Moving to Central or Southern Indiana (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne: neighborhoods, good schools, living)

[sassygrrl]

I grew up in the Bloomington area and am considering a move back to Indiana with my boyfriend (a Chrysler Technician). We are trying to find an area within a 30-minute commute to a good Chrysler dealership, a family-friendly environment with good schools, a reasonable distance to a good fishing spot, decent but not too expensive housing, and a rural environment that isn't too far from a city.

Bloomington is in the running, but I wanted to get some feedback on other possibilities too. Any thoughts? I have been looking into Avon, Columbus, Fishers, Fort Wayne, Greenwood, and Shelbyville. So far they all look fine, but I have no way to compare them. Feedback on the Chrylser dealerships would be particularly helpful.

Thanks!

[Uplander]

I know several folks in Bloomington who have purchased their Chrysler products in Martinsville. I told the Bloomington dealership about 10 years ago that I would not be a repeat customer.

[domergurl]

I {{{heart}}} my Chrysler dealership here in Columbus!

[agioe]

Fishers, Greenwood and Avon all have good schools and are obviously close to Indianapolis amenities. All 3 have great family neighborhoods. Greenwood and Avon would most likely be more affordable than Fishers.

[plaidmom]

Originally Posted by sassygrrl

Bloomington is in the running, but I wanted to get some feedback on other possibilities too. Any thoughts? I have been looking into Avon, Columbus, Fishers, Fort Wayne, Greenwood, and Shelbyville. So far they all look fine, but I have no way to compare them. Feedback on the Chrylser dealerships would be particularly helpful.

Thanks!

IMO you are kind of comparing apples to oranges. Fishers and Greenwood both "feel" like suburbs of Indianapolis (yes even though they started out as small towns in their own right....they've been kind of swallowed-up). They have the traffic and the big box stores and the "suburban" feel.

Avon....a little less so, in my very lmited experience (hopefully some Avon peeps will show up and chime in).

Columbus and Shelbyville each still feel like a small (ish) town to me. Enough amenities for day-to-day living, with a larger cities w/in driving distance. Both are still surrounded by plenty of open space and agriculture.

Fort Wayne and Bloomington are both "small cities" in my mind. I was in Bloomington this afternoon, and while I enjoy that town overall, I was struck by the amount of automobile traffic as opposed to my small(er) town of Columbus. These small cities definitely offer more in terms of shopping, dining and cultural activites however.

Sooo...I think you need to define your parameters a bit more. Do you want Suburban? Rural? Small town? or Small City? Each has a very different vibe.

Good luck and best wishes.

[sassygrrl]

Thanks everybody! The parameters will be defined a bit more when we see which Chrysler dealership is hiring, but your feedback has been very helpful.