldn't regret it. You know what to expect, and you seem like someone who would do good to come home. Hope this helps you, Good luck!

[mslina]

Thanks for replying! I always loved the "feel" of Ft. Wayne. Living in California has made me realize that I am not a beach girl...don't get me wrong it is beautiful out here but it is expensive and I really miss the change of seasons. And it really is a different style of living out here. I am really looking forward to my move back to the mid-west. Thanks again for your reply!!

[mizsandy7]

Hi, I live in the SWest part of Ft Wayne and really like it. I also enjoyed the N side when I lived there. Avoid the South side Especially Anthony Blvd South. Lots of trouble there. And I agree with LAteNight It is a really nice town or rather city. Second largest in Indiana! Love the library! If you can't get to the main library you can always go to the branches and even have books ordered to be picked up at your favorite branch. Ft Wayne is a kids friendly town. Lots for them to do . If you want to be closer to Ohio there's always New Haven just on the eastern edge of Ft Wayne. Don't know much about that area.
Having said all of that, we are moving away to North Carolina! Why? Because my kids are going to college there and we're getting to old for the winters here.

[rrtechno]

I don't live in Ft. Wayne, but we do get there on a fairly regular basis, living about 50 miles away in a small town in extreme NW Ohio. My SIL has worked in the medical field for many years in Ft. Wayne, although she lives near Angola. (Decided to get rid of one of her houses and kept the one at the lake.) Most of the time now when we go to Ft. Wayne, we stay pretty much on the NE side, passing numerous new hospitals and medical facilities on our way in, although we do venture downtown and to the west side occasionally. (Embassy Theater and Jefferson Point specifically) The baseball field at the coliseum is gone now since the new one downtown is finished. There is more in the plans for downtown, but the overall economy has slowed that project down a little. There are a number of people in our town who work in Ft. Wayne because they like their jobs there, but prefer to live in a smaller town. Most of them grew up here. It takes them about an hour to get to work each day.

Our days of traveling to Ft. Wayne are hopefully limited though. We have nothing against the town, but we are both retired and have decided to sell our house and move to be nearer to our kids. So as soon as we sell, we will be moving. I think though, if time permits, we will still make at least one more trip to just drive around there for one final look.

[mslina]

Thanks everyone for all your advice and input!! From what I am hearing, it just makes it more clear that Ft.Wayne is for me! Of course, with a lot of planning and praying I know this can be done! It's just scary and exciting at the same time. I just want to make sure that it's going to be the right move for me and my daughter. So, does anyone else agree that the south side is not the best area??

[fabumom07]

I think Ft Wayne is an excellent place to raise children. There are several excellent school districts on the outskirts of town, you can afford to buy a home more than So Cal , and there are many family friendly things to do, especially for young children- the Zoo, Science Central, various parks and YMCA facilities that are really nice. My mother moved back home to Ft Wayne after getting her degree at SDSU (divorced- Dad never left So Cal) and I really loved being close to family, and I adjusted fine to the weather- kids love the snow!!

Another benefit, mom could only find flaky men to date in San Diego, and within a few years of living here met her current husband, they are still married 25 years later. There is something about a solid Midwestern man! All the best, fabumom07

[m22]

Three generations of my family have lived in Fort Wayne and I think it's just great - so much to do & South Side is not that bad. That's where my family lives and it still feels safe for the most part. Great deals on homes.

[mbuszu]

My wife and I moved from NYC to Fort Wayne a few years ago and do not regret the move at all... it is a great place to start or raise a family, the cost of living is awesome, the variety of places to go and things to do is immense, and the people in the midwest are awesomely nice. The weather here has been like paradise the past year and generally since we've lived in Fort Wayne we've come to expect relatively mild winters and good weather for most of the year.

I've posted a lot about Fort Wayne the past few years and highly recommend looking for a place in SouthWest Fort Wayne. Any of the SW Allen County elementary schools would be excellent for your soon-to-be-Kindergartner.

[brainiac138]

I can't really say anything else that other folks have not already said. The SW side is great for raising a family, however, the North side might be more affordable. Also, the SW side is very, very suburban feeling and kind of boring, but good for a family. Also, not all the South side of Fort Wayne is horrible, actually none of it is horrible, horrible like South Side of Chicago horrible, but still, you really need to just drive around neighborhoods in the afternoon and see what kind of feel they have.