Most dangerous neighborhood in Indianapolis? (Franklin, Hope: best neighborhoods, leases, crimes)

[Ravekid]

Originally Posted by Yeppity

This is what's been eating away at me. I grew up all over the Eastside, and we have lived in the Christian Park area for 21 years now. Our street is on the downward side of the "process."

They rent them out for $600-$700 a month, and don't care what kind of people the tenants are.

The "tenants" who moved in don't seem to work, sit out in the front yard drinking literally all day, and have had various sundry nuisance issues that have resulted in the police getting called on them (not by me, though) 4 times in the last month. I suspect they're selling drugs due to the high volume of traffic to the house. Another thing--my daughter's playmate's mother told them to "stay away from the Mexicans' house." Yes, this area is becoming another Little Mexico.

We've also thought of going to Franklin or Perry Township. Maybe New Pal, even Greenfield might be far enough out of the crud that has ruined some parts of the Eastside. But I don't see the cycle, the process you speak of, leaving time on our side. Our daughter is still young; I don't want her to grow up in what I believe will eventually become a very dangerous place.

Sorry for the length of this post--I just gotta vent. Any thoughts on this--Christian Park area in particular? I'd like to hear what others familiar with this area think. --Thanks

You need to get out while you can. The simple fact is that this country is slowly transforming from a 1st world industrial country to a 2nd world industrial country. It will eventually hit third world (or as some say, turd world) status. The socialist mecca that is the US will not last. There will be too many of your neighbor types vs. those of us who work and are willing to pay "their fair share." The problem is that those in power, who want to keep the peace and prevent riots, unrest, etc., will continue to bump up the amount of "fair share." Eventually, even us producers will say "Why even work if we continue to get screwed over by our governments?"

You need to move and you need to move outside of Marion County. Marion County is too socialist leaning and things for the good people, the producers, are only going to get worse. If you read the political blogs, it is clear that battle lines are being drawn, and right now they are pretty much the county lines.

Even with that, some of the suburban counties are going to see a rise in Section 8 living and such. The exact same thing happening in your neighborhood is happening in the NW part of Hancock County. Vinyl village homes that sold for $110K are going into foreclosure. They are then being given back to the Sec'y of HUD who then sells them for $50-$60K to companies like "Affordable American Living." This is Section 8. The only benefit we get in the suburbs is that our cops are not over worked so they are effective. That combined with jails that actually give people a bond amount, to where they have to stay in jail till bonded out, helps smack some sense in these people.

My grandmother lived off English Ave. It is getting bad there. Two times in one month she was "tested." One lady came to the front door asking for money. My grandmother thankfully always kept a phone with her and wouldn't unlock the door for strangers. Then one time at 1AM, two girls were banging on her front door. I think they were seeing if anyone would wake up. My grandmother always fell asleep in the living room and heard them. Again, she had her phone and wouldn't let them in when they requested to use the phone. A month later, someone busted down the door and she didn't hear them. Thankfully they fled the home for some reason (they unplugged the hard line phone and we think they saw the cordless phone base and figured the occupant still had a phone and was likely calling 911).

If you move to Hancock Co., I would recommend the New Palestine area. They didn't have the cheap vinyl village homes that we saw with the Mt. Comfort, McCordsville areas, so the Section 8 homes should be far and few between.

On a national level, you see the battle lines being drawn between some states and the federal government. Lots of states are trying to pass/have passed resolutions/laws proclaiming their independence from the federal government on various issues: Energy, guns, etc.. For this reason, I honestly wouldn't mind moving out west. Trouble is that family is here, so the next best thing is to avoid the socialist enclaves that make up our major metro areas. I would love to move out west to areas like Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, or South Dakota to be away from all this inner city welfare socialism.

[Yeppity]

Getting out would be a challenge--among other issues, now is not a great time to try to sell our house. I fear we'll wind up doing what a long-time neighbor at the end of our street has done. They just put their house on the market at about $30,000 below what it probably would've sold for a few years ago. Don't know why they're selling--could be personal reasons, but I just got a feeling...

It's sad when I think about the fact that my city, my beloved town, is no longer my mother's Indianapolis. Aside from some areas whose citizens are fighting for their neighborhoods' livelihoods and somewhat keeping their heads above water (think Irvington), I fear the entire eastside will become a hellhole within the next decade. It's hard to wrap my brain around the idea that "escaping" is the only alternative, but it may well be.

I agree about the police in surrounding counties. IMPD is overstretched, understaffed, you name it, and I don't think it's Mayor Ballard's fault. I don't know to whom can be pointed the finger of blame, but I think these problems (not enough officers, crowded courts and jails) have been left to fester for decades, which has decimated parts of this city. And you don't want me to get started on forced busing, which I think was one of the major causes of urban blight. I truly believe if left to ourselves, attitudes, cultural intermingling, could've happened on its own--that's a whole 'nother story.

I'm glad your grandmother came out of her situations safely. This problem has an even greater effect on decent people who have stayed in their homes for 40-50 years, raised their children there, and now are watching their neighborhoods begin or continue to rot.

I hear ya about the West--we have relatives who've lived in Wyoming about 15 years now. We visited there about 9 years ago--very different for sure! They said the public school system there is much better than here for the most part. The weather can be rough, though. The mostly brown, barren terrain would take getting used to. Our relatives said when they retire, they want to come back to Indiana because they miss the trees and green grass. But it won't be Indianapolis for sure!

Ravekid, thanks for your insights. I have some questions about Hancock County, and will get around to posting again soon.

[shifuimam]

Franklin Township is a pretty white collar area - it's trying to be a lot like Carmel in Hamilton County, so you don't really see much riffraff in a lot of neighborhoods down there.

I spent the majority of my childhood in a New Palestine development just east of County Line Road on US 52, and it was pretty nice - on one side of the house our neighbors were kinda white trash (mowing the lawn was never a priority for them), but over all, it was pretty upper middle class. I moved out of that area in early 2001, though, so there's no telling how much it's changed since then.

The area directly east of I-65 and I-70 in downtown Indy goes from mediocre to total crap within only a few blocks, and doesn't pick up again until you get close to or at Emerson Ave. It gets horrible in the area surrounded by 38th, keystone (and a bit further east), 16th, and Meridian (and a bit further west). I lived on Bancroft Ave. (first street west of Emerson) a few houses north of New York for two years with my mom. It wasn't so dangerous that I felt unsafe being home alone as a little white girl, but most of the houses on the street were rentals and going to crap, and hearing sirens on New York and 10th wasn't remotely uncommon on a nightly basis.

[chalcedony]

I think the Eastside of Indy hit its bottom several years ago (after the fallout of all the plant closure in the eighties) and is only likely to improve from this point. Face it, parts of the East Side, like Tuxedo Park and Orient Heights along Michigan/New York Street can't get much worse and can only go up. The gentrification occurring in Holy Cross, Cottage Home, Woodruff Place and the neighborhoods close to downtown is likely to spread. The east side has great bones! Hopefully young folks less concerned with the poor quality of schools there can see the great urban fabric and sink some money into the old homes around there.

[Future Trooper]

Today I was helping my mom locate an address on the East side of Indianapolis. We ended up in the neighborhood of Washington and Rural. On the way there from Southeast Hendricks County on I-70 I was thinking that this wasn't going to to well. When we got off I-65/70 at Washington St and proceeded due East I was surprised. That area of the city wasn't as bad as I last saw it( 2006-7? maybe) I see lots of new construction and see that alot of run down houses and buildings were being taken down or had already been taken down. I actually felt safe on that side of the city. Which was quite shocking to me.

[krsheely]

I live on the "scarey" east side , washington and post in an older neighborhood, borders are franklin to post and 10th to washington to give an idea of where i live. I'd like to let everyone know that i got a fantastic education from warren centeral high school, graduated core 40 in 2005 the only credit away i was from an honors diploma was spanish 3-4. I took calculus, pre calculus, physics, advanced english for all four years, i was in the academy of finance program, we have walkers career center. Obviously great sports programs, performing arts, and many other choices, opportunities for everyone to do something that fits what they need to learn. And the teachers were top tier. When i was in school i lived at 16th and post, i spent the first 10 years of my life at 30th and mitthoffer. I've heard people call all of these places horrible, they are not. Now if you are scared of living next to any black people or hispanic then maybe its a problem but i hate to break peoples hearts but most of the kids and young adults you see walking around looking thuggish and what not, they're paretns usually do work,and worked hard to be able to afford a house in some of these middle class neighborhoods, and then what happens is when they buy the house, the white neighbors see soemthing different get scared sell house and leave, then the property value goes down. There is a real sense of superiority from the rest of the city to the eastside and while ill admit that some of the areas arent great its alot less than people really want to say, the only areas i really wouldnt think i'd be able to be ok would be from 38th to 42nd between post and mitthoffer and picking back up past franklin and shadeland again all the way until college, but that area is and has been bad for a lot longer than what people say the whole east side is. Also washington but only from college to emerson if that maybe closer to sherman. And brookside, brightwood, areas and 10th and arlington to college or meridian also. But from brookville on south to 30-34th north and from german church all the way to emerson or arlington is not gonna be that terrible. It kills me people have such a low opinion of this side of town, and therefore that makes everyone who would visit or think about moving to the east side have bad thought, i say about the eastside at least we have a mix of people living together and not just all one color. But i think really thats why some people are scared.

[TDE]

you guys are hilarious.

Most murders/assault are between people who know each other, and over Drugs, Money, or Women. Very seldom is it random.

If you're minding your own business, chances are nothing will happen to you.

[Future Trooper]

Originally Posted by TDE

you guys are hilarious.

Most murders/assault are between people who know each other, and over Drugs, Money, or Women. Very seldom is it random.

If you're minding your own business, chances are nothing will happen to you.

I concour

[indyishome]

Something tells me you have never lived in or near downtown Indianapolis. I am a 50 year old white woman who lives in Riverside, having moved there from Haughville (10th & Tibbs). I have walked my neighborhoods day and night, with my little old beagle, and never been bothered, offended, held up, or otherwise. Wow because someone, somewhere raised you to believe that if people aren't white, they must not be doing right. Hey Boy Scout, why don't you go savor the flavor of a little of Indy and then come back and write from experience, not fear of the unknown.

[indyishome]

oh really? does that mean you have lived there at some point in time? bet not.