Help!! Need motivation to make the move to Bloomington. (Indianapolis: best towns, real estate)
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Could someone post some pros and cons of Bloomington? We're in Chicago and it's changing. Need to know is Bloomington easy to adapt to? Are the people friendly or rowdy? How is the weather generally, is it true that Indiana has worse weather than Chicago?
Thanks in advance!
Could someone post some pros and cons of Bloomington? We're in Chicago and it's changing. Need to know is Bloomington easy to adapt to? Are the people friendly or rowdy? How is the weather generally, is it true that Indiana has worse weather than Chicago?
Thanks in advance!
If you are comparing Chicago to Bloomington, that is an apples to oranges comparison. I have lived in Btown for around 10 years now, went to IU for four so I feel I understand the student side as well as the "townie" side.
I like Bloomington, as I think there are many things to do in a small town. If you like Big Ten sports, world class music (one of the best music schools in the world) great outdoor activity (watch the movie "Breaking Away" for bicycling) and near the largest lake in Indiana, Lake Monroe.
The people are very diverse. Since this is a college town, we have folks from Indiana to India and everywhere in between. So some are very friendly, others are more reserved. I have found that people pretty much treat you the way that you treat them, and things work out fine. Most Hoosiers are not outwardly (that is, body hugs, wild waving etc) friendly people, but once you get to know them, they are very loyal and become life long friends.
The weather here is great in the spring and fall (google Brown County fall foliage) but summer can be hot and humid and winter is pretty long and gray.
I would say that the winters in Chicago would be much more severe and cold than down here. It is warmer down here, but I think we may get more ice than snow sometimes. Winter is usually over by April.
If you enjoy eating, Bloomington is probably one of the best towns in the state for that. Many local eclectic eateries, as well as the more well known national brands. Most national stores are located here also.
So after saying all of that, I think that you should visit Bloomington this fall.
Go to the farmers market downtown on Saturday morning, visit Olivers Winery on the north side of town, drive to Lake Monroe for a short visit and then finish the evening by visiting the artsy community of Nashville for a play at Brown County Playhouse. That should give you some idea if you would adapt.
indyjones hit on many of the major highlights of B-ton. My family moved here almost 6 years ago from the western suburbs of Chicago. I have/had family throughout the Chicago area and spent most of my life within about 35 miles from the city. Do you live in the city or one of the suburbs? That might make your question a little easier to answer. Husband and myself also spent our undergrad and grad school years at IU.
Some of the primary reasons we moved here: lower real estate taxes, lower cost of living overall, we could escape the ever present growth of the western suburbs, no traffic, easier pace of life, and a great quality of living. Even though we lived within 35-40 miles of downtown, we found we never/rarely went into the city. If we took the train, parking was a hassle. Driving on the Eisenhower was even more of a nightmare. All this great stuff, and we never/rarely did it because it was a real pain. In Bloomington, we hop in the car and in 15-20 minutes (about 15 miles as we live out in the county) we can be at a football game, an art musuem, an opera, seeing a comedian, experiencing some great food, or enjoying a wide range of music. (Google the Lotus world music festival sometime. It's coming up soon, and is a personal favorite!)
Since we have 2 children schools were very important to us. We've found that our children have opportunities here they never would have had in in our old district (and it was pretty good.) We know today that our daughter will graduate HS with at least 9 or more hours of college credit under her belt. With college tuition today, that's pretty important to mom and dad! more if Son will probably do the same, but he's still in middle school.
Pros---all the things mentioned above! Plus we are about an hour from Indianapolis with it's zoo, professional sports teams, etc.
Cons---Shopping---ughhh. Yes, we have national chains, but it still can't compare to suburban or city shopping areas. There are several nice malls in and around Indianapolis (about an hour away) though. When I need a "real" department store fix I head up to Circle Center, Castleton, Greenwood (sort of), or the Fashion Mall on the north side.
Since husband was just up in Chicago this week and told me about his visit to a favorite restaurant, I'm really missing GREAT pizza and a GREAT Italian beef sandwich. (Before any other Bloomingtonians blast me on this, hey, it's food...it's an opinion!)
The adjustment takes a bit of time, depends on you really. Before you know it though, you're laughing at yourself in the car because you're cursing the "big" traffic backup. (In Bloomington this means you've had to sit through 2 red lights-hahaha)
Weather---Spring is 2-4 weeks earlier here. (One year my kids went swimming on Easter Sunday--outside!) Autumn easily lasts through the end of October. We don't usually see snow until December. Rarely do we receive the number of snowfalls or the amounts that occur in the Chicago area. It's also very unusual to have weeks of freezing temps like Chicago. It seems to me that winters are much milder here. Summer is similar, maybe a bit more humid.
People are generally pretty laid back. It took awhile for me to adjust to that. I'm not quite sure how to explain it though. I remember coming down to B-ton while our house was under construction. I was busy running around, shopping for house stuff, talking 90 miles an hour. I noticed how people walked differently than they do in the Chicago area. It's just a more relaxed body language and less stressed out I think. Sometimes that attitude is a PIA when I want something done NOW, but generally it's okay.
I think that covered it. Feel free to ask more questions or pm me. Domergurl is also a Chicago area transplant I believe. She doesn't live in B-ton, but is familiar with it. Perhaps she'll add to this for you.
rrah, you're right about the food ... it's pretty bad here. If you want a good meal in this state, you need to go to a fancy restaurant and then the food compares to most big cities. But as for pizza, ugh!!! It's pathetic! In Fishers, we had 1 Nancy's pizza chain (from Chicago, btw), but here in Columbus, it's a no man's land as far as a good pizza and forget about a beef. I heard there's a Chicago transplant in North Vernon who got sick of the food here and opened his own place. I'm planning on checking it out this week.
I like Bloomington, as I think there are many things to do in a small town. If you like Big Ten sports, world class music (one of the best music schools in the world) great outdoor activity (watch the movie "Breaking Away" for bicycling) and near the largest lake in Indiana, Lake Monroe.........
So after saying all of that, I think that you should visit Bloomington this fall.
Go to the farmers market downtown on Saturday morning, visit Olivers Winery on the north side of town, drive to Lake Monroe for a short visit and then finish the evening by visiting the artsy community of Nashville for a play at Brown County Playhouse. That should give you some idea if you would adapt.
Indyjones, I appreciate all of the insights on all the things to do. It's one of the main reasons we'd move there. It sounds like it has so much to offer while still maintaining a small town atmosphere. One more thing I'd like to ask is: what about the crime? Obviously Chicago has terrible crime on an everyday basis we hear in the news. Please elaborate if you can. Thanks again.
Some of the primary reasons we moved here: lower real estate taxes, lower cost of living overall, we could escape the ever present growth of the western suburbs, no traffic, easier pace of life, and a great quality of living. Even though we lived within 35-40 miles of downtown, we found we never/rarely went into the city.
Since we have 2 children schools were very important to us. We've found that our children have opportunities here they never would have had in in our old district (and it was pretty good.)
rrah-- Tyvm for all the info. We're in the burbs of Chicago, and I can honestly say that we also rarely go downtown because it's not worth the hassle. The top reasons that we're considering moving to Bloomington is almost identical to your list of reasons. We're lookin for an easier lifestyle, less stress, lower cost of living, no traffic, excellent schools *from what I've heard*, (oh, and what's the difference between the two high schools?) and of course, IU. Hopefully the crime rate is nothing like Chicago's. By the way, is one part of town safer than the other? Are there any areas of town to totally avoid? (Such as what we have in Chicago). One more thing, with the weather--- I've heard that you guys get tornadoes quite often- is that true?? I've lived in the south and have encountered tornadoes and it isn't something I wanna go thru again. Thanks, again!!
Ahhh....the old tornado concern..... I don't feel like it's more of an issue here than it was there for the most part. A few times a year there is a warning. My overall feeling is that the area north of Bloomington, Martinsville, gets hit more frequently than Bloomington. It also seems like the northern part of Monroe County is a bit more likely to come under a tornado warning than than Bloomington or the southern half of the county. In six years the only tornado touchdown I'm aware of was in Martinsville. That one also hit northern Monroe County and traveled up to the areas south of Indianapolis.
I can honestly say there isn't really any place in town I feel unsafe, even at night. Much of the crime is petty stuff like DUI's or students leaving dorm rooms open and someone stealing things. Like everyplace we have our share of domestic violence. Several years ago (6 or 7) there were a number of arrests related to drug trafficking coming in from Detroit. That seems to have wound down. When we do read about a drug bust in the local paper it's usually close to the university--some students trying to make some money. My personal experience is that drugs were more of a problem with teens in the suburbs than here. I'm not naive enough to say that we have no gang members here, but it's absolutely minimal. The nightly news, coming from Indianapolis, is nothing like the Chicago news as far as crime goes.
Bloomington North versus South HS. We faced the same dilemma. We felt our children would receive an excellent education at either school. With our daughter in high school now (South), I know this to be true. It seems as if one year North's scores are better, the next year it's South. North is slightly smaller for now. The county redistricted last year so it should even out soon. There are people that will swear that one is better, but in the end, I think it's a wash. North has a great marching band program; South has a fantastic theater/choral music department. Both schools share an orchestra leader so do very well. South's football team might win this year, but North's basketball team might put South to shame the same year. (Of course the South girls swim team will put North away this year--I only say that because daughter is a swimmer )
As far as areas of town---it really depends what you're looking for---. The far west side is a bit more affordable. (keep in mind--that for the most part prices are less than you are probably used to seeing) The southeast tends to be the most populated and more expensive. Unless you want to live next to students or will work at IU, I would avoid the areas closest to campus. That's my preference though. When we left the suburbs we looked for something different than a suburban neighborhood--ended up in large lot neighborhood on 16 acres. We can see the stars at night, watch the wildlife during the day, and for the most part, don't regret our decision to move.
If you think of anything else, just ask.....
domergurl---There is a place on the square now called the Chicago Sandwich Company---I've only been there once though. Not quite the same. Even though Mother Bear's does have the best veggie pizza in the world, and Nick's tries with it's beef--not the same. I tried and tried to get my favorite suburban pizza guy to move here--no luck! I don't make it up to North Vernon otherwise I'd try it out! (I did order frozen Gino's East one year for my son's b-day. Not bad, but a bit pricey.)
Indyjones, I appreciate all of the insights on all the things to do. It's one of the main reasons we'd move there. It sounds like it has so much to offer while still maintaining a small town atmosphere. One more thing I'd like to ask is: what about the crime? Obviously Chicago has terrible crime on an everyday basis we hear in the news. Please elaborate if you can. Thanks again.
Not much more that I can add to what Rrah has said. Crime is almost a humorous item in the paper at times..mostly petty stuff. Of course, the national news with Jill Beerman, but that was really an exception for this area.
Sounds like rrah lives out in the country. I live in a burb that backs up to the Monroe Resevoir conservancy area, backed by woods, so a little country and a little suburbs too. I think the east side of Bloomington tends to be more upscale, but the west is beginning to develop also. There is a little town around five miles west of Bloomington called Ellettsville, that has very affordable homes on large lots and close to the amenities of Bloomington.
Come on down. I think you will like it here.
One thing though. Bloomington is a very liberal town, so if you are easily offended by tree huggers etc, this might not be the place for you.
domergurl---There is a place on the square now called the Chicago Sandwich Company---I've only been there once though. Not quite the same. Even though Mother Bear's does have the best veggie pizza in the world, and Nick's tries with it's beef--not the same. I tried and tried to get my favorite suburban pizza guy to move here--no luck! I don't make it up to North Vernon otherwise I'd try it out! (I did order frozen Gino's East one year for my son's b-day. Not bad, but a bit pricey.)
We do have some restaurants that even Chicago would be hard pressed to match, like the 4th street ones, and how about Little Zagrebs for steak? I agree about the pizza, but i am from the east coast, so I miss that even more than Chicago pizza. Several very good Italian restaurants tho...D"Angelos, and Gratzies are very good.
When I was at IU, I loved the Po Boys at Uptown Cafe, is that still there? I also loved the scones at Red Chair Bakery, but I heard that is gone now. Loved the Indian coffee at Daily Grind, burgers at Nicks and fish and chips at the Irish Lion. Loved breakfast at the Runcible Spoon.
But pizza ... and beefs ... yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!
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