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We're planning on moving to the Avon area this Summer. We're gonna lose a lot of money selling our house in Atlanta, Georgia. I thought we'd try to recoupe the loses by living in a condo in Avon for a few years. I've seen a few for sale in the 80-100K range. Coming from GA and CA that seems unbelievably cheap...until I saw the house prices. Most of the condos are in or near the Enclave at Avon area. Could you tell me if this is a bad area? There looks like a lot of shopping and a RR exchange nearby.
I'll be working at the airport and might be alone till the house sells. It's just my wife and I so we're looking for a nice condo. My mother tells me that Avon is the place to be since Carmel is too far from the airport.
I might be interested in an apartment if you could suggest a complex for a year or so.
This is not a dangerous area whatsoever. There is a rail yard nearby, but this is just for freight. There's currently no passenger rail that goes through Indy. There are plenty of big box stores and strip mall type places near this location so you should be able to find anything you need. I'm not sure what the condo situation is like in the area, but I would also recommend looking at either Plainfield (south of Avon near the airport) or Brownsburg (6-7 miles north of Avon). Both are excellent communities and even up in Brownsburg you would still only be less than 20 minutes from the airport.
I've lived in Avon for over 12 years now and really like it. For a job at the airport you cannot get much better without living right by it. Areas in Plainfield and Brownsburg are also very nice. Plenty of great shopping and dining in the area.
Plenty of nice condos in the area as well. I've not had much experience with apts in the area but they all look very nice. I think you'll like the area.
Hey, welcome to Indianapolis! I can't comment directly on Enclave at Avon because I don't know the west side to that level of detail. Have you considered living in the city rather than a suburb? Indianapolis is different from Atlanta in the sense that the city itself constitutes 40% of the metro population, compared to Atlanta's 10-15%.
Without knowing more about you I can't speculate as to your likes or dislikes, but if you and your wife are anything like me and my wife, you'd like the city A LOT better. Before I go any further, the previous posters are right: the Westside suburbs are all very clean, safe, family-friendly environments. They have all recently experienced growth booms, so the shopping, restaurants, infrastructure, etc. is all new and modern. I still prefer the city. Indianapolis isn't the most classically "urban" city in America by a long shot, but there are several awesome neighborhoods in Indianapolis proper that are safe, fun and affordable.
If a condo is your preference, check out downtown (46204 zip code), the Near Northside (46202) or Broad Ripple (46220). It'll be a tall order to find anything in the $80-$100 range downtown, but you might find some affordable rentals there. The Near Northside and Broad Ripple both have plenty to offer in rentals and in duplex-style condos in your price range. Most are older homes that have been converted into duplexes and remodeled. There are plenty of single-family options in those areas as well. The same guidelines pretty much apply in terms of pricing: downtown is (a lot) more expensive than the other two areas I mentioned, but with all the foreclosures and what not, you might get lucky. Other areas you might consider are Holy Cross (near Eastside, 46201), Fountain Square (south east of downtown, 46203), SoBro (SOuth BROad Ripple...46205 zip), and Eagle Creek (46254, 46278). Eagle Creek is essentially suburban...it is on the far western fringe of the city. You might find some nice condos for sale in that area as well.
Basically, if you're looking for a suburban environment, Avon is a great choice. I don't mean to poo-poo Avon in any way. All I'm saying is that living in the 'burbs isn't as much of a foregone conclusion in Indy as it is in Atlanta. All of the areas I listed are about 20 minutes away from the Airport, and the drive would be easy because it would be opposite traffic.
Check out these websites. They should be useful in finding a place to buy or to rent, city or suburbs:
(If you couldn't tell, I think it's easiest to search by zip code...that way you don't have to know counties or what not. The zip code for Avon is 46123, Plainfield is 46168, Brownsburg is 46112.)
Good Luck!
Last edited by dave.dawsn; 02-09-2010 at 03:41 PM..
Hey, welcome to Indianapolis! I can't comment directly on Enclave at Avon because I don't know the west side to that level of detail. Have you considered living in the city rather than a suburb? Indianapolis is different from Atlanta in the sense that the city itself constitutes 40% of the metro population, compared to Atlanta's 10-15%.
Without knowing more about you I can't speculate as to your likes or dislikes, but if you and your wife are anything like me and my wife, you'd like the city A LOT better. Before I go any further, the previous posters are right: the Westside suburbs are all very clean, safe, family-friendly environments. They have all recently experienced growth booms, so the shopping, restaurants, infrastructure, etc. is all new and modern. I still prefer the city. Indianapolis isn't the most classically "urban" city in America by a long shot, but there are several awesome neighborhoods in Indianapolis proper that are safe, fun and affordable.
If a condo is your preference, check out downtown (46204 zip code), the Near Northside (46202) or Broad Ripple (46220). It'll be a tall order to find anything in the $80-$100 range downtown, but you might find some affordable rentals there. The Near Northside and Broad Ripple both have plenty to offer in rentals and in duplex-style condos in your price range. Most are older homes that have been converted into duplexes and remodeled. There are plenty of single-family options in those areas as well. The same guidelines pretty much apply in terms of pricing: downtown is (a lot) more expensive than the other two areas I mentioned, but with all the foreclosures and what not, you might get lucky. Other areas you might consider are Holy Cross (near Eastside, 46201), Fountain Square (south east of downtown, 46203), SoBro (SOuth BROad Ripple...46205 zip), and Eagle Creek (46254, 46278). Eagle Creek is essentially suburban...it is on the far western fringe of the city. You might find some nice condos for sale in that area as well.
Basically, if you're looking for a suburban environment, Avon is a great choice. I don't mean to poo-poo Avon in any way. All I'm saying is that living in the 'burbs isn't as much of a foregone conclusion in Indy as it is in Atlanta. All of the areas I listed are about 20 minutes away from the Airport, and the drive would be easy because it would be opposite traffic.
Check out these websites. They should be useful in finding a place to buy or to rent, city or suburbs:
(If you couldn't tell, I think it's easiest to search by zip code...that way you don't have to know counties or what not. The zip code for Avon is 46123, Plainfield is 46168, Brownsburg is 46112.)
Good Luck!
Just a couple things:
1) The main one being that Broad Ripple is going to be at least a 30 minute commute to the airport and probably a lot more if there is snow, accidents, road construction, etc.
2) The near north side is hit and miss as far as finding a good safe feeling is concerned so be careful if looking in this area.
3) As dawn said, downtown may be expensive, but it is a great place to be if you are looking for urban activities.
4) Concerning the fact that the city proper of Indianapolis makes up 40% of the metro population, this is true because Indy has basically annexed most of the entire county. There are lots of areas in the 'city' of Indianapolis that are basically suburban sprawl. If you shrunk the city boundries back to where they used to be before the city-county merger, I'm sure the ratio of people living within Indianpolis proper as compared to the metro would be similar to the ratio of Atlanta proper to Atlanta metro. The point? Don't rule out neighborhoods with an Indy address because you expect them to be like Atlanta.
That said, Indy still has some shady areas and I would still recommend living in one of the aforementioned suburbs until you get a feel for the area. They are also the closest nice neighborhoods to the airport.
Avon is plenty safe....no doubt about it. But I think Dave Dawson pretty much summed it up best. There are areas in Marion County which are just as safe but not nearly as generic. However, if you don't mind eating out at chain restaurants or shopping at box stores, then you'll feel right at home in Avon. Also, before you move there you should take a drive down Rockville Road and see if it bothers you. Way too many stoplights for me.
Concerning the fact that the city proper of Indianapolis makes up 40% of the metro population, this is true because Indy has basically annexed most of the entire county. There are lots of areas in the 'city' of Indianapolis that are basically suburban sprawl. If you shrunk the city boundries back to where they used to be before the city-county merger, I'm sure the ratio of people living within Indianpolis proper as compared to the metro would be similar to the ratio of Atlanta proper to Atlanta metro.
I'm not trying to nitpick here, but the pre-Unigov population of Indy was pushing half a million (40 years ago). Atlanta's population today is just barely half a million. Considering Atlanta's metro is twice the size of Indy's, there is no way the proportions can be the same.
Last edited by dave.dawsn; 02-09-2010 at 08:26 PM..
I'm not trying to nitpick here, but the pre-Unigov population of Indy was pushing half a million (40 years ago). Atlanta's population today is just barely half a million. Considering Atlanta's metro is twice the size of Indy's, there is no way the proportions can be the same.
Fair enough. I'll concede that one and admit I was wrong. Atlanta definitely does have a much larger metro population which makes the ratios of city to metro much different.
My main point though was that Indy proper covers nearly 3 times the amount of land as Atlanta proper. This, combined with the fact that the Indy metro population is so much smaller than Atlanta metro, means that much of the development inside Indy city limits is much more suburban in character than many areas within Atlanta city limits and that the OP shouldn't necessarily expect a similar 'city' feel based on the fact that a place may have an Indianapolis address.
Fair enough. I'll concede that one and admit I was wrong. Atlanta definitely does have a much larger metro population which makes the ratios of city to metro much different.
My main point though was that Indy proper covers nearly 3 times the amount of land as Atlanta proper. This, combined with the fact that the Indy metro population is so much smaller than Atlanta metro, means that much of the development inside Indy city limits is much more suburban in character than many areas within Atlanta city limits and that the OP shouldn't necessarily expect a similar 'city' feel based on the fact that a place may have an Indianapolis address.
Sorry about incorrectly asserting the ratio deal.
Agreed. Unigov did add a crap-ton of land area to Indy proper...
If I remember correctly, the modern-day limits of the IPS school district coincide roughly with the pre-Unigov city limits. Of course, not all of those areas are desirable places to live, but the most classically urban parts of Indianapolis are likely inside that boundary (OP - all the areas I recommended are within the old city limits FYI)
That being said, you don't *have* to be inside old city limits to get a city feel. Even Carmel's new "arts and design" district would be better than a vinyl village somewhere. They have condos and apartments within walking distance of shopping, restaurants and a few art galleries...it's tiny, but it's brand new; it'll get bigger with time. I'm very encouraged by that kind of development in the suburbs, though.
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