West of Indy - Drive times and neighborhoods (Indianapolis, Marion: houses, lease)

[Coldroom]

My wife and I will be moving to the Indy area in a couple of months, as I will be starting grad school at IUPUI. We are looking to buy a decent 3 bedroom house under or around $100K. We have really taken a liking to the west side of Marion and into Hendricks county...specifically the Avon/Brownsburg/Plainfield area (especially Avon). What is traffic like and what kind of drive time can I expect each day to and from the campus?

As stated, we have been pleased with Hendricks county towns, as they have been well-kept, convenient and somewhat self-contained, and reportedly overall safe and pleasant. However, during our trips up to Indy to check out neighborhoods, areas on the west side of Indy look ok as well, and there are houses for sale in our range (and they are closer to campus). Any tips on areas to stay away from on the west side? I have heard from a few people to shy away from areas inside 465 on the west side, but we found the Eagle Creek area charming. Just wanting to verify some of this information and get some more input. Thanks!

[acegirl]

Hi, I'm from Hendricks County & have lived in both Plainfield & Avon. You really can't go wrong in Hendricks County. Brownsburg, Avon & Plainfield are all great towns Avon (where we lived for the past 6 years before moving) is growing like crazy & probably has more traffic issues than other places in HC. It's not really THAT bad but for those of us who have seen it grow from nothing but cornfields along US36 to back to back retail, it is a big change. If you are going to have children one day, HC has wonderful schools as well. Plainfield is great too & you can take I-70- straight shot to downtown.

Can't tell you much about Marion County. Eagle creek is fine for some but it's a little too much in the mix for me. I like small town living Not sure about commute times either. Gosh, guess I didn't answer your questions but just wanted to give a plug for Hendricks County, lol....

[DC 38]

Originally Posted by Coldroom

My wife and I will be moving to the Indy area in a couple of months, as I will be starting grad school at IUPUI. We are looking to buy a decent 3 bedroom house under or around $100K. We have really taken a liking to the west side of Marion and into Hendricks county...specifically the Avon/Brownsburg/Plainfield area (especially Avon). What is traffic like and what kind of drive time can I expect each day to and from the campus?

As stated, we have been pleased with Hendricks county towns, as they have been well-kept, convenient and somewhat self-contained, and reportedly overall safe and pleasant. However, during our trips up to Indy to check out neighborhoods, areas on the west side of Indy look ok as well, and there are houses for sale in our range (and they are closer to campus). Any tips on areas to stay away from on the west side? I have heard from a few people to shy away from areas inside 465 on the west side, but we found the Eagle Creek area charming. Just wanting to verify some of this information and get some more input. Thanks!

Me personaly, I would shy away from many areas that are inside 465 on the west side, with some exceptions, such as Speedway. Speedway has several houses for sale in $70K -120K, and, statistically speaking anyway, is one of the safest areas of Marion County (I am not one for excess reliance on crime stats, but it is something to think about). My lady pal lives in the Eagle Creek area and likes it. She lives off of 46th and EC parkway. Nice area. She has lived there for about 3 or so years, never had any problems. However, south of 56th Street and down to Speedway, it is like a whole other world inside 465. But those problems do not seem to spill over into the Eagle Creek area.

[MikiJayne]

I live and work in Avon, and I love it here. What I love about Avon is that is really has everything I need in terms of shopping and restaurants and entertainment for me and my family. If I need more, I can head to the mall in Plainfield or be downtown in about 20 minutes. You can take Rockville Road (aka US 36, which runs right through the middle of Avon) pretty much right into downtown Indy. It joins up with Washington (US 40)

I used to be a teacher, so schools are really important to me, and I've been very impressed so far. I have a first grader.

The neighborhoods... For your price range, you will be just fine. There are several options to choose from. Check out MIBOR.com, our local board of Realtor website (NOT my personal site). Linden Square, Austin Lakes, Lakeland Farms, Avon Trails all are on the East side of Avon, which will make your commute easier, but are good neighborhoods where you will find nice little ranches in your price range.

[Coldroom]

Thanks for the advice and information. Mibor.com turned out to be very useful, and we found a few properties in the Avon area we hadn't seen before. Looks like we have a list of homes to check out if and when we head up to Indy and the Hendricks county area this weekend.

For those who live near, or know a bit about, the Eagle Creek area or the other western areas Marion county, where are the closest grocery, retail...basic shopping areas for residents in such areas? Avon seems self-contained, but we haven't oriented ourselves in Indianapolis enough to know where, for instance, Eagle Creek residents go to shop for groceries and such. Thanks again everyone. I appreciate your assistance.

[DC 38]

Originally Posted by Coldroom

For those who live near, or know a bit about, the Eagle Creek area or the other western areas Marion county, where are the closest grocery, retail...basic shopping areas for residents in such areas? Avon seems self-contained, but we haven't oriented ourselves in Indianapolis enough to know where, for instance, Eagle Creek residents go to shop for groceries and such. Thanks again everyone. I appreciate your assistance.

It depends what part of Eagle Creek you are talking about. Where my lady pal lives, there is a Marsh and a Target on 38th Street. There are also several restaurants in that area right around the intersection of 38th and Eagle Creek Parkway. There are also some restaurants and stores (such as Finish Line and Kohl's) along Crawfordsville Road in Speedway that she frequents. The closest mall worth visiting is in Plainfield, which also has a very nice movie theater.