Moving to Indy for Work in August (Indianapolis, Butler: cheap apartment, safe area)

[boiler1989]

Hi,

I am starting a new job In Indianapolis and I am looking for somewhere to live ( relatively safe, clean, ect). I am a single 23 year old and I will be working off of 86th street. My budget is between $500-675 for a studio/ 1 bedroom. Does anyone have any suggestions for apartment complexes? I've tried apartmentratings.com but some of the reviews are plain scary! I would prefer something that isn't too far north. I would to be able to access downtown and Broad Ripple within a 15-20 car ride.

Thanks in advance!

[domergurl]

why not live downtown or in Broad Ripple? There is a series of apartment complexes between 96th and 82nd on Allisonville Road that seem to be nice ... not sure of the price, but I think the location would be aces for you.

[ischyros]

What side of town will you be working on since 86th St essentially crosses all the way across the north side? There are a lot of apartments on both the northeast side around Castleton and the northwest side around College Park. Both areas have a LOT of traffic but they're both relatively safe areas. Castleton would have slightly better access to Broad Ripple and both sides have about the same access to downtown.

[sweetana3]

Check out Northview apartments across from North Central High School on 86th right between Keystone at the Crossing mall area and Nora shopping area. Quiet, clean, renovated, studios under $600. I love the location since you can walk down to Whole Foods, Kroger Grocery, Marsh Grocery, Target, Pizzology (end of year), Starbucks, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. It is not a huge development and always looks immaculate. Sidewalks in both directions all the way.

I did a google search and found Indianapolis Apartments at Northview Apts located in Nora, Managed By Barrett & Stokely to be their website.

[chalcedony]

Plenty of good apartments on the north side, interspersed with some not-so-good. I've found that apartmentratings.com tends to sway heavily to the horror stories, meaning that people don't post much of anything if they're having a good experience. On the north side, as in most of the city, you get what you pay for: if it seems unusually cheap given the location or appearance, chances are there is trouble within. Some complexes look just fine from the outside but are becoming concentrated ghettoes; others are just fine. Bear in mind that it may take longer than 15-20 minutes to get downtown during rush hour if you are around Castleton or Nora, so it depends on how important that is for you.

Another option might be apartment complexes in neighborhoods between DT and Broadripple, such as Meridian Kessler, Butler Tarkington, Fall Creek Place, Mapleton, Herron Morton, or Old Northside. These are going to be even more hit-or-miss, but since these neighborhoods are all on the upswing, most of the recently renovated apartments are going to be very nice, and are probably still cheaper because they are closer to rougher areas. And yes, Herron Morton and Fall Creek Place in particular are good neighborhoods that border rough ones: bear that in mind but don't rule them out if you're looking for a location that is equidistant from Broad Ripple or Downtown.

You could also live in Broad Ripple itself, though those tend to be overpriced for the quality. A cheap apartment there might not be ghetto, but it is likely to be sort of dumpy.