Where is my spot?

[WestsideMac]

Lafayette area is a really strong choice as yourself and others have mentioned. Both of my grandparents lived in or near Lafayette when I was growing up and we always could find plenty to do without even venturing to the stuff hosted by Purdue. That was a long time ago granted and when I was a child, but I have friends who live in the area post their graduation from Purdue and they still say there is alot to do between the things already mentioned (Feast of the Hunter's Moon is a really cool festival!) and the Purdue events and parks.

I would also suggest a look at Columbus, Indiana. I cannot speak for the town itself as much when it comes to festivals. I have not lived there and have only visited so full disclaimer that I am not the best to speak on the city and everything it has to offer. However, they are a fairly large city (smaller than Lafayette) so would have access still to most of the stuff that you would desire. They also have the outlet mall for any big time things you need including some stores that Indy area doesn't have.

The main reason I suggest Columbus though is it's location. It is about 30 minutes from Brown County State Park and Nashville, IN. This is one of the biggest parks in Indiana by size and is beautiful in the fall. Nearby Nashville has the quaint, unique shops you desire and wine tastings, etc. Columbus itself has some very unique architecture and parks right along the river that runs through the city. You are also less than an hour from downtown Indy or Bloomington for your bigger festivals or entertainment or even transportation (airport) needs. You are just over an hour from Louisville and about 1.5 hours from Cincinnati. So again if Columbus doesn't have the activities you are looking for you can get to them pretty easily and quickly. Columbus should have reliable internet as they have the headquarters for Cummins. There are some projects in the downtown area working on putting in apartments downtown, but plenty of other apartment or rental home options I'm sure.

Either of those locations would be pretty good locales for what you are looking for I think. They boast some similarities and differences, but probably the cities I would look into that aren't one of the big three and meet most of your criteria (Indy, Evansville or Fort Wayne).

[AdventureAwaits23]

Thank you! I'll take a look at Columbus. I was actually checking out Bloomington today and it's become a contender as well. The area looks gorgeous. I'm leaning towards Lafayette but we'll see how I feel once I visit these places. Thanks again for taking the time to reply

[indy_317]

Bloomington and Lafayette are both Big 10 school cities. Downside is that depending on what area one lives, rents/housing costs could be costly due to the constant demand for student housing. If looking long term, you should know that all universities are worried about the "enrollment cliff." This is a serious issue facing higher education. Right now about 40% of the Bloomington undergrad student population is out-of-state/international. If this number drops drastically, IU would look at a serious loss of income. That might have a negative impact on future job numbers/salaries. I wouldn't be surprised if Purdue isn't in a similar position. Outside of Big Education, IU doesn't have a ton of other industry. The only other business I've heard of is Catalent (formerly Cook Industries). Lafayette has a lot more heavy industry. In terms of outdoor recreation, S. Indiana is more known for a more diverse landscape. Both cities have a lot of festivals and events, many connected either directly or indirectly to the universities.

Columbus has a good industry and engineering base economy and it is close enough to the Indy metro area and I-65 that it likely will have a stable economy. Not really sure about housing costs there. It is close to Brown County and that area offers in terms of outdoor recreation, plus it is a much closer drive to say the Daniel Boone National Forest which offers an even higher level of hiking, rock climbing, etc. (my opinion at least). It is also close to a lot of other far S. Indiana and SE Indiana areas that offer all sorts of festivals and such throughout the year (Nashville in Brown County, Shelbyville, Greensburg, Metamora, Bateville, Madison).

The only serious beaches in this area are found along Lake Michigan. Some of our state parks might have a beach, and so might some other lakes, but I'm not sure if it really feels like a beach near Lake Michigan or say an ocean.

[AdventureAwaits23]

Thank you! I definitely have more research to do before making a decision. Would you recommend any towns that are around Lafayette or Bloomington?

[popcorn247]

Most of the housing for Purdue students is in West Lafayette. The two towns are quite different from each other. Housing costs are higher in West Lafayette. The president of Purdue, Mitch Daniels, has kept tuition the same for ~ 7 years. This year's freshmen class is the largest in Purdue's history. The demand for quality education at a decent price is going to keep Purdue as popular as ever. There are multiple high-rise apartment buildings under construction in West Lafayette. I don't see an enrollment cliff happening at Purdue....at all!

Turkey Run State Park is an hours drive from Lafayette. It has some wonderful (some are quite challenging) hiking trails.

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by popcorn247

The president of Purdue, Mitch Daniels, has kept tuition the same for ~ 7 years. This year's freshmen class is the largest in Purdue's history. The demand for quality education at a decent price is going to keep Purdue as popular as ever. There are multiple high-rise apartment buildings under construction in West Lafayette. I don't see an enrollment cliff happening at Purdue....at all!

The larger state supported universities are likely to stay in business. If tuition at Purdue hasn't risen in all those years, they've been charging a bit more early on because IU's in-state tuition, housing, and fees comes out to only being about $1,800 higher than Purdue, and IU's been raising all of those things over the last seven years. They did offer to freeze tuition for some students in the past if I recall.

The question will be how many in-state vs. out-of-state students the universities will take in. If a lot of smaller universities go under and there is a still a demand, I could see a lot of residents upset with the huge amount of non-residents being educated here over in-state students. They talk about a brain drain, but if a sizable amount of our college students aren't even from Indiana, or maybe even the Midwest, is it really that shocking that so many leave? It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It could have a slight impact on the local economy, mostly if jobs/benefits are cut for employees due to lower revenue streams.

[popcorn247]

Originally Posted by indy_317

The larger state supported universities are likely to stay in business. If tuition at Purdue hasn't risen in all those years, they've been charging a bit more early on because IU's in-state tuition, housing, and fees comes out to only being about $1,800 higher than Purdue, and IU's been raising all of those things over the last seven years. They did offer to freeze tuition for some students in the past if I recall.

The question will be how many in-state vs. out-of-state students the universities will take in. If a lot of smaller universities go under and there is a still a demand, I could see a lot of residents upset with the huge amount of non-residents being educated here over in-state students. They talk about a brain drain, but if a sizable amount of our college students aren't even from Indiana, or maybe even the Midwest, is it really that shocking that so many leave? It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It could have a slight impact on the local economy, mostly if jobs/benefits are cut for employees due to lower revenue streams.

Here is some more information: https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/rele...on-freeze.html

[AdventureAwaits23]

I took a little road trip through Indiana. I think Columbus is the right place for me. There are lots of factors but I really like the location and the people were extremely friendly and helpful. Thanks everybody for all the suggestions and information!

[WestsideMac]

Great to hear and welcome to Indiana! Hopefully it works out for you.