Advice for Valparaiso (Portage, Hobart, Chesterton: schools, to live, zoning)

[domergurl]

Ron Kittle used to live in Chesterton, but I distinctly remember Mickey Morandini (thank you!) living in Valpo ... maybe on the north side of town in the Duneland school district.

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by domergurl

Ron Kittle used to live in Chesterton, but I distinctly remember Mickey Morandini (thank you!) living in Valpo ... maybe on the north side of town in the Duneland school district.

I think he lives in Liberty Township maybe???

And coaches VHS baseball I think.

[Luv4ThePaws]

Thank you both so much! If you two are any indication of Valpo/IN residents, then we will love it there! Good to know about the ride share and the train. 40 minutes just to drive to the station seems crazy, so a northside home would probably be a lot easier with it being much closer to the station. Thanks so much for this info- I NEVER could have gotten this kind of detailed stuff from a relocation guide! I do have one more question, I know, I'm being difficult!

Does Valpo have any dog restrictions/limits to how many you can have? We have four rescued dogs. My husband and I each had two, and then we got married. Two of them are small Chihuahuas (obviously inside only) and our other two are a lab and a shepherd mix (and they also stay inside). Charlotte allows you to have up to 4 as long as they are inside and of course, quiet, which they are. I wouldn't want to move to a place where we they weren't welcome!

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by Luv4ThePaws

Does Valpo have any dog restrictions/limits to how many you can have? We have four rescued dogs. My husband and I each had two, and then we got married. Two of them are small Chihuahuas (obviously inside only) and our other two are a lab and a shepherd mix (and they also stay inside). Charlotte allows you to have up to 4 as long as they are inside and of course, quiet, which they are. I wouldn't want to move to a place where we they weren't welcome!

Keep on asking questions ... it's quite fun for me to talk about my adopted home town!

We have a labradoodle - he's only 8 months old but 70lbs now! He's our 2nd dog - our first passed away two summers ago.

But anyway ... dogs. You know, I have no idea if Valpo has restrictions on animals. I have a Valpo address, and Valpo schools - but am technically Center Township. We have an adorable pet boutique in our downtown area, Bark & Meow though ... totally, not what you asked, but just had to throw that in there.

[domergurl]

Valpo probably DOES, but is the ordinance enforced? Probably only if the dogs are a nuissance. But you have to keep in mind too, that when you are looking for a home, make sure you comb over the covenants and restrictions for the subdivision/neighborhood, as they may have their own that ARE enforced. Most realtors are able to procure the C&R's prior to any home purchase.

Now, if schools are an issue, keep in mind that there are some Valpo addresses that are in other school districts (Duneland, Wheeler, Morgan Twp). You have to be very specific in your home search and with your realtor. The GNIAR website has a tab that you can specify the school district (Greater Northwest Indiana Association of REALTORS ... the best MLS search engine for the general public use IMHO).

[Luv4ThePaws]

Thanks so much for the help! I couldn't find any animal ordinances, but as long as we don't move to a neighborhood that has restrictions, I guess we should be fine. That MLS link is a good one- I got it the other day on here from Chuckity too. I think it's so much better than any other home service, as you have a lot of search options and customizations!

[Luv4ThePaws]

Also, I see a lot of older homes for sale in Valpo. The north side was mentioned as a quicker commute to the train station to get to Chicago. Are there any new communities in that area that are reasonable? Reasonable for us is under 300K. We don't want to move into an older home and turn around and have to do tons of updates to it. Is the north side of town still convienent to the cute downtown part?

Also, any Costco, BJ's, or Sam's Club? SuperTarget? Basically, a large warehouse/grocery store?

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by Luv4ThePaws

Also, I see a lot of older homes for sale in Valpo. The north side was mentioned as a quicker commute to the train station to get to Chicago. Are there any new communities in that area that are reasonable? Reasonable for us is under 300K. We don't want to move into an older home and turn around and have to do tons of updates to it. Is the north side of town still convienent to the cute downtown part?

Also, any Costco, BJ's, or Sam's Club? SuperTarget? Basically, a large warehouse/grocery store?

When you search Valpo, there should be a search area - if there is, search 209. (That's Valpo/Center Township which will give you Valpo schools.) For under $300K, you have a WIDE variety of choices.

Is it convienent? It depends on what you mean by convienent! Valpo is a really spread out community at times - from my house (south of Rt.30) to some of the north side subdivisions it can take 20 minutes or so. There really isn't a good way to get from the south side to the north side. You really have to come and drive around to see what I mean.

The biggest shopping area closest to us is Merrillville - which is about 20 minutes to the west. There's a Costco, Sam's Cub, Super Target, strip malls, Westfield Shoppingtown and what I believe is the largest concentration of restaurants per square mile than anywhere else in the country. (The Olive Garden is the 2nd busiest in the U.S.)

But Valpo has been growing by leaps & bounds - Walmart, Target, Kohls, Home Depot, Menards, Aldi, JC Penney, Best Buy, Barnes & Nobles ... and our brand new movie theatre opened a few weeks ago.

[Luv4ThePaws]

Okay, great to know! I am glad to hear of some shopping close by, but trust me... We live right by "chain store/restaurant" row as we call it.... So we are looking for a little less commerical lifestyle! We booked our trip for Chicago the second week in July. So, unfortunately no county fair, but we do hope to spend a couple of hours in Valpo on our way in to the city, just to check it out and see how we like it. We are excited- never been to the midwest before! Although my grandpa was from Chicago and is buried there, so I can claim some roots!

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by Luv4ThePaws

Okay, great to know! I am glad to hear of some shopping close by, but trust me... We live right by "chain store/restaurant" row as we call it.... So we are looking for a little less commerical lifestyle! We booked our trip for Chicago the second week in July. So, unfortunately no county fair, but we do hope to spend a couple of hours in Valpo on our way in to the city, just to check it out and see how we like it. We are excited- never been to the midwest before! Although my grandpa was from Chicago and is buried there, so I can claim some roots!

Let me know if you want directions around town with markers. (Like, turn north on Washington St./Walgreens on corner.) It might help because sometimes what the street is called on Mapquest is NOT what it's called out here. (Like Rt. 30 is Morthland in Valpo and 81st Ave. in Merrillville ... it's confusing until you get used to it.)