Possible job transfer to Indy (lilly) (Indianapolis, Fishers: real estate, new home, neighborhood)

[o.c.momof3]

There is a possible job transfer to Indy with Lilly Pharm. Before we take the plunge we need to consider schools and lifestyle for our family. Our children are 11 , 9 and 9. Our price range is 400 - 430 . Schools are #1 priority- shopping and lifestyle #2 . Can anyone direct me to suburbs that I should look at ?

[domergurl]

Carmel, Zionsville and Fishers (Hamilton Southeastern) consistently have the best test scores. Hamilton County (Carmel & Fishers) was recently named the best place to raise a family in America by Forbes.com . All are located just north of Marion County (Indianapolis) and shopping is abundant or driveable ... not sure about lifestyle ... it's suburban ... O.C.= Orange County ... sorry, there's nothing comparable to the lifestyle of OC, you guys are going to have to adjust to a slower pace here. It's NICE here (sorry DC).

Are you going to come house hunting before taking the midwest plunge?

[Mike Taylor]

I deal with lots and lots of people from Lilly and they always seems to end up in either Carmel or Zionsville. Both Zionsville and Carmel schools are top notch with Carmel taking the edge on the shopping. Both have a relatively easy commute to downtown which is another reason lots of Lilly people end up there.

[o.c.momof3]

DC- We are originally from the O.C. however we spent 5 years in Tennessee and currently reside in Northwest suburb of Chicago so we are already used to the slower pace !! Ha HA Is there a subdivision in Zionsville or Carmel that is reccomended ?

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by o.c.momof3

DC- We are originally from the O.C. however we spent 5 years in Tennessee and currently reside in Northwest suburb of Chicago so we are already used to the slower pace !! Ha HA Is there a subdivision in Zionsville or Carmel that is reccomended ?

I think you meant to direct this to me Ok, so you are already a midwesterner. Personally, I'd recommend Zionsville. Their school system recently made a list for one of the best public schools in the entire country. Carmel is nice too, but their schools are out of control. They have 1 high school that has 3-4K students. Zionsville is more in control. And all the shopping in Carmel is easily accessible from Zionsville.

[Michelle Morris]

You should also check out Avon, and the rest of Hendricks county. it is growing, but not so huge yet. Your real estate dollar will go far here too.

[deam]

Okay... I have to stick up for Carmel, as that was our decision having just relocated from Germany in January. However, Domergurl does provide appropriate caution for Carmel at the highschool level. We will only be here for 3-4 years and our children are younger. I know the elementary schools and would direct you to check out each website and see if one "fits" your children better. For example, we needed speech therapy for our daughter and extra reading help for our son who was brought up in the German school system where children do not start reading until 1st grade. Forest Dale provided both and was easily accessible to the other pharma location off of Hague Rd. It is also easily accessible to downtown. However, you would have to consider the middle and highschool levels - and the highschool is HUGE. Now if your children are outgoing and want to have the highest level of academics and very competitive sports.. then Carmel HS would offer all of that plus more. If they prefer smaller environment... it might not match. Also.. Zionsville would be closer to Chicago should you plan to go back often... Good luck.

Carmel Clay Schools

[kwirges]

Originally Posted by MikiJayne

You should also check out Avon, and the rest of Hendricks county. it is growing, but not so huge yet. Your real estate dollar will go far here too.

I live in Avon and work at Lilly - the commute is not bad at all (about 20 minutes). We love Avon and are currently in the process of building a new home in the area. My wife and I have lived in Avon about 9 years and would not move to any other area. The Metropolis mall is wonderful and it seems if they adding new restaurants to the area everyday. We also looked at the Zionsville area and other areas up north of Indy (Carmel, Westfield, etc). The specific house we are building with Drees is about $400,000 but would have cost $80,000 more to build in the Drees neighborhood in Zionsville - which also kept us in Avon. We have a 3 year old and are also staying in Avon because we love the school system for him in the future.

[o.c.momof3]

Originally Posted by kwirges

I live in Avon and work at Lilly - the commute is not bad at all (about 20 minutes). We love Avon and are currently in the process of building a new home in the area. My wife and I have lived in Avon about 9 years and would not move to any other area. The Metropolis mall is wonderful and it seems if they adding new restaurants to the area everyday. We also looked at the Zionsville area and other areas up north of Indy (Carmel, Westfield, etc). The specific house we are building with Drees is about $400,000 but would have cost $80,000 more to build in the Drees neighborhood in Zionsville - which also kept us in Avon. We have a 3 year old and are also staying in Avon because we love the school system for him in the future.

Thank you KWIRGES that is helpfull information. Our Lilly transfer would only be temporary as in 2-3 years . We want to make sure that the home we purshase is sellable without loss. Do you find that many Lilly employees move to Avon ?

[Michelle Morris]

I don't now if any home is sellable in only 3 years ithout a loss. With the market as it is right now, I would be very careful about that. 2-3 years is not a long time to build up equity.