Questions about Zionsville, and IN in general (Indianapolis, Carmel: fit in, transplants)

[DarrettsGirl]

Hey all ~

My husband (foxy-genius-land surveyor) and I (helpful but shy RN) have narrowed our search down to Zionsville. Can anyone answer a few simple questions?

What is it like to live in Zionsville with 3 kids (10, 4, and 1yr)?

What is the time for the average commute into Indianapolis?

Can you grow a veggie garden? <seriously, all I can find on the web is about growing CORN!>

My hubby is from Nova Scotia, so he is used to snow, but I hardly know what it is. About how deep does the snow get?

Is the thunder loud during a rain/lightning storm? (I've always wanted to hear loud thunder. People who move here say they "miss the thunder", and I've always thought about that).

Does one have to drain a swimming pool every winter there?

Do the locals mind new people moving in? (some places in CA hate new-commers).

Kids want to know: Are there lightning bugs there? (never seen one, we don't have them). :P

Where do people from Indiana go for short 2 day trips?



Thanks in advance!

[domergurl]

Aw man, you guys sound so stinking cute I want to pinch ya!

Zionsville is a great town with an adorable downtown village-y thing going on. It's home to one of the best public school systems in the state.

Veggie garden, well heaven's yes!

Heard lots of thunder this morning .. woke me up in fact. Lightning bugs? millions of 'em.

Zionsville is full of transplants. I bet you'll be hard pressed to find more than a handful of natives when you move there.

2 day trips .. hmmmm ... St. Louis? Chicago? Cincinnati? Brown County? Indiana Dunes?

[wh15395]

Zionsville has some of the best schools in Indiana, so your kids will be good there.

I would say that the commute from Zionsville to downtown is probably 30 minutes, but it is faster if you speed. Even during rush hour traffic on 65 isn't too bad except for the construction zone once you get to Zionsville.

One of my cousins who lives in northern Indiana grows all different kinds of vegetables, so yeah it's possible.

I would say the average snowfall around here is about 4 inches, but we usually get at least a 10 inch snowfall once a year.

We have a lot of thunderstorms from spring to fall so you will hear thunder.

If you have a swimming pool I believe you would have to drain it. Most people I know that have one do.

Zionsville and the entire northern suburbs are almost all people that are not from here, so you will fit in fine. In comparison to Carmel (the other upper class suburb) people in Zionsville seem to be a lot more down to earth too.

Yeah we have a lot of lightning bugs here.

Chicago is by far the best 2 day trip I can think of. Kings Island is also a good amusement park in Cincinnati.

[KSlass]

Thunder & lightning bugs: YES! Gardens might depend on whether or not you buy in a subdivision with RULES. Most will allow it but not all. Highway #421/29 is just east of Zionsville. From there to the IU Med Center which is downtown INDY is less than 30 min. even with the stoplights. You don't have to use I-65. Highway #421 is also called Michigan Road. There is a large shopping area just south of Zionsville on MI Road: Target, Home Depot, Home Goods, Office Max, Kohl's, etc. Also Red Robin restaurant which is a great place to take kids. Applebee's, WalGreen's, large Marsh Grocery Supermarket, fast food places, Donato's pizza, etc. all on MI Road. St. Vincent's Hospital is about 15 min. from Zionsville. A dinner theatre named Beef & Boards is just off MI Road just south of I-465. Two day trips: Holland, MI; Lake Michigan-Dunes State Park; King's Island in OH; St. Louis; Louisville, KY. You can go to Chicago & back in a day. Good Luck!

[KSlass]

If you are into horses, the horsey crowd lives around Zionsville. There is a large horse farm there & they have competitions, etc. there. Our neighbors put floating devices in their pool for the winter & don't drain it. They have a large heavy pool cover.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by KSlass

Thunder & lightning bugs: YES! Gardens might depend on whether or not you buy in a subdivision with RULES. Most will allow it but not all. Highway #421/29 is just east of Zionsville. From there to the IU Med Center which is downtown INDY is less than 30 min. even with the stoplights. You don't have to use I-65. Highway #421 is also called Michigan Road. There is a large shopping area just south of Zionsville on MI Road: Target, Home Depot, Home Goods, Office Max, Kohl's, etc. Also Red Robin restaurant which is a great place to take kids. Applebee's, WalGreen's, large Marsh Grocery Supermarket, fast food places, Donato's pizza, etc. all on MI Road. St. Vincent's Hospital is about 15 min. from Zionsville. A dinner theatre named Beef & Boards is just off MI Road just south of I-465. Two day trips: Holland, MI; Lake Michigan-Dunes State Park; King's Island in OH; St. Louis; Louisville, KY. You can go to Chicago & back in a day. Good Luck!

and coming from California, you'll appreciate not having to give up Costco! There's a store on Michigan Road.

[PixiStix]

Originally Posted by KSlass

Our neighbors put floating devices in their pool for the winter & don't drain it. They have a large heavy pool cover.

Yes, you don't need to drain a pool during winter. In fact, you shouldn't as the water pressure is what holds the liner in place. Just "winterize" it. If it's an inground pool, you will need to have anti-freeze pumped into the lines (any pool service company can do it but I have a neighbor that does it himself), you put a winter shock treatment in the water, turn off the filter & close the cover. Mid-winter, you do a 2nd shock treatment. It's really pretty simple. Good luck! Zionsville is awesome

[DarrettsGirl]

Thanks for the info! We're trying to form a picture of what to expect before we come for a lookie-loo.

Here's a question for you: when I check out Indiana houses on line, they sometimes list the cooling system as "fans" and heating system as "fire place". I thought the weather was very hot in summer, and snowy-cold in winter, so I'm wondering how a fan and a fire-place would help either situation. We have serious AC here in the valley, and I don't know anyone who just uses a fire place for heating... and we don't even get snow. Am I missing something?

[PixiStix]

Originally Posted by DarrettsGirl

Thanks for the info! We're trying to form a picture of what to expect before we come for a lookie-loo.

Here's a question for you: when I check out Indiana houses on line, they sometimes list the cooling system as "fans" and heating system as "fire place". I thought the weather was very hot in summer, and snowy-cold in winter, so I'm wondering how a fan and a fire-place would help either situation. We have serious AC here in the valley, and I don't know anyone who just uses a fire place for heating... and we don't even get snow. Am I missing something?

Fans/fireplace are in addition to central A/C & heat. Usually a listing sheet will have all sources of heating & cooling listed. Fireplaces & ceiling fans are considered an ammenity. You'll be hard pressed to find a house without central air & heat here

Wanted to add... Not sure how you are searching now but mibor.com is our local MLS site & should give you good info on the listings.