Moving to Indy - where to live.

[BiscuitNaBasket]

West is trash. North is rich. East is a mixture.South is middle class.

Though every side of town has it's neighborhoods that do not agree with my statement above. A very cultural neighborhood on the East side of Indy called Irvington is a nice place.

 

[slow1911s]

Near northside is decent. It can get very expensive, but get a few blocks away from Meridian-Kessler into places like Butler-Tarkington and South Broadripple and you can get a decent home on a quiet street.

I can't stand the Greenwood/Southport area any more. A lot of places around here have outgrown their infrastructure. Southern Marion/Northern Johnson counties have done much worse.

The northwest side is mostly decent. Just be sure to look around.

Castleton and Carmel in general are too difficult to navigate and the prices are higher. There are some gems, though, off of Allisonville, south of 86th street.

The east side, specifically Ivrvington, also has some hidden gems. It's also not far from some questionable areas. It is improving all of the time.

Indy has it's sores like any major city in the US. But, ours are a far cry from the stuff you'd find in Chicago, Baltimore, New Orleans, or Houston (I've worked for extended periods in each). There isn't a place in Indy that I don't feel safe traveling in or through. I can't say that about those others.

 

[jfed85]

New Palestine is also a very nice area to look. I grew up just a few miles south in the rural areas around New Palestine and it is great. No worries, shoot in the back yard, nothing but corndields and woods, and a 20-25 minute drive gets you into downtown.

 

[Roadie]

I'm in Beech Grove, it's just inside 465 on the southeast side. Been here for 41 years and my parents were here 10 years before that. Good schools, good cops(now) little crime, low property taxes and 10 minutes from downtown Indy. Greenwood to the south for shopping, or for the more adventureous, Washington Square to the east. I can get to anywhere in Indy in under a half hour. A lot of bang for your buck.

Once a Grover, always a Grover

 

[Scratcher]

Napalm, Move to the Southside, it's where all the good Brits live, we have a great Indian restaurant, a bar that serves the best fish and chips and British beers. It's just like Carmel without the "snooty people" the high prices and those God awful traffic jams.
I live in Center Grove, the mall in Greenwood is second to none and all in all it's a nice place.
Not much crime here, great gun shop and the best shooting range is 20 minutes away.
What more could you ask for mate ??

Where is this bar you speak of?I must know!! There's also a nice little pub down in Broad ripple called the broad ripple brew pub. Its owned by a Brit. You can watch real football, eat crisps and there bangers and mash is to die for.

 

[Indy317]

No kids, no ties, no dog... Budget is real low right now. We're looking at 1 bed apartments.

If you're looking for apartments, then even living within Indy is doable. I wouldn't own a home in the city, mostly because I couldn't stand the way the city spends their money. Anyways, renting gives more options for sure.

The question is what kind of area do you want to live in? Do you want a more suburban-rural area, suburban area, or urban area? If you classify the downtown core as urban, then most of the surrounding areas of Indy and the more populated suburbs all have a suburban feel: Walmarts, Meijers, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. are usually within a 10 mins or drive. Some of the more farther away suburban towns may have slightly less shopping options.

If you want to be very close to variety of places to eat and shop, then Castleton and Greenwood are good places. There are complexes close enough you could even walk to some areas, or even ride a bike if your into that. If you would want something a little further away, there are some apartment complexes in these areas, but not so close to the mall retail hubs.

If you want a more rural-suburban feel, the western part of Hancock Co. has one older complex just outside Cumberland, and a newer complex a little over two miles east of this older complex. I've known people who have lived in both. This area has easy access to I-70, I-69, and I-74 (though it takes a bit to hit I-74, as it is mostly rural county roads).

My only suggestion is to try and avoid Section 8 voucher complexes. I'm not sure if the leasing office will give this info out or not. With the economy, it could be really hard to avoid these area. Look for trash laying around, beat up, broke down cars, and large groups of unsupervised kids loitering. Don't let looks fool you. There have been brand new apartment complexes built and they are catering to the HUD voucher holders.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I'm not much for commuting, myself. I work about 5 minutes from home, and that's when traffic is bad. You say her job is in the "metro area", but that's not very specific. "Metro area" will include the surrounding counties. With fuel prices the way they are, a bit more expensive housing (in a better neighborhood) may work out cheaper overall. It would be a shame to settle in Greenwood and find out she's working in Carmel. I'd work out where she's working first.

 

[armedindy]

north side has a good mix, and generally good people

 

[FatsMcKay]

NW Indianapolis is the best. Bent Tree is right next to my job and have known a bunch of people who lived there. Nice apartment complex. Its off of 421/Michigan Road and is a straight shot downtown. Tons of restaurants in the area and its close to 465 if you need to go do anything.

 

[Lucas156]

I'm not much for commuting, myself. I work about 5 minutes from home, and that's when traffic is bad. You say her job is in the "metro area", but that's not very specific. "Metro area" will include the surrounding counties. With fuel prices the way they are, a bit more expensive housing (in a better neighborhood) may work out cheaper overall. It would be a shame to settle in Greenwood and find out she's working in Carmel. I'd work out where she's working first.

You make a good point many people don't think about. I spend about 60 a week commuting so if I could walk to work I could save that and spend 240 more a month on housing and break even. Thats quite a bit but Im sure Id probably need about 20 a week to go see friends and family and such so that could kill the plan.

 

[hopcam]

Pittsboro... Jeff Gordon moved all the way from California to live there.

Seriously though, I'm partial to Brownsburg.

 

[NapalmFTW]

I'm not much for commuting, myself. I work about 5 minutes from home, and that's when traffic is bad. You say her job is in the "metro area", but that's not very specific. "Metro area" will include the surrounding counties. With fuel prices the way they are, a bit more expensive housing (in a better neighborhood) may work out cheaper overall. It would be a shame to settle in Greenwood and find out she's working in Carmel. I'd work out where she's working first.

I was non specific because I didn't know.

She'll be potentially working at a downtown hotel about a block from the stadium if that helps.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

She'll be potentially working at a downtown hotel about a block from the stadium if that helps.

This helps!

I'd still recommend the greater south-side.

I, like many others, are highly biased, however. I moved to the far south side Indy in Aug 2001. Lived in two different apartments (1 for 1 year, the other for 7) until my wife and I got married. Then we lived in the condo she was renting for another year. That condo was only a few golf shots from where I was living. We now live in Greenwood proper (across the county line into Johnson County) near the high school.

We both REALLY enjoy the south side and what it has to offer. Literally only minutes from anything that WE want.

Easily only 25mins into downtown Indy either via I-65 or surface streets.

LOADS and loads of local gun shops on the greater south-side of town, too. Many more than the north side!

If I could change one thing about the south side, it'd be to add some main roads: There are 2-3 main north-south multi-lane roads. But there really aren't any "main" east-west multi-lane roads. Going E/W during rush hours can be a hassle.

There also aren't any "nice" restaurants. In my opinion, there are plenty of very good restaurants, but nothing like you'll find downtown.

-J-

 

[Ogre]

Napalm, Move to the Southside, it's where all the good Brits live, we have a great Indian restaurant, a bar that serves the best fish and chips and British beers. It's just like Carmel without the "snooty people" the high prices and those God awful traffic jams.
I live in Center Grove, the mall in Greenwood is second to none and all in all it's a nice place.
Not much crime here, great gun shop and the best shooting range is 20 minutes away.
What more could you ask for mate ??

Shallows?

 

[rockhopper46038]

Napalm, I live on the Northside (Fishers) and find it to be pretty gun friendly, with quite a few INGO members up here. I'm lucky enough to have a few acres, which is unusual in Fishers, but can be found if you look for it. Frankly, with no kids, especially if you don't have plans for them, I'd tell you to get a place downtown. Yes, it's the city, and yes it has problems, but unless you're looking for a couple hundred acres where you can be alone, put in your own range, try your hand at farming or such, I think a young couple not worried about the schools would really enjoy downtown. Look at Fountain Square, or Irvington, or Downtown Proper. My wife and I are part owners of a downtown business so we spend a lot of time there during evenings and weekends, and yes I carry all the time, but really, for amenities, vibe and adult type fun, downtown is really the best place to live, followed by the near northside, then either Avon or the Southside, depending on who you ask.

 

[jimmyw86]

Broad Ripple

 

[ATOMonkey]

Airport isn't considered southside much. And yeah, probably good to avoid areas close to it.

What??? I can't think of one single reason to stay away from the airport.

Is it just because of the jet noise?

It really is one of those things you get used to, and planes are MUCH quieter than they used to be.

The planes aren't any louder than the cars that drive by. Depending on the stereo and state of repair, they're actually much less noisy than the cars.

 

[88GT]

What??? I can't think of one single reason to stay away from the airport.

Is it just because of the jet noise?

It really is one of those things you get used to, and planes are MUCH quieter than they used to be.

The planes aren't any louder than the cars that drive by. Depending on the stereo and state of repair, they're actually much less noisy than the cars.

I grew up in an area close enough to read the tail numbers when they came in for a landing. And less than a block from a train track. I know you get used to it.

Noise had nothing to do with my recommendation.

 

[NapalmFTW]

Broad Ripple

Only if you get me a good deal on a "Scooby" (Subaru )

 

[Fishersjohn48]

In my line of work, I have worked for several of the apartment complexes around the city and suburbs. The easiest rule of thumb to follow is if you go on a week day to visit and the parking lots are full, it is probably an area to avoid. This usually means that most of the residents are out of work and this usually equals trouble.

FWIW Pebble Point is 2 minutes from Marion County Fish and Game. One of the areas best private gun clubs with pistol, trap, and pistol caliber rifle shooting. Membership is very reasonable too. I have done work there as well and it is ok. They seem to take pretty good care of the grounds and that is also a good tip to watch for. One of the few complexes that actually pay someone to clean out their gutters in the Fall.