Where in Indiana is best to raise a family?

[RoadMaster1959]

Having lived in Fishers, Fort Wayne, Kokomo, and now, Elkhart, I can offer some on the ground perspective. Fishers has consistently ranked in the Top Ten of Money magazines "Best Places to Live" feature. It took #1 last year (The 100 Best Places to Live in 2017 | Money) It is a very rapidly growing city, swelling from only about 2000 residents in 1980 to over 90,000 last year. All the infrastructure is new, so no problems there. However, with the rapid growth, the city struggles with keeping up. The Fishers school district is #1 in the state academically. Carmel is much older, but the most expensive city in the state to live in. (Why? Most of the players for the Indianapolis Colts, Pacers, plus all the doctors/researchers for Eli Lilly pharmaceuticals and Roche Diagnostics live in or near there. Everybody mentioned earns a million dollars a year +) With a tax base like that, Hamilton county can do some neat stuff. Indianapolis is the state capitol, law firms dot the area like McDonald's. Also Indy draws people from around the world for both sports and the Indy 500. No problems with being diverse. Fort Wayne is cheaper than the Indy metro area, but you get what you pay for. The city schools are mediocre and the county income tax has risen each year for the past few years. There are things to do, but you will run through them quickly. It is family friendly. North and northeast of Fort Wayne is a sizable settlement of Amish. The city airport has direct flights to Atlanta, all other cities are though hubs. You will pay about $500 per ticket more flying out of Fort Wayne vs. Indy. There are law firms, just not as many and not as high powered as in Indy. Weather-wise, if you have lived your entire life in SoCal, Indiana will take some getting used to. From Indy north, we have all four seasons. The first time you drive in snow, you are terrified, the second time you are scared, the third time you are cautious, and the fourth time finds you doing doughnuts in an empty parking lot. :-) In summary, I would suggest #1 Fishers, #2 Noblesville, #3 Westfield, #4 Indy proper (with the knowledge your children would be going to a private school) and #5 Fort Wayne (with the knowledge your children would be going to a private school) Hope this helps and good luck with your move!

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by JasminCS

We crossed out KY cause many have said the schools are horrible. Your might have a school in less than a mile from you but because of "busing system" you end up farther/somewhere else. Also, I've read drivers can be crazy since it is a "no fault" state. Please educate me if I'm wrong.

What are the other cities in S. Indiana besides Floyds Knobs? Cities in Eastern Jeffersonville?

Thank you for your time.

The school situation you mentioned in Louisville is not true...mostly hearsay. But Louisville/JCPS is only one school district in metro Louisville which does bus (but most kids whose parents apply on time go to a neighborhood school). There are dozens of other districts in every county surrounding Louisville (JCPS).

Look into Floyds Knobs, eastern Jeffersonville near I-265 and IN 62, and Sellersburg Indiana. Oldham County KY (everything you love about Carmel but way less traffic and much cheaper) is also an option and a very great school district with all high schools ranked among the best 500 in the country in US news.

Don't let internet hearsay on JCPS scare you. Besides, Jefferson County (Louisville) is only one school district.


I am not saying don't choose Carmel, but S. Indiana has a bit more scenic topography and Louisville is a highly cultured and artsy city. Not to say Indy isn't but let's say for sake of argument that Indy is LA and Louisville is San Francisco. Different stroke for different folks and both should be compared particularly with noticeably less snow and cold in S Indiana/ Louisville versus north central IN.

With regards to the poster who mentioned Ft Wayne, Louisville has everything Ft Wayne doesn't....more museums, more concerts, more sports, more everything. It's closer in amenities (minus pro teams for now) to Indianapolis than to Ft Wayne but Louisville's Indiana suburbs in particular give a cozy small town feel, cheap schools, and only 15 mins to Louisville. These towns don't show up in as many magazines so aren't growing as fast, so they are a well kept secret. Louisville too, really.

https://roadtrippers.com/stories/jef...ille-newalbany

[wac_432]

Originally Posted by JasminCS

I soooo appreciate for taking the time to provide this lengthy explanation. It helps a lot with our decision making process.

1. As far as electrical bill, what square feet your house was when you have $400-600 bill/month?

We were house-sitting a new construction 5br/4.5ba McMansion that couldn't be sold for gold or silver (at the time). We closed off the vents and only lit/heated about 1600sqft of the 4000-ish sqft, but I'm sure we had a lot of heat loss internally, since interior walls aren't insulated. Not very helpful, sorry.

2. Do you know anything about health insurance cost for individual/family?

Only 2010 numbers. Around 400/month for an individual high-deductible "catestrophic" plan. Probably way different now. You could find the information online.

3. Did you ever like living in IN? Which city did you live in?

I grew up there (WLAF). Never liked it. Moved away as soon as I could get the education to get a job somewhere more fun. There was a time when I didn't know any better, but I always wondered--when we took vacations to nice places like Florida beaches or the like--why we didn't just live in the fun vacation places.

It was boring. I didn't live near any other kids, so I had nothing to do but walk through the woods and fields. On the plus side, growing up in the styx didn't afford me any chances to get into trouble, drugs, or alcohol. Couldn't speak to growing up in the suburbs or town.

I lived there again with my spouse for the time it took to get an advanced degree. We both disliked the place and left as soon as we graduated.

I'm annoyed we have to shlep back to IN to visit my side of the family. My spouse's family lives in a big city overseas and we always anticipate the trip (despite the cost/pain of the loong flight) and feel like our 3-week visits there are too short, because there's so much to do. Our one-week visits to my hometown are more than long enough.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of nice things about Indiana, and there's fun/interesting stuff to do--just not much of it, and the long winters are rough. WLAF is a nice town and a "good place to raise a family", just be prepared for the dull, safe, routine of a sprawling exurb town. Both LAF and WLAF have dramatically improved their town centers in the last two decades. If you have never been, you'll be amazed at how far apart the buildings are, outside the town centers. There is just TONS of empty space--parking lots, grassy areas, etc.--around businesses and homes that have sprung up in former cornfields.

If you like/don't mind it there, I think you're making a good decision to move to Indiana, mostly for the lower COL (due to housing, even a whopping $1,000 more per month in utilities and taxes takes 40 years to turn into the $400,000 difference in the cost of buying a home) and safety and good schools (if you pick the right area). You're still going to have to raise your kids right, and don't expect them to stick around after they've grown--but I don't think that's really region-dependent. Kids should grow up and go make their fortune in the wide world, no matter where they start from, IMO.

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by JasminCS

Serious Conversation, thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. Indiana winter is my concern. It seems depressing to have an overcast weather pretty much every day during winter.

I've lived in the Indy area my whole life. I didn't really get to travel to where I was able to really take in other areas till I was almost thirty. I really don't get the whole overcast issue. I know some people claim to have issues with it. I however never cared for the sun and heat/humidity in my youth, but now in middle age I really don't care for the bitter coldness. I also believe I have light sensitive eyes because I always like it darker than lighter, which likely explains why the lack of direct sunlight in the winter was never an issue for me. Also, for about two months of the winter season (might not be a straight eight weeks in a row) the temps can get so cold, one isn't really out much anyway, so maybe that is why I never felt off about the lack of sunlight.

[mamkling]

Originally Posted by JasminCS

Hello everyone,

My family and I are planning to move from CA to Indiana. We have 2 daughters: 9 years old and 2 years old. Can you guys please help me/us answer some questions . Thank you so much for your time.

1. Which Indiana city is best to raise a family with good school and neighborhood?
2. What is the weather like during summer and winter?
3. I'm a paralegal, so I am hoping a city or neighboring city(ies) with law firms.
4. Planning to pay cash on a home around $250,000-265,000.
5. How much are the real property taxes, electric/gas utilities, water and sewer, etc.?
6. Are all neighborhoods have HOAs? How much usually monthly?

We were thinking of Fishers and Carmel, but I read that Carmel is a bit snooty. I want a neighborhood where my family/kids feel welcome and will be comfortable.

If Indiana is not the state for us, any recommendation?

Thank you,

Jasmin

IMO Carmel is stiff, has very little diversity and I think the Carmel cops routinely profile people. It’s an affluent narrow minded city. Fishers is bland too but I think the people are more down to earth. I grew up in Broadripple. I think it’s the best but some of the houses are half a million but within 15 minutes of ripple you can find houses around200k. It’s just depends on your personality type but just about anywhere in Indiana is a little behind other major cities.

The weather is hot and humid in the summer. Pollen season is harsh. Winters aren’t too harsh.

[CGab]

Why not look into NW Indiana? St. John was voted safest town in Indiana. Only 30 miles SE of Chicago, so you could work there and would get paid more than if your worked in Indiana! And Chicago has LOTS to do! St. John also has top ranked schools. Taxes are capped at 1% of your homes assessed value, so on a $250k home you're looking at around $2,500 a year. Weather here is the same as most of Northern Indiana. Cold in the winter, hot in the summer, mild in Spring and Summer. I have a 2,500 sq ft house. My electric/gas is $170 a mo. average, water $70 a month (family of 4). Some subdivisions have HOA's and some do not. Mine does not.

https://www.stjohnin.com/

The surrounding towns are good to look into as well such as Dyer, Schererville, Crown Point, Highland and Cedar Lake. All have excellent schools! As far as tornados are concerned, anywhere in the Midwest can have them. We did not have one alert at all last year where I'm at.

And before someone says something stupid......NO we are nowhere near the city of Gary!!