Milwaukee to Indy - moving in three weeks! - but WHERE??? (Indianapolis: for sale, apartments)

[poopsie7]

I just got a job in Indianapolis - have to start in early January. (Help!) Going to rent for probably a year. I am a mature (not old, but not in college either) single person and looking for a SAFE (I am a former victim of violent crime) quiet area with hopefully a "cool" factor. Not looking to live in an area that's only college students because of noise. Is Downtown a bad idea? Don't want a long commute if possible. I've heard of Broad Ripple. Any thoughts? Anywhere else? I am agonizing over this, don't know anything about Indy and found out about this only a couple days ago. Please answer if you have any thoughts, I have to go to Indy in the next week or two to find a place and am completely overwhelmed.
Thanks in advance!

[chbartel]

Hi there! Broadripple is pretty cool, but it's going to cost you more then the areas around the loop(465). There is good and bad with downtown. I don't know what area of town you are going to work in, I can give you a better idea with that information. Plainfield, Avon, CArmel, are all good areas. Really, a lot of areas outside the loop are great.

Shoot me an email at craig at sellindiana dot com I can help you with the rentals, have many brand new homes for rent, apartments, etc.

[poopsie7]

Thanks for replying. I'll be working downtown on McCrea Street.
Are there any quiet areas of Broadripple?
Are Avon, Carme, etc.l a long commute?
Appreciate your help.

[chbartel]

Originally Posted by poopsie7

Thanks for replying. I'll be working downtown on McCrea Street.
Are there any quiet areas of Broadripple?
Are Avon, Carme, etc.l a long commute?
Appreciate your help.

There is quiet areas of Broadripple, it's just the main strip that is loud

Avon and Carmel will probably be a 30 minute commute, but may push 35 or so depending on where you are living. Zionsville is further, but it's actually a lot quicker. You can hop on 65 fairly quickly depending on where in Zionsville you are looking. Plainfield is another nice area. I would stay away from Fishers, the worse traffic patterns of the entire Indianapolis area.

Moderator cut: yeah I can't advertise info on here, or moderators will get mad

[short and sweet]

It is okey to visit but a place to live. People are moving out of here due to high crime and violence. 1 thing you should know is Indianaplis has a higher crime rate than Los Angeles CA. Before you make a big mistake go to this web site, www.livingchoices.com and look up the area in which you are interested. Believe me unless you are a criminal this is not where you want to live I was wanting out of Indiana totally but do not have enough money to go and actually cant wait to get the money....... My happy butt will be going South bound .........Tennessee, Florida , California, Arizona, ect. PLease heed this as I am thinking of your well being. Trust me I wish I could get out of here and be anywhere else. Please check out the web site, for yourself please. I hope you make the right choices.

[domergurl]

Florida isn't exactly crime free. Now if you are moving to get warm .. that's one thing, but FLA is a pit.

[X-Greensboro Resident]

Broad Ripple is very nice but doesn't sound like your cup of tea, try Meridian Hills which is a bit more expensive but more your speed. Carmel is very nice but the commute is 30+ minutes. Consider Avon, Brownsburg and Zionsville also. You mentioned you'll be working on Mcarthy street, I bet I know who you'll be working for, If I'm guessing correctly, we work for the same company, drop me a private message and I can give you more information. cheers

[sweetana3]

We live downtown, right downtown. Nice, diverse, quiet, walkable downtown Indy. I walk to work and feel very comfortable doing so. Great police who are available and helpful. You can get to know them from their monthly community meetings. They are very responsive to issues and we have few issues. We can get to any part of Indy using the interstate quickly and easily.

Indy is a huge place and there are good and bad areas all over. Some are quite changed from just 5 years ago. That is why I recommend you choose where to live based on where your job is for right now.

I think you should rent somewhere close to where you work until you are totally familiar with the city. It will eliminate some of the issues with commuting and you can then choose your commute from the vantage of knowledge. If you are going to work downtown there are a number of rentals. Check out Riley Towers for one source. They even have a bus service for residents, check it out. I think they always have rentals and have a good reputation. May be a little expensive but count on the savings in driving and the ease of getting around. We have a couple of employees that live there since they can walk the three blocks to work and Lilly Pharmacuticals has employees who live there if they are here on temporary assignment because it is so convenient. There is a good grocery store and hardware store within a few blocks and an amazing amount of cultural activities happen in the immiediate area. Great gourmet pizza and a fantastic group of restaurants (including Starbucks) within walking distance. I guess I love this area.

We have lived in Broad Ripple, Butler Tarkington and Washington township farther out. We like the north side for the access to Trader Joe's, Wild Oats, and coming Whole Foods. Broad Ripple has Sunshine Market and a great French Bakery.

There are condos and small houses for sale all over town. Broad Ripple will cost you some more than other areas for the square footage but the services you can walk to are amazingly diverse. Good walking trails also. Lots of trees. Library branch, doctors, etc. Area full of yound proffesionals and small families due to size of houses. One company is renovating a 1930 art deco set of apartment buildings and turning them into condos in the Broad Ripple area. I think the prices are high $100,00s - $200,000. Hearthview.com might give you some info. There is a basic bus system and if you think you may ever need it, check out places that are around the bus line.

Downtown's prices for buying have skyrocketed. Not good for our diversity. There are programs for those who need affordable housing including great buys on income supported condo apartments. Dont know your income level but Riley Development has affordable housing that is about as good as it gets. All brand new or newly renovated. Fountain Square and the community development agency often have houses they have fixed up to sell. If you have a little pioneer spirit it can be the way to go but again, you might want to rent for a year to get a picture of where you want to live.

[inndeeannaaa]

Sweetana3, you're full of very helpful info. I plan to visit Indy next summer for a fun trip. I hope to move to Indy in 2008, but I'm intimidated by the life of a big city. I hope Indy is a lot like Bloomington, but with more to do!

[hapaleeretired]

I never wanted to live in a big city but I spent my working years in Indianapolis and loved it. It always had a BIG town feel. The people are friendly. For me it was big enough without being TOO big. Indy is growing and those clowns in the state house with the world's worst comb overs and dead animals atop their heads sometimes don't do what is best for Indy but it is still a great place to live. Good luck.