Moving back to IN, location input needed

[canterbc]

The wife and I have decided it's time to move back to Indiana. We moved to Florida 5 years ago after college and while it's been great, we have kids now and want them to be close to family. I grew up at 96th Street and I-69, Indianapolis address but basically Fishers. I have no interest in living right there, the traffic was truly terrible. We are looking at the north side of Indianapolis outside of the 465 loop. We are thinking Brownsburg, Zionsville, Westfield, maybe Carmel, Noblesville and maybe Fishers.

Anybody that hat lives or has lived in any of these places have any input? Good? Bad? Sometimes you have to live somewhere to really know it so I was looking for a little help. Thanks INGO!

 

[mikebol]

Do you know where "Work" will be located exactly? From the sounds of things, likely North side.

If you're open to alternatives, you may consider New Palestine. It's a small community, generally 10-15 minutes from I465, good 4 star schools, fairly affordable housing, great place to raise a family.

Mike

 

[maansmit]

Do you know where "Work" will be located exactly? From the sounds of things, likely North side.

If you're open to alternatives, you may consider New Palestine. It's a small community, generally 10-15 minutes from I465, good 4 star schools, fairly affordable housing, great place to raise a family.

Mike

I agree with New Pal.

 

[eldirector]

I grew up west of Indy, and live in Brownsburg now. We looked in essentially the same area (the arc from Avon around to about Zionsville) when we bought here.

- Not a lot of traffic (and actually getting better, not worse).
- decent school options (public or private)
- House prices aren't all that bad
- you can still find houses with a decent-sized lot, or even a little property. Pretty easy to live "in the county" and outside of town limits.
- Not all that far to "rural", and all the modern conveniences (Kroger, WalMart, Starbucks, etc...) are nearby.
- Commuting into the Indy Metro isn't all that bad. I can get to our offices at Keystone and I-465 in about 45 minutes, in traffic.

We like it out this way. If my work situation hadn't changed (for the better) we would be planning to stay right here "forever". As I am now a 100% remote employee, we are entertaining the idea of moving a bit farther out.

There is actually a steal on a foreclosed house in my neighborhood, if you are looking for a fixer-upper.

 

[Black Cloud]

I did the same. Started in Fishers in 2000, then to Carmel, ended up building a house in Brownsburg. I have to agree that this is the best of both worlds, small town living with excellent schools, and very close access to shopping and the big city.

 

[canterbc]

Work will be north side, don't know the specific place yet but definitely north side. I hadn't thought of New Pal. It's been about 5 minutes since I've lived in the area, but now that I think about it the New Pal area was always nice. We have found a lot of good value in both Brownsburg and Noblesville. I think Westfield may be my ideal area, but I like the value of the other areas.

 

[jd4320t]

In the past eight years I've lived in Carmel, Broad Ripple, Southport and now Fishers. I've come to the conclusion that traffic sucks everywhere.

 

[indykid]

Westfield is a rapidly growing city. Great schools but unfortunately with the notoriety comes very high property taxes.

Personally I have been putting up with the taxes because Westfield does have a lot to offer.

 

[bgcatty]

You don't know about traffic or taxes until you have lived in northern New Jersey!!! I did and moved to Carmel and have never looked back.

 

[pute62]

I'd look at Northern Hamilton Co. Strawtown,Cicero,Arcadia,Atlanta. Peaceful living and fairly cheap.

 

[KellyinAvon]

I know it's hard to tell, but I do prefer Avon. Got kids I see? Avon's schools are great. AND we have a gun range!

 

[87iroc]

The west side traffic has been a nightmare when I take the wrong road out that direction. I'm guessing locals know the best routes. Its a very upandcoming feeling area trying to model Carmel I think. Waiting on them to spend millions on roundabouts. This is an outsiders perspective though.

That aside, We have firends over north of Wannamaker on the east side. North of 74. Nice area with large houses with actual land....not enough for a shooting range, but feels country. My kind of thing, maybe not yours. If you're a gun owner, you may want to consider distance to shooting range options as well.

 

[dusty88]

I agree with your perception that the northeast side of Indy has the absolutely worst traffic. That was reinforced today when I visited a friend in Noblesville, and it wasn't even rush hour.

I have a business on the northwest side, so I get around those areas but don't live in them. We live west of Brownsburg, just past Jamestown and I get to the St Vincent area in 45-50 min, depending on traffic. We can get to downtown Indy in about the same time. We don't have the greatest school district, but by saving money on housing and taxes, we spent money on private middle school. Now our kids have an out-of-district tuition waiver at North Central (IMO the best high school in the area for academics). We drive them in every day, because I'm driving to work nearby anyway.

I did quite a bit of investigating of schools because my kids needed an accelerated program. Of the public schools, I think Zionsville is good but their property taxes show it.

Westfield is nice. For me, though, it always seems there's a lot of slow-driving areas between Westfield and downtown. IOW, with no interstate going that direction you can get caught up in traffic and you can't get anywhere quickly.

Out of your choices, I would take Zionsville or Brownsburg area. Another option you might consider is to be just barely south of Carmel or Zionsville, in Washington township. The school district is really good, especially compared to the taxes. If you get too far south in Washington Township though, the crime may be a little higher. Right on the northern edge of the township is nice, or some people seek out a home in North Willow subdivision. (I'm told that when Indianapolis incorporated the rest of the county, the Washington township residents negotiated to keep control of some of their own services, including the school).
If you are inclined to go a bit more rural, you can get anywhere between Brownsburg and Zionsville where you save $$ or get more land. You are also then in a position to have your choice of I-74 or I-65 for commuting to Indy. 65 is usually faster, but it's nice to have an alternative if there are traffic or weather problems.

 

[1DOWN4UP]

Lapel?

 

[pack-indy]

Dont count out the east side out by Fortville. We scored a house with a creek and land for a fraction of the price in Hamilton Co. I spent all but the last two years of my life in Hamilton Co. and I love it out here. Greenfield is another good option close to I70.

 

[Kutnupe14]

I'd look at Northern Hamilton Co. Strawtown,Cicero,Arcadia,Atlanta. Peaceful living and fairly cheap.

....And nobody cares about how many teeth you have, or what type of relative you wife was.

 

[dusty88]

Wherever you go, if traffic matters, make a run at it during rush hours. I lived out by Greenfield in the 90s. The commute time to downtown doubled during the 5 years I lived there. In some areas, it's about the interstate and in other areas it's between the ramp and your house (ie new subdivisions in Zionsville). I don't know where it's changed and where it hasn't, but it may be different than when you last lived here.

 

[pjcalla]

I grew up in Carmel, now reside in Westfield. When I first moved to Westfield 10 years ago, it reminded me of the way Carmel was before Brainless took office. Now, it is going down the same route and will soon be like Carmel. Westfield schools are good, but like others have said, the property taxes are high. I like the roundabouts actually, so that isn't a concern. When the 31 construction is complete, it will be great, but until then, traffic is horrible during rush hour, especially northbound in the evenings. Non-rush hour, the traffic minimal at best. From Westfield, I can be to 465 in 10 minutes, and most of that time is waiting at Keystone and 96th street light.

Good luck with your decision, and if you need some more specific neighborhood suggestions, I can probably help. I've lived in the area for over 35 years.

 

[Birds Away]

How's your Spanish?

 

[canterbc]

How's your Spanish?

Haha, no bueno.