A trip to Indy. (Indianapolis, Lawrence: real estate, apartments, rent)

[Traveler256]

My wife and I took a quick trip to Indianapolis this week. I am originally from Nor’IL and my wife is from Florida. We moved out of Florida at the end of 2007 because the housing market there was getting pretty terrible. We just didn’t see the logic in paying $400k for a house that was $100k in the year 2000. We were renting a condo that in 2004 was costing us $890/month. By 2007 that condo (and most decent condos or apartments in our area) was up to $1,400/month. With our rent ever increasing and our salaries holding steady it was time to move on.

We moved to middle-TN where your dollar goes a very long way. Two months after we moved here I was laid off due to a corporate merger and restructure at my workplace. We have been able to live off my wife’s salary for the last few months; back in Central FL we would have never been able to do that. I have had a difficult time finding work here, our town is only 25k people and there aren’t many jobs in my field (IT guy). The jobs that are here are filled. So we have been looking at larger metro areas to move to so I can find work. I have wanted to get back to the mid-west since I left in 1993. Indy is just a few hours drive from us so we made a two day trip.

Having never been to Indy this was a new experience for us both. Approaching the city I made a wrong turn off the interstate and we spent about 30 minutes driving around the slums. Eventually we made it downtown to the library. We parked the car in the garage there and headed out on foot. I think we covered almost all of down-town, including all the parks on foot. We absolutely loved the downtown area. The FFA event was going on so there were tons of kids from all over walking the streets. We didn’t have a chance to explore much outside of DT because of time constraints but needless to say we will be back. I have already started applying for jobs in the area so hopefully we will be able to move within six months.

We haven’t decided on an area for sure yet. We are torn between a traditional neighborhood and a more urban neighborhood where we can walk to shops, restaurants and grocery stores. Real Estate prices are very encouraging from what I have seen on Realtor.Com. I would love to live in the DT area if possible. We do have a baby on the way so eventually schools will be an issue. If anyone has any general advice or information about the area I would love to hear it.

Cheers.

[Zoo Animals On Wheels]

Glad you liked what you saw downtown. Being there for the FFA convention and NOT running away screaming into the night? Pretty impressive. You must have nerves of steel.

I think since you're having a child (possibly more), you might want to look at living in one of the township areas, so you're still close to downtown (15 minutes drive or so), yet can send your kids to a township school. Living downtown means either IPS or private schools for your kids. Private schools are, of course, quite expensive, and IPS schools have quite a bad reputation.

Good luck!

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Traveler256

My wife and I took a quick trip to Indianapolis this week. I am originally from Nor’IL and my wife is from Florida. We moved out of Florida at the end of 2007 because the housing market there was getting pretty terrible. We just didn’t see the logic in paying $400k for a house that was $100k in the year 2000. We were renting a condo that in 2004 was costing us $890/month. By 2007 that condo (and most decent condos or apartments in our area) was up to $1,400/month. With our rent ever increasing and our salaries holding steady it was time to move on.

We moved to middle-TN where your dollar goes a very long way. Two months after we moved here I was laid off due to a corporate merger and restructure at my workplace. We have been able to live off my wife’s salary for the last few months; back in Central FL we would have never been able to do that. I have had a difficult time finding work here, our town is only 25k people and there aren’t many jobs in my field (IT guy). The jobs that are here are filled. So we have been looking at larger metro areas to move to so I can find work. I have wanted to get back to the mid-west since I left in 1993. Indy is just a few hours drive from us so we made a two day trip.

Having never been to Indy this was a new experience for us both. Approaching the city I made a wrong turn off the interstate and we spent about 30 minutes driving around the slums. Eventually we made it downtown to the library. We parked the car in the garage there and headed out on foot. I think we covered almost all of down-town, including all the parks on foot. We absolutely loved the downtown area. The FFA event was going on so there were tons of kids from all over walking the streets. We didn’t have a chance to explore much outside of DT because of time constraints but needless to say we will be back. I have already started applying for jobs in the area so hopefully we will be able to move within six months.

We haven’t decided on an area for sure yet. We are torn between a traditional neighborhood and a more urban neighborhood where we can walk to shops, restaurants and grocery stores. Real Estate prices are very encouraging from what I have seen on Realtor.Com. I would love to live in the DT area if possible. We do have a baby on the way so eventually schools will be an issue. If anyone has any general advice or information about the area I would love to hear it.

Cheers.

I'd suggest Washington Twp or Lawrence Twp in the city. Outside the city, Fishers & Carmel have great schools, as does Zionsville. New Palestine has a small school system, but it is rated very well and it's easy to get into the city via I-74. The White River Twp are of Johnson County also has very good schools.

Best of luck. I was at the Children's Museum on Wednesday and the FFA people were all over the place!

[sweetana3]

I would love to have you move downtown but agree with Zoo Animal that a child would not find many friends.

Our wonderful neighbor moved here before they had children. She eventually took in children for day care so her daughter had some playmates. You can find some children downtown but it is wise to think of this first. When they had their second child, they moved out. Now a DINK couple lives next door. No more kids of any kind in our area except for two older ones we see waiting for the bus. So one or both would be driving out for toddler play dates.

So even if you find a school, think of the issue of neighborhood friends.

We live downtown and while it is nice and fun to walk over to the downtown park and library, I only live here for the walk to work. Otherwise, what we want we drive to one of the outer areas to get. We dont eat out a lot downtown or take in the sporting events. It is that 5 block walk to work that is wonderful. So I would also recommend that you find that perfect school, find the job, and then plan around both for where you will live. The city has done a fine job of improving the roads for commuters. if you are lucky, you will get a job in the burbs and enjoy downtown when you want to come visit.

[Michelle Morris]

Avon also has great schools, it is an easy drive downtown from here.

[Naptowner]

Be aware that some Washington Township neighborhoods are not in the Washington Township school district - and these include some of the most walkable older neighborhoods in town, like Meridian Kessler, Butler-Tarkington, and Broad Ripple. I live in B-T a couple blocks from the shops at 56th and Illinois, which is great for us and our toddler children - we can easily walk or bike to the canal and the bike path, the grocery, pharmacy, butcher, and a couple restaurants, and are within easy bike distance of Butler, which has a nice campus. But we're in the IPS district, so we'll either move or go with private schools when the time comes. And the neighborhood reflects that; there are no school age children on my block, although there are several families with toddlers. And when I walk or bike around, I almost never see school-age children, just toddlers.

If you want to be in Washington Township schools, you have to be north of the White River (actually, outside the "old" Indianapolis city limits, which date back to the early seventies before the city and county merged into Unigov, but the river is a pretty good guideline). Anyway, didn't mean to write a book, but if you're looking at listings online, check for the school district even if the house is in Washington Township. There are nice neighborhoods in the Washington Township school district, but they're not generally located close to shops unless you get up around Nora.

[AGreekDude]

If private schools are not an issue try out Fletcher Place neigborhood. I think it's going to appreciate greatly over the next few years so even if you did move there and 4 years later you moved to a better school district you should make a profit.