Fort Wayne vs. South Bend? (Indianapolis, Mishawaka: real estate, house, neighborhood)

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by FutureDomer

Really?? I must have mis-interpreted this post from 9/4/06.

Yep, you did.

[FutureDomer]

Originally Posted by diggitydot

Yep, you did.

Please tell me how I misinterpreted the post. You stated on 9/4/6 that you will be relocating to South Bend for your husband's residency. Here's the whole post:


"My family and I will be relocating to from AZ to South Bend, IN for my husband's residency. Can anyone help with which areas are more desirable to live in than others. By the time we move, our three kids will be ages 12, 8, and 6 so schools are a definite consideration.

My husband wants to live as close as possible to the hospital he'll be working at, but I'm leery of moving into an area only because of it's proximity to his work.

Is there anyone out there familiar with South Bend?"

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by FutureDomer

Please tell me how I misinterpreted the post. You stated on 9/4/6 that you will be relocating to South Bend for your husband's residency. Here's the whole post:


"My family and I will be relocating to from AZ to South Bend, IN for my husband's residency. Can anyone help with which areas are more desirable to live in than others. By the time we move, our three kids will be ages 12, 8, and 6 so schools are a definite consideration.

My husband wants to live as close as possible to the hospital he'll be working at, but I'm leery of moving into an area only because of it's proximity to his work.

Is there anyone out there familiar with South Bend?"

I know exactly what I posted. Not once did I ever give a date that we'd be moving, just my kids' ages when we did. And since that posting last year, he's been heavily recruited by another hospital in Ft. Wayne so that has now become a consideration where it wasn't before.

I'm sorry, but I feel no need to delve into all the details and specifics of his education, class ranking, specialty and recruitments. And frankly, it isn't any of your business, anyway.

Why do you have an issue with this?

[Activ8a]

I've lived in both cities, so here are my views on both:


Fort Wayne:


Somewhat larger, with one main central city.

Bigger/Better malls. More restaurants and shopping. More concerts and live music.

More diversity in terms of immigrants from many other ethnicities, particularly East African (Sudan), Southeast Asian (Laotian, Burmese, etc.), and Eastern European (Bosnian, Croatian). Proud to be a city of immigrants and refugees.

Somewhat less Black/Hispanic influence city-wide (other than south side and near downtown), but somewhat integrated, and there aren't so many racially-hostile, overwhelmingly White suburbs like South Bend has.

More middle-class.

Somewhat generic, "All-American" feel, yet decent to raise a family.







South Bend:


A little smaller, with a little more small-town "community" feel (although South Bend seems isolated from the suburbs to the east, which are sort of separate communities). Part of a string of medium-sized cities.

Has Notre Dame and a college-town feel on the north side.

Somewhat more Hispanic influence; smaller Black population, yet higher Black percentage in the city itself.

More Black and Hispanic influence, with much integration in the city itself; yet suburbs are very segregated, with lots of racist attitudes!

Sort of lower-middle-class, but with various community organizations (such as Catholic ones) living out their faith and uniting to help the poor.

Poorer, yet a little more unique because of tradition and names like Notre Dame and Studebaker.




My conclusion:


Fort Wayne is somewhat more thriving and built-up and has more things to do in the city itself, and is probably a little more open-minded over all (less racial tensions, less racist police, etc.). South Bend is closer to Chicago, and South Bend has a smaller-town community feel with lots of tradition, and the city itself is fairly integrated (schools, etc).

I can honestly say either city is a decent choice, but if you move to the South Bend area, I would STRONGLY recommend you live in South Bend itself or Granger, or possibly Northern Mishawaka. (Mishawaka south of Jefferson Street, as well as Osceola, Elkhart, and Goshen to the east, are quite racist and narrow-minded, with a lot of ku klux klan presence as well.)

But Fort Wayne, or South Bend itself (and possibly Granger or the NORTH side of Mishawaka), are both decent choices.

[jgean]

Act.....KKK presence? I heard about it quite a few years ago. I don't think there are any racial tensions here. I live south of Jefferson and in Mishawaka all my life and have never seen a cross burning in a yard. Anywhere in Mishawaka would be a good choice, me personaly, I would stay out of South Bend for the most part.

[Christy1201]

I grew up in Mishawaka a Suburb off of South Bend...you can be 15-20 minutes from just about anything you want. You should check out Mishawaka and Granger, they are nearby towns that all feed into South Bend and are considered part of the Michiana Community. You have Notre Dame right there, so you can be part of the action. Grape Road in Mishawaka has about anything you could ask for in shopping, restaurants and more! Give me an email if you want more information. If you have kids, you want the Penn District without a doubt. They are the best at everything there!

[ShadowCaver]

Originally Posted by Christy1201

I grew up in Mishawaka a Suburb off of South Bend...you can be 15-20 minutes from just about anything you want. You should check out Mishawaka and Granger, they are nearby towns that all feed into South Bend and are considered part of the Michiana Community. You have Notre Dame right there, so you can be part of the action. Grape Road in Mishawaka has about anything you could ask for in shopping, restaurants and more! Give me an email if you want more information. If you have kids, you want the Penn District without a doubt. They are the best at everything there!

What are some good restaurants [locally owned type, not chain] that you'd recommend? Thanks!

[domergurl]

I liked the food at Mishawaka Brewing Company on Main Street

[je,0701]

Tippecanoe Place, LaSalle Grill, Between the Buns (chain but not national), Bonefish (part of the company that owns Outback, but the Bangin Shrimp is the bomb), Fiddler's Hearth, Matuba (heard they have good sushi but haven't been there yet), Mishawaka Brewing (love the portabella sandwich . . . and the beer), Star of India, The Vine (actually heard the Elkhart location has better food), and Yesterdays in Granger evidently has the best dessert!

[Christy1201]

To answer your question, they did a good job about answering questions, but one I really like is Tap N Grill in Granger. They have this steak for two, they use to have a special that if you and one other person can eat it all, it's free. The food is good and the atmosphere is fun. Try it out!