Merrillville Info, specifically the schools... (Schererville, Highland: house, rent, income)

[MrsBradley]

Hi all

I am now considering the move from the SW Chicago burbs (Mokena)to Merrillville IN. Initially we considered moving to Georgia but we visited and didn't particualrly like it. We have since set our sights on NW Indiana. I have searched and read the posts here, but not too many discuss Merriville in great detail. Instead they offer up Schererville, Saint John, Crown Point and Dyer as better alternatives. Unfortunately for us, Merrillville is where our price point is, as we are expecting a reduction income soon. I said ALLLLL that to ask, what subdivisions or areas should we avoid? What schools should we avoid? Any and ALL comments appreciated! Thank you!

[Chuckity]

As for schools, you can check out Merrillville's school data here. That should answer any questions you have as to why people don't really recommend Merrillville.

Have you considered Porter county? Great schools & lower taxes compared to Lake.

[domergurl]

Merrillville HS has provisional accredidation? Wow ... that's pretty bad.

[MrsBradley]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

As for schools, you can check out Merrillville's school data here. That should answer any questions you have as to why people don't really recommend Merrillville.

Have you considered Porter county? Great schools & lower taxes compared to Lake.

I have to commute to the somewhat far south Chicago burbs (Homewood area). He would have to commute to the far far south Chicago Burbs (Frankfort). My job has claimed we will be laid off very soon, but that may take up to a year to occur. The assumption is that I would once again work in the Chicago burbs, or Chicago. Would that be too far a hike? We have one school aged child, and a long commute time would make our life much more difficult. I work midnights, he works days. As of now we need no childcare, I walk thru the door about 20 minutes before he needs to leave. Obviously he is home when I leave for work 10, 10:30pm. I am willing to sacrifice a slightly longer commute time, and would of course pay for child care but what areas have similar Merrillville home prices, and are between 25 and 40 mins from the Chicago Suburbs? I have mapquested some homes in the area, but of course the actual drive time differs.

P S thank you for the responses!

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by MrsBradley

I have to commute to the somewhat far south Chicago burbs (Homewood area). He would have to commute to the far far south Chicago Burbs (Frankfort). My job has claimed we will be laid off very soon, but that may take up to a year to occur. The assumption is that I would once again work in the Chicago burbs, or Chicago. Would that be too far a hike? We have one school aged child, and a long commute time would make our life much more difficult. I work midnights, he works days. As of now we need no childcare, I walk thru the door about 20 minutes before he needs to leave. Obviously he is home when I leave for work 10, 10:30pm. I am willing to sacrifice a slightly longer commute time, and would of course pay for child care but what areas have similar Merrillville home prices, and are between 25 and 40 mins from the Chicago Suburbs? I have mapquested some homes in the area, but of course the actual drive time differs.

P S thank you for the responses!

I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and assume your price range is in between 140-170 ... Yes? I'm not very family with Merrillville pricing but I just took a quick look and if I had to guess your price range, that would be it.

If you're main priority is schools and you need to commute to the south burbs, I would stick with Dyer. And in that price range, it might be a bit tough but you should be able to find a 3 bed/2 ba around 160-170. There isn't going to be a lot of inventory in that price point though, but if schools and commute are your main concern, you're going to have to give on home size.

And 40 min. from Merrillville to Frankfort would definitely be pushing it. You might be able to do 40 to Homewood, but not Frankfort.

[MrsBradley]

Yes! You hit our price point on the head. I will definitely try Dyer, Thanks!

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by MrsBradley

Yes! You hit our price point on the head. I will definitely try Dyer, Thanks!

The best home searching site for NW Indiana is here. It's the public portion of the NW Indiana Realtors MLS site.

My husand and I have a bunch of friends that live in Dyer - it's really a great community with great people ... really family orientated.

Good luck!

[Mustang219]

Mrs. Bradley,

I would continue to look in Schererville, St. John, Dyer, and Crown Point for a deal - there are quite a few homes listed within your budget and it is definitely a buyer's market right now. However, if you are unable to find a suitable home in those areas - I would encourage you to check out Highland as well. It is a bit further north but has an easy commute to Chicago. The home prices are somewhat comparable to Merrillville and the schools are generally better rated.

I hope this helps! Welcome to NWI - it is a great place to call home!

[Maria B.]

I just want to respond to the talk about the Merrillville schools. We moved here from Dyer 5 years ago and we love it. It was the best move we could have made. My kids love their schools- Jonas Salk and MIS- and have done very well there. They have never had any problems and the school have a great curriculum. My son is an honor student and he has enjoyed the program. The teachers in Merrillville are some of the best teachers I have ever known. They genuinely care about the students and parents. I would definitely recommend coming to Merrillville. You'll get more house and yard for your money and your neighbors will be friendly people who aren't snobbish like in other areas of NWI. We have block parties and block sales every summer with our neighbors. We love living here!