Thinking of moving to Indiana (Gary, East Chicago)

[rrah]

harry t--exactly what weather conditions concern you? I live in B-ton so can answer those.

Safety here---most of the crime is concentrated near the university and for the most part is minor stuff---drunk driving, petty theft, etc. As a female, I can honestly say there is not a single place in or around here that I would be uncomfortable visiting at night. I think I could say the same thing for my teenage daughter (and her safety is a heck of a lot more important than mine to be honest)

Bloomington is consistently rated among the top ten retirement spots by a variety of magazines. There is a vitality and diversity here that's hard to find in the midwest.

In terms of dealing with the students: of course sometimes they are a pain, and we love when they go home in the summer because we can get into restaurants without a wait and the streets have less traffic (imagine 30,000 or so people disappearing from your town overnight). At the same time we love them for the youth and diversity they bring and the university they keep going.

[4shell]

My thoughts and feelings exactly. That is why Bloomington has been our first choice, at least for now.

[Jodi McGinley]

...they just weren't looking in the right place!

Hi 4shell -

Madison is a gorgeous town! It has that Victorian beauty that you see on postcards and it is close to 3 major cities as domergurl said.

Bloomington is great too. A lot of people retire to Bloomington because of all of the diversity that it offers without being too trendy. I personally love Bloomington, because you still see the brick houses, stick built houses, as opposed to the vinyl villages that you see in the majority of cities now.

Here is a link to the Bartholomew County website - Bartholomew County Home Bartholomew County is nice and they have land, which is kind of hard to find anymore. Values there are strong and consistent.

New Albany is another quaint town and it is just a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from Louisville.

What kind of dogs do you rescue? I do some volunteer wiork with a Dachshund rescue, but I would help just about any four-legged creature that needed it. Ha!

[CanopyRE2007]

Hello and welcome to Indiana.....Madison and Hanover areas are what I think you are looking for. Madison is a river town with the historic district in old downtown. They have little coffee shops, antique shops and on top of the hill you have a few places to eat that are known nation wide. The atmosphere is great. There are 2 golf courses and of course Clifty Falls State Park. Hanover is a small college town only minutes from Madison. There are good buys in the area. You will be able to find homes with some land in the mid 100's that are not the postage stamp lots. There are some of those as well. I thnk Madison is a very nice area to consider because the cost of living is fair, many of the homes are unique and not all the same. Postcard perfect in some areas. The hospital there is also very good....it is clean and that is real important. Living in Indianapolis for most of my life I can tell you it is a great area. My husband and I relocated 12 years ago to so. Indiana and we are about 25 miles from Madison. We visit there alot and love it. Let me know if I can help you in any way. The appreciation issue is currently an issue everywhere. I think you will see the Hanover and Madison areas growing more and more which will help with values. It is in a region of Indiana that is better weather wise compared to central and northern Indiana.

[hapaleeretired]

Bloomington is listed at 11 (I think) for "best places to retire". Bartholomew County is Columbus Indiana. Neat place, nice downtown area. Ladybird Johnson referred to it as the "Athens of the midwest" because of some of the beautiful architecture. I fear that Madison and Columbus may be lacking a little in the type of dining for which you seem to be searching.

[Future Trooper]

Originally Posted by 4shell

Hi! New to this forum and need honest answers from both locals and transplants. My husband and I have lived all over the country and are thinking of retiring (young and active) to Indiana where he is from. Our discussions have gone from Granger/SB area to Bloomington/Brown County and now it seems Madison is thrown into the mix. Family is in Granger, however, we would like a warmer climate. I would love to find a town with culture, great restaurants other than the national chains and quaint upscale boutiques. Aesthetics are important to us as well. My husband is a die-hard golfer. Not my deal! Housing also very important. Need some land (not tons) have rescue dogs. Vinyl sided developments with postage stamp lots are not for us. Would love our future home to have character. I have just read some of the posts about Indiana having no appreciation, that scares me! I find that hard to believe if you buy right and in a good location. Anyway, my question is where IS the town that will fill the majority of our needs and wants?
4shell

plainfield,indiana is the place to go!!

[jlbroadnax]

HI it's me again. After reading some ofthe replies I have a few more questions. My husband and I will also be seeking employment. Currently I work in a library in middle management (in charge of the pages) which are the people who shelve the books and my husband is a truck driver with Class A CDL license. We would like to purchase a home in a decent area. Our son is grown and we have a 5 year old granddaughter. We would like to know how is the job and home outlook.

[domergurl]

There are libraries everywhere in the metro area. There's a new, very controversial, main library downtown (is that thing done yet??). I know that the Marion County library system has been experiencing a lot of retirements, so you may find yourself in luck! As for CDL drivers, Indy is a major trucking hub, Celadon is HQ'd in Indy, so you may want to start there.

As for homes, you name it or want it, chances are you'll find it somewhere in the area. Depends on how much you want to spend and what amenities you want. You can drive to anything from anywhere basically.

[jennifer riddle]

Originally Posted by harry t

Good luck with your move. My wife and I are about to do the same. We are looking at Bloomington first. We are concerned about weather conditions, crime rates,etc. Any info we get we'll pass on. harry t

Bloomington is a real librial area. A lot of college kids, since IU is down there. A lot of gays too. But if that doesnt bother you it will be fine. Both me and my husband graduated from IU and it was a wonderful exprience. Crime rate isnt high at all. It's quit beautiful down there. if you're into camping and boating lake monroe is only 10-15 mins away

[hunnja]

I'd like to move back to Indiana at some point (can't stand the hot humid Florida summers!) Originally from South Bend, but I would prefer a smaller town, not a really small town, but not big like Indianapolis. Any suggestions?