Indanapolis TODAY?? is there vibe?? (Indianapolis, Carmel: real estate, waterpark, day care)

[yaya97]

Hi All,
I would really need some advice. I was offered to relocate to a new office in Indy downtown .The problem is we have never visited!

We are from Seattle with 2 children ( 1 and 12) and have lived for the last 4 years in Montreal ( that we do not really like : rather dirty and VERY cold: -20 often in the winter with LOTS of snow and the French language is not easy.......).
I saw posts here and looked on youtube and my impression is that Indy is a very quite city ( never see people on the canal or anywhere!)
It seems very clean but again where are the people??

I was told that the Indy people are among the friendliest in the country.
We love city living so our first choice would be to live downtown. Good idea??
Are there parks, stores????
It seems that in the last 3 years the downtown area is greatly improving. Thoughts??
I know there is a wonderful childrens museum. Also we are not huge sports fans, so may I ask what is ther to do ( we LOVE long walks) on the week ends?
Schools?? I was told they are good??... Many many thanks for any info!!!

[domergurl]

well of course we Hoosiers are friendly folk

Indianapolis is a very sports centered city ... colts, Pacers, car racing ... and of course, basketball. There's not a Seattle-y or Montreal-y vibe. It's a landlocked new-ish midwest city. And that's not a slam either. It's flat, lots of box stores. You'll need a car to get around, but as far as downtown living, wow, you'll be happy with how cheap it is to live compared to where you've been.

Schools .. yeeesh! Indianapolis Public Schools are pretty bad, BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT .... there are some magnet schools that are wonderful, YOU JUST NEED TO DO YOUR RESEARCH. Apparently, Seidener is a fantastic school within IPS. Again, you'd have to do your research.

The true gems in Indy other than sports, are The Children's Museum and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. There's also a nice Zoo with gardens that have butterflies in the spring and summer. White River State Park is also a nice place and taking walks on the canal is nice too.

I'd have a visit if you can! Things are getting green here now .... it's very pretty.

[wh15395]

Well if you were planning on living downtown there is Circle Centre mall and a good amount of shops around Mass. Ave. Also, I have never done it, but when I was downtown last weekend the canal had a large amount of people. During the winter when the lights are up, monument circle also gets packed. As far as downtown schools go IPS is among the worst districts in the country, but there are a lot of private schools in Indianapolis that are great.

[Michelle Morris]

Lots of great stuff about Indy. Our winters can be cold, but surely not as bad as what you've seen up there. Indy is fun, clean, and improving. We're not good at mass transit though. Come check it out, see what you think! Maybe you can report back your observations!

[X-Greensboro Resident]

I agree with everything everyone has said. I bet "Sweet Anna" can chime in about downtown....

We moved here from North Carolina about 6 1/2 years ago (minus a short move to DC and back) and have gotten to really like Indy. It's a nice, quiet city and the people here are generally fantastic.

Things I can gripe about would be the weather in the winter (cold and cloudy for long periods) but I must say, springs and summers are absolutely beautiful in Indy. Pot holes on the roads are bad, no public transit and not many non-chain restaurants.

I'd definitely atleast take a weekend trip and check it out for yourself. Be warned, it's VERY sports oriented, the Final Four is here this year... I happen to love sports so it's great but if you don't like sports, it can get to be too much.

[yaya97]

thanks to all for this info!!!!!!!!

[sweetana3]

I live downtown and would NEVER recommend it for people with kids. Not enough kids for any playmates. How reasonable is it to drive kids all over to be with other kids? Neighbor even did day care so her young daughter would have someone to play with and get to know. The IPS School System has caused most families to move if they could. But this is about downtown. (Although I live downtown it was due to wanting a zero commute. I rarely go "downtown" even though it is only 10 blocks away.)

That said there are wonderful family oriented neighborhoods. Old, established neighborhoods with sidewalks and local neighborhood stores. or Historic neighborhoods. or suburbs old and new on all four sides of Indy.

First talk a lot about what is important in your lives. Short or longish commute, local or private schools, walkability, parks and recreation, etc. What does the family do together? Are school ratings or size really important? Some would prefer smaller schools and might let this lead them to certain districts. For example, Carmel High School is massive. Is the family into certain activities? For example, the Monon Trail extends from Carmel to the downtown area. Carmel has the new waterpark in their recreation area and has spent a lot of money on parks and trails.

Prices on real estate are really down right now for all price ranges. You will be amazed at what you can afford coming from either Seattle or Monreal. You can look at MIBOR | Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS® to get general ideas of the market.

[smoking357]

Originally Posted by yaya97

Hi All,
I would really need some advice. I was offered to relocate to a new office in Indy downtown .The problem is we have never visited!

You must visit. There is no substitute.

[sweetana3]

I forgot to mention that I find people in Indianapolis to be friendly, quiet, conservative, interesting, etc. Very family oriented and enough activities (if you look for them) to have each day full.

Suburbs are very education and sports oriented. We have good universities and good medical care and facilities.

I used to think (in the 70s) that driving to Chicago for a long weekend was the in thing to do, but now I feel Indy has all I need.

Got more interesting restaurants (no need to visit a chain) and more interesting stores (no need to visit a mall) than before. But still fairly quiet.

I find the size of Indianapolis is about right (dont much like the sprawl) to have a wide variety of "stuff" and yet small enough to feel like a small town. There is something for everyone from small town yet big parades (just had the St. Patricks Day Parade) to gay rights parades. Easy parking (I know cause they park in my neighborhood.

Hope you come visit.

[yaya97]

First talk a lot about what is important in your lives. Short or longish commute, local or private schools, walkability, parks and recreation, etc. What does the family do together? Are school ratings or size really important? Some would prefer smaller schools and might let this lead them to certain districts. For example, Carmel High School is massive. Is the family into certain activities? For example, the Monon Trail extends from Carmel to the downtown area. Carmel has the new waterpark in their recreation area and has spent a lot of money on parks and trails.

.[/quote]

many thanks!
Our eldest daughter is said to be gifted according to her school ( We don``t really take this seriously but she is turning 13 but is already in 8th grade) and loves to swim and has been playing piano for 8 years ( rather good level according to me) If not, she is like all pre-teens... loves to go to malls and see friends. I really have a tendancy to prefer private schools especially since there is one BIG hick. Since mom is French and we speak French french ( not Quebec French)her first language is yup, French. Her English really needs to be improved ( even though I see in 1 year a HUGE improvement).
We are OK for a commuting but we first thought of downtown, as in Seattle, we lived in the city and loved it and here in Montreal we live in the burbs and its really nothing more than a nice ghetto ( never a ''hello'' from a neighbor!)
We LOVE to walk and I try to leave the car at home as much as possible.
The momon trails looks very good!