Seeking Family Friendly, Intelectual and Politically Moderate community/neighborhood in Carmel/Zionsville/Fishers (Indianapolis: safest neighborhood, high school)
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On the margin, I would like my daughters to play a sport or two in middle and high school. They love sports and are also strong academically. Carmel and Zionsville both seem to be good places to explore on our own.
One more plug for the small or mid-sized schools and potential sports participation is that 9 of 10 high school students are now lazy as heck.
Secondly, we grew up on mid-sized Midwetern towns where schools were 800-1500 students (3 to 4 grades), and now in California they are all 2500-4000, and kids start focusing on a single sport at age 12 to hopefully make 1 team in high school. It's ridiculous, so with 4,500 students at a place like Carmel it's probably smart to not make any extra effort to make a team at all - unless one is incredibly gifted; or perhaps just focus on acadmecis since our country is probalby too focused on sports anyway (i.e., compare our test scores on a global basis, nuff said), but that trend will never change unless governments at all levels really do go bankrupt and only have $ to pay teachers.
I would say that both Carmel and Zionsville are where you will want to live and I would consider both to be politically moderate. They are both very Republican, but that's only based on the citizens wanting low taxes, not social issues. Also, Zionsville is not really much further out than Carmel. As far as schools go, you can't possibly make a wrong decision, so I would just base it on where you find a better home.
Zionsville has long had a problem with parking and I have not noticed any changes for the better in that area. They could have made part of the park off First Street into parking for the old downtown village area but they haven't done so.
There is a rumor that Abraham LIncoln's train stopped in Zionsville when he was on his way to Washington, DC to be inaugurated. I hear that story from old-timers of Z'Ville.
My family is moving from the Southwest U.S. to Zionsville this summer for some of the reasons you mentioned. Good schools are a must, and I understand Carmel schools are tremendous, but they are just too big. I have a high schooler and I think she would be overwhelmed starting as a new student in a school that big and trying to make friends. We've been there, done that with the huge schools and found smaller high schools make better, closer-knit communities. It's harder to make close friends when you don't see them in school and that is a big concern moving in as a new student. I think it is probably much easier for students who grow up in Carmel from elementary school on. If I didn't have kids, I would seriously consider Carmel.
Sports are another factor - she is very good in her primary sport and I think can make a bigger impact in Zionsville. We're not looking for her to make the Olympics, but to have a fun, competitive extra-curricular sporting activity and I think Carmel would be too much. My only concern with Zionsville is should we rent instead of buy for the first year or 2. Is the market done falling?
well sunshineAlly i would say the market isn't done falling but in our area the prices for homes was low to begin with. So home values couldn't shave much off anyway even in this bad housing market Indy is selling homes cause it has the most affordable housing market in America. That just means you won't really see a huge change in the price of a home here
SunshineAlly - I'm curious to know what part of the Southwest you are moving from. My husband and I live in Tucson, AZ and we have two children - one who will be entering the 2nd grade and one who will be starting in kindergarten. We are contemplating a move next summer. I am originally from MI; I still have family there as well as in Chicago. I have become Indiana obsessed. The homes and prices seem great, but I am so cautious about moving my family. It would be different without the children. Just wondering if you have visited Indiana or what is prompting your move. Thanks. Any insight from those already living in Indiana would be great. I have be looking at Ft. Wayne, Avon, Carmel, and Fishers.
DaniR75 i would recommend moving to Indiana as soon as possible school doesn't start here until August and its easier for younger kids to forget the friends and move I would recommend the Indy area as they have the cheapest housing across the state and most activities and events/conventions. Suburbs of Indy also are nice too just depends how close to the city center you want to be.
SunshineAlly - I'm curious to know what part of the Southwest you are moving from. My husband and I live in Tucson, AZ and we have two children - one who will be entering the 2nd grade and one who will be starting in kindergarten. We are contemplating a move next summer. I am originally from MI; I still have family there as well as in Chicago. I have become Indiana obsessed. The homes and prices seem great, but I am so cautious about moving my family. It would be different without the children. Just wondering if you have visited Indiana or what is prompting your move. Thanks. Any insight from those already living in Indiana would be great. I have be looking at Ft. Wayne, Avon, Carmel, and Fishers.
Well Avon, Carmel, and Fishers are all suburbs of Indianapolis and Fort Wayne is its own city up in Northeast Indiana. Personally, I would live in the Indy suburbs before Fort Wayne because there is so much more to do in Indianapolis and it's pretty much the same distance to Chicago. There is also a lot more transportation options to Chicago if you didn't want to drive than there are from Fort Wayne. Out of the suburbs I would recommend Carmel. It has the most restaurants and is the only one with a well defined city center.
Why not look into northern Indiana if u must move to this armpit? The south bend, mishawaka, notre dame area is set up pretty well. I have lived in socal and I have explored Indiana as well and if you must be in this conservative insane laws of a state id say the areas I just mentioned. Indy, while a big city, really has nothing going on. It's a big more expensive version of south bend or any other town in this state. your going to get hoosiers slamming everyone else's recommendations, our nature is tension so get used to that too. But its not all bad, though I come off as an arrogant prick I really can say a few nice things about Indiana. It's cheap, there is a lot of empty space to get away and drive and fall is beautiful. It's not all bad but its much different than what your used to in the land of fruits and nuts.
Is the (Indy) market done falling? Well, I have data that shows a yea over year increase in home prices in the Indy area for the past 18 months. There was 1 month with a -2.6, and there is no explanation for that, but otherwise, it has been all positives.
What I mean is, if you look at January, for example: from 2008 to 2009 the average home price was down by -15.8% But when you look at 2010 vs 2009, the price is UP 5.6% and looking at 2011 vs 2010, it is UP again, 7.9%
The positive trend starts in December 2009, which was up 2.3% from December 2008, and has been in the positive numbers ever since, except for 1 month. So, to me, that shows that yes, we are done falling in Indy.
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