Single woman moving to St. Joseph County, Indiana...questions! (South Bend: apartments, low crime)

[SunshineSeeker91]

I'm a single woman currently living in the outskirts of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I've been offered a job in Elkhart, Indiana. I'm really excited about my new job, but I have no clue where to live!

A little about me. I'm 21 years old with a bachelor of arts. I've lived with my family all my life including during college, so this will be my first time moving out. I have no family or friends living in Indiana.

As far as personal beliefs, I would be considered liberal. I'm very open-minded to different cultures and lifestyles. I am not religious. I'm a bit of a 'hippy', though not outrageous. I'm also African american.


I would like to live in a safe area with a low crime rate, as I'm a bit scared about living on my own three hours away from my family. I'm fine with driving around 30-45 minutes both to and from work. I would also like to live somewhere with good nature areas like parks, lakes, rivers...etc. I'm very artistic so museums, and community art organizations would be a plus!

Lastly, and I'm not sure if anyone would have any knowledge of this, but because I'm young and single I would like to live in an area with a lot of people my age who don't already have families. I'm not against living in family areas, but I really would like to make friends.

Could any of you help me with finding a good, safe location to live in St. Joseph County? Thanks in advance!

[Broadrippleguy]

Notre Dame area in South Bend has the most young people of anywhere in the SB area.
The university is just filled with people your age
2nd i would also recommend living on the Indiana side of the state line due to the fact Property Taxes are lower and homes are more affordable+lower income taxes and you wont have to file 2 state income tax returns and so on.

[SunshineSeeker91]

Thanks for answering some of my questions Broadrippleguy. This is really helpful!

[ischyros]

My vote would be for Mishawaka. It can be tough to get around sometimes because of traffic but that's where a lot of retail is located. I lived a couple years in Indian Lakes apartments just off Main Street between Douglas Rd and the Toll Road. I loved living there because I could walk to Culvers, Arbys, Family Video, Mancinos, and if I was really brave, I could walk across Main Street to Wal-Mart. The only thing I ever wished was a pedestrian friendly way to cross the Toll Road to get to the Super Target. Those apartments were also full of people in their 20s and 30s and I never felt unsafe. Even took several walks after dark around the apartments.

Depending on where your job is in Elkhart, from Mishawaka you can hop on the Toll Road and be to the SR 19 exit in about 7 minutes and to the Elkhart East exit in about 10 minutes. Notre Dame is only about a 10 minute drive west down Douglas Rd. You can also get to Warren Dunes State Park in Michigan along Lake Michigan in about 45 minutes. And Potato Creek State Park south of South Bend in about 30 minutes. So I think those apartments are pretty convenient to everything.

[cdr18]

Honestly, I think your best bet might be Goshen, which is located in Elkhart County. Goshen has grown considerably in the last couple of decades in part because it has more of a suburban feel to it. However, Goshen has one of the best art scenes in Indiana. Downtown Goshen is arguably one of the best downtowns (granted, the city is about 33,000), and I read an article that about 95% of the storefronts are occupied, which is truly unheard of in the Midwest. The art scene is excellent here with many artists, musicians, etc. Goshen has continuously been named bike-friendly and also has excellent sidewalks, trails, and a top-notch park system that is used by many of the residents. It has a high Hispanic population, which adds unique culture and diversity to the area. The River Race project is one that might be of interest to you, as the city of Goshen is taking up abandoned properties and factories and preserving them and making them into livable workspaces for artists. Also, Goshen definitely has its 'hippy' clientele, thanks to Goshen College. They are great people to be around and is one of the reasons that makes Goshen such a great place to live.

Goshen is located directly southeast of Elkhart, and they are basically connected via US 33. I would certainly check it out for sure before you settle in St. Joseph County. I will say though, Mishawaka has a great river going through the downtown and a nice riverwalk. However, it is definitely more suburban, especially with the influence of Notre Dame right next door.

[Broadrippleguy]

Originally Posted by cdr18

Honestly, I think your best bet might be Goshen, which is located in Elkhart County. Goshen has grown considerably in the last couple of decades in part because it has more of a suburban feel to it. However, Goshen has one of the best art scenes in Indiana. Downtown Goshen is arguably one of the best downtowns (granted, the city is about 33,000), and I read an article that about 95% of the storefronts are occupied, which is truly unheard of in the Midwest. The art scene is excellent here with many artists, musicians, etc. Goshen has continuously been named bike-friendly and also has excellent sidewalks, trails, and a top-notch park system that is used by many of the residents. It has a high Hispanic population, which adds unique culture and diversity to the area. The River Race project is one that might be of interest to you, as the city of Goshen is taking up abandoned properties and factories and preserving them and making them into livable workspaces for artists. Also, Goshen definitely has its 'hippy' clientele, thanks to Goshen College. They are great people to be around and is one of the reasons that makes Goshen such a great place to live.

Goshen is located directly southeast of Elkhart, and they are basically connected via US 33. I would certainly check it out for sure before you settle in St. Joseph County. I will say though, Mishawaka has a great river going through the downtown and a nice riverwalk. However, it is definitely more suburban, especially with the influence of Notre Dame right next door.

Plus theres Goshen and Bethel Colleges.

[cdr18]

Well, Bethel College is located in Mishawaka and is missionary-based. Goshen College is located in Goshen and is mennonite-based. Mennonites are definitely more conservative, which has a huge influence on the culture in the Elkhart-Goshen area.