new job south of Indianapolis (Bloomington, Columbus: homeowners association, neighborhood, theatre)

[josephinny]

My family is thinking of moving to Greenwood or Columbus due to new job being south of Indianapolis. We have 2 teenage daughters who are active in sports (soccer, swimming, basketball) and the arts. We also love the outdoors - biking (road and mountain), golfing, fishing ... Any opinions from families that live in the area?

[domergurl]

We love Columbus. There are plenty of biking opportunities in town as well as in Brown County State Park. Plaidmom is our local Columbus area biking expert who has posted on that topic a lot. If you go the Greenwood route, stick to the White River Twp school system. You'll be closer to Indy if you live in Greenwood and you can still get to Brown County easily from there.

Columbus is a sports crazy town ... took me by surprise, but it's true. We have a top girls swim team and the other sports are very competitive. Basically, the difference would be Columbus, small town non-suburban and Greenwood, more suburban, closer to what's available in Indy. If you base your decision on test scores, I believe that White River Twp has higher scores.

Arts ... not sure exactly what you are looking for ... Bloomington is the arts capital of the state. Indy has an art museum and theatre. Columbus is known for it's architecture.

[josephinny]

Thanks for your response - very helpful.
Can you tell me if Center Grove is in White River Township? Also, what are your overall thoughts of the Columbus schools?

[domergurl]

Yes, Center Grove is White River Twp. We considered Center Grove because their system was similar to the schools we were moving from in Fishers. We kind of did a roll of the dice, but we've been very pleasantly surprised with the Columbus schools. Granted, we are only in elementary school right now, but so far, I can't complain with the education my kids are receiving.

I will say, Center Grove is also very sports crazy. I believe they are the reigning state football champions and they are very competitive in swimming and soccer too. In Columbus, there will probably be more opportunity because the schools aren't as big. There are 2 public high schools in Columbus, while White River twp feeds into one.

I would suggest you visit both sets of schools if possible. You have to keep in mind that Columbus, at it's heart, is a blue collar city and is more economically diverse than Center Grove would be. We actually prefer that.

[josephinny]

I have been looking at both Center Grove and Columbus, so your info has given me some piece of mind - it seems I can't go wrong with either place.

I worry about my daughter's and the transition they will be having to make, so I will definitely check out the schools in both areas. Do you have any advice on subdivisions or communities in either place that would be good for a family used to living in a very close, friendly, and welcoming neighborhood.

How are the taxes? The cost of living is quite high where we are now and the taxes are outragious.
It seems that the cost of living is overall better in Indiana which I look forward to.

[domergurl]

Not sure where you are coming from, but when we moved back to Indiana from Chicago, we had severe REVERSE sticker shock. Indiana is kind of screwy with property taxes right now, but it's getting better ... Indiana has 2 exemptions that you can file with the county and it will significantly lower your property taxes.

Columbus isn't as HOA community oriented as Center Grove. That, for us, was one of the bonuses of moving to Columbus, we've had enough of the homeowners association bullcrap. Columbus is very stable and established. Columbus goes as Cummins goes. That's a fact of life down here. Center Grove has a lot of newer housing and people moving in and out. For us, being in a more stable community has really benefited my kids. Where we lived in Fishers, it made my kids crazy because kids were in and out throughout the year.

No, you really can't go wrong with either place. We almost moved to WRTwp. We would have been happy there too, but having a 10 minute commute vs. a 35-40 minute commute was awesome this past summer when gas prices skyrocketed.

[plaidmom]

My ears are burning

Columbus IN is indeed the place to live if you love to ride bicycles.

Depending on where you live in town you can be at Brown County State Park in ~ 15-25 minutes. Currently THE crown jewel in the HMBA.org system.

Brown County Mountain Bike Trails Nashville, Indiana, USA

Hoosier Mountain Bike Association

Also within a ~45 min drive:

Gnawbone Camp
Valley Branch Retreat
Nebo Ridge and the Hoosier National Forest.
Muscatatuck County Park

Versailles State Park (another amazing trail system) is a little over an hour away.


The road riding is pretty sweet too. In about 15-20 minutes out of town you can find all kinds of lovely little twisty windy country roads, with plenty of climbing.

For family rides, we have The People Trail system in town (still a work in progress....but for a town this size pretty nice).

I find the smallish size of the town makes it quite pleasant for commuting.

There is even a small (but growing) fixed gear scene.

Good luck with your decision.

[domergurl]

Fixed gear?????

[plaidmom]

Originally Posted by domergurl

Fixed gear?????

Dude!

Fixed-gear bicycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fixed Gear Gallery

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by plaidmom

Dude!

Fixed-gear bicycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fixed Gear Gallery

Dude! I needs my gears! This doesn't sound like fun at all!