Bloomington or West Lafayette, IN? (Indianapolis, Hope: houses, neighborhoods, YMCA)

[mostarky]

Our family of six (mom, dad, 4 young kids) have an opportunity to move to either Bloomington and W. Lafayette, IN. We've visited both places. From our humble observation, it seems that Bloomington has a bit more artsy, southern charm feel to it whereas Purdue is nice in a Chicago suburb kind of way? (We're orig. from Chicago suburbs). Is this correct?

Also, would it be correct to say that Bloomington has a bit more of a rural feel to it as compared to W. Lafayette? Sorry if I am way off on this.

If anyone could give some insights on either place for a young family like ours - school, homes, community, etc. that would be very appreciated. Thank you!

[cdr18]

Well, both are great cities due to the college universities. They have both experienced modest growth over the last few years. Bloomington is a bit more artsy, has great architecture (on campus), and obviously a big college town. West Lafayette is very nice as well, but is strictly the college town. If I were to move to that area, I would probably live in the Lafayette area. The main difference between the two cities is that Lafayette relies more on manufacturing whereas Bloomington, although does have manufacturing, is primarily a college town. Both have great houses and are definitely higher up in the income. As far as for raising a family, I think you will find more opportunity in Lafayette, but that is just my opinion.

They are both somewhat rural. Lafayette's proximity to Indianapolis and Chicago obviously is a plus. Bloomington's proximity to Indianapolis is great, but if you were to go South, it does get very rural. I determine a city that is rural when they have generally a one hour radius of cornfields and farms around them.

Hope this helps a little?

Let me know if you have any more questions.
I am assuming that your husband or you is a professor?

[gimme it]

We have only seen Bloomington, but we loved it. It has a great library, downtown, university campus that is beautiful, lots of good restaurants, nice neighborhoods, a great YMCA, lots of cultural stuff, lots of activities for families and kids. It's the job situation that will keep us away, otherwise it's a frontrunner in terms of relocating.

PS- I forgot mention the easy access to Lake Monroe, Brown County State Park and the town of Nashville. The lakes are a big draw for us.

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Someone else had asked the same question here: http://www.city-data.com/forum/india...ayfayette.html

In short, if I had a choice and pay was comparable, I'd definitely choose Bloomington and I've lived in or near both places.