10 reasons why or why not to move to Fort Wayne area

[wh15395]

Pros
1. Low Crime
2. Good Sports
3. Proximity to major cities(Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit)
4. Good Schools other than FWCS
5. Many Parks
6. Lots for kids to do
7. Up and coming downtown
8. Indiana's 2nd biggest city
9. Mostly light traffic
10. Cheap housing

Cons
1. Not much diversity in many areas
2. Residents don't like change
3. Inner-city schools are terrible
4. Snow plows are terrible
5. Not enough interstates
6. Airport Flights are way too expensive with little direct flights
7. Downtown not yet vibrant
8. Too many Walmart's lol
9. Not many bike trails ( is improving)
10. Terrible Public Transit

[elmplove]

LOL I have to laugh at your cons of too many Walmarts... my hubby is up there right now and had to buy deodorant,,, his was taken at the airport. He was able to find the mall and even had fun shopping. He said he drove around and could not find a walmart

[Interpol76]

Pros:
1. Hockey
2. 4 distinct seasons
3. Cheap to live
4. Nice mall
5. Downtown is improving (good idea with the new baseball stadium, the old stadium is too "stereotypical" fort wayne....concrete, grey, and boring. Still wish they would have torn down the coliseum and built a new arena downtown)
6. relatively safe

Cons:
1. rude people/ snobs everywhere
2. box stores everywhere
3. strip clubs everywhere
4. way too conservative
5. aesthetically ugly place to be
6. local music scene is just bad
7. interstate is way too far from downtown
8. way too hot in summer, way too cold in winter
9. little diversity

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Interpol76

Cons:
1. rude people/ snobs everywhere

There are snobs in Fort Wayne???

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by Interpol76

Cons:
1. rude people/ snobs everywhere
7. interstate is way too far from downtown
8. way too hot in summer, way too cold in winter

For the sake of conversation, I will also suggest that everyone I have ever met in Ft. Wayne is very nice.

Having no interstates in DT Ft. Wayne is a good thing in my mind. Most urbanites wish their towns had no interstates in their DT.

As far as the weather; that is more of a regional thing, not a Ft. Wayne thing.

I think you folks in Ft. Wayne have a nice town!

[amploud]

I moved to the Charlotte, NC area about 2 years ago. Prior to that move, I lived in Fort Wayne, IN for over 15 years. Here's a short list for now:

Pro's:
1. People: Some of the nicest people I've ever met are from Fort Wayne. I've got no idea where the "snobs" comment came from. That's just not true!

2. Cost of living: There are only a couple cities in the U.S. where one can live so cheaply.

3. Cheap housing: Housing in Fort Wayne is dirt cheap. $300K buys a huge home. $100K buys a pretty nice home in a nice safe neighborhood. You won't make much if any money on your home though.

4. Lots of good restaurants.

5. IPFW: It's grown and become a pretty nice school. The tuition is still pretty cheap compared to other schools. It is a nice resource to have. It's sad that more people in Fort Wayne don't take advantage of it.

Cons:

1. The economy is terrible and has been for 2 decades. Good jobs have been leaving for years and replaced with more Wal-Mart and Taco Bell employment opportunities. Other than the occasional positive blip, the trend has been negative. Plus, the area has a fairly "Union Hard-line Mentality" that keeps businesses from wanting to move there. (And no, I'm not knocking unions. I was in a union for 5 years. I'm just telling it like it is.)

2. The weather sucks. Fort Wayne has about 6 weeks of nice weather out of 52. Too cold, too rainy, too gray. No thanks. Sometimes I'd swear the sun didn't come out for months in the winter. Road crews are slow and do a crappy job when it snows.

3. Activities: Besides eating out, movies, bowling, and drinking, Fort Wayne doesn't offer much. The minor league sports are OK, but they are not a major attraction for most people. Every other city this size or bigger offers those things and more.

4. Airport: FWA is & tiny tickets are expensive to fly out of Fort Wayne. There are few direct flights. You always have to connect in Chicago, Detroit, etc.

5. Location: I laugh at people who proudly claim that Fort Wayne is “Close to Chicago, Indy, Cleveland, etc.” What a joke! A 2 to 4 hour drive isn’t what I’d call convenient! And besides, I’d rather live in a nice city than “live conveniently close” to one!

Overall, the weather and economy were enough to drive me away.

[ShadowCaver]

Originally Posted by domergurl

There are snobs in Fort Wayne???

dunno,,, maybe its all them white haired old white men at the Hall's restaurants?

Originally Posted by amploud

4. Airport: FWA is & tiny tickets are expensive to fly out of Fort Wayne. There are few direct flights. You always have to connect in Chicago, Detroit, etc.

Yea, that is the truth. In looking at an upcoming flight for work, see ~$325 difference between leaving out of FWA [Fort Wayne] vs. IND [Indianapolis]. Sadly, its about that same difference any time need to fly. But, hard to justify 300 dollars vs. driving ~4 hour round trip + fuel + wear/tear on vehicle. If these were personal trips, I'd be very upset - as work pays for 'em, I'm 'only' just upset.

[jodyrose]

I lived in Fort Wayne for 5 yrs and loved it. Its easy to get around (yes, certain areas of town back up at rush hour..but what city does not?). It has great shopping, easy access to lots of other areas in the Midwest, a GREAT library system...I still miss it and am sorry I had to leave before the new main library downtown was finished. It has gorgeous parks all around town and lots of affordable housing. The Embassy Theatre downtown and the Fort Wayne Symphony add some class. Botanical Garden, the Zoo..yes, I would be happy to move back there, although I agree with the previous posters about the stadium downtown. They were talking about it just before I left. With the expanded Colliseum, its totally un-necessary! Jobs are needed everywhere in Northern Indiana right now.