Suburbs or small town close to I-74, between Indy and Cincy (Indianapolis: bank owned, home)

[Ravekid]

Originally Posted by 1026mommy

My husband is considering a transfer to Indianapolis with his company. From what I can tell on the map, he would be working close to West Indianapolis.
We would like to find a small town or suburb, family-friendly, safe, with good schools, close to I-74. My family is from Cincinnati and I would like to be able to make that commute rather easily while my husband is working. He would be willing to travel up to 45 minutes to work.
We will be moving from Harrisburg, PA, so we will not have too many opportunities to come check out the area.
I would appreciate any help or advice anyone can offer!

Thank you!

Well, the drive to Cinci from Indy isn't bad at all, even if you live close or in Indy. Here are my opinions on this:

I am familiar with I-74 from Shelbyville to Indy. Due to various things (money, life changes, etc.), I don't get out as much as I used to, so my opinions on some things might be a little dated.

First off, I-74 in Marion Co. runs through Franklin Township. It is kinda like a square in the SE corner of Marion Co. Over the last seven years or so, it has grown residential wise. The area can be considered almost suburban, with a few "small" towns contained within Indianapolis/Marion Co. as a whole. I have had relatives and friends go through Franklin Township schools. They all have done well in life. The only issue with Franklin Township that I have is that they lack a lot of light industrial/manufacturing areas and the homeowners pay a ton in property taxes for schools which were ran poorly. That school district has a lot of bad things going for it right now. Do a Google search and you will understand. At one point in the past, Franklin Township had the highest property taxes in all of Indianapolis/Marion County. Something to think about.

Moving SE down I-74, the next county is Shelby County. The NW corner of Shelby County I consider rural. It is a suburb of Indy, but you will have to drive a ways to Walmarts, malls, etc.. Still, this area has steadily grown with homes being built on one to five or more acre lots. A lot of small business owners (think plumbers, heating/cooling, etc) purchased large lots along the county roads and built not only some nice homes, but also their storage sheds for their companies. I haven't been down that way since last summer (to go to Kings Island), but all I recall was a few more homes like the ones above, some not with sheds, just homes. I haven't seen any _new_ neighborhoods built in this area for years (though there might be some now). The homes in this area are nice ranch homes for the most part. The school district is Triton Central, and last I looked, they were a pretty decent small school system.

There are two exit ramps on I-74 in this area of Shelby County. One is the Pleasant View Rd. exit. The town of Pleasant View is nothing really. There was a gas station (always had high prices) that also had a two car garage auto repair shop (if I recall). Next door used to be a quick-mart type place. Sold generic pizza and Chester Fried Chicken (was very good). The quick-mart closed up years ago, way before the economy went bad. They had a sign on their front that said they planned on re-opening, but never did. I would have liked to have purchased a home in Pleasant View, or around there, but ended up about nine miles or so north, closer to I-70.

Now, if your husband is willing to drive 45mins. one way to work, you might want to look at Shelbyville. It is a decent town. They annexed along the interstate to grab the new Indy Live Casino and Horse racing facility. The city is benefiting from the tax revenue. I am not sure about Shelbyville schools. There are two I-74 exits in Shelbyville.

Note: Right now with the economy, housing is at a nice price in the Indy metro area. I also think that when things in the economy get better (not for a long time, my opinion), the Shelby Co. area is prime for growth. Honda has moved up I-74 from Cinci and has a new facility near Greensburg, IN just off I-74.

Specific to the Pleasant View area I spoke about earlier. North of Shelby County is Hancock County. On the western portion of Hancock County is County Road 600 West (a/k/a Mt. Comfort Road). If you take this road north, you eventually hit Hamilton Co./Fishers, IN, our most popular suburban county and one of the fast growing and best ranked places to live. This is an issue because the growth of Fishers has spilled over to NW Hancock Co.(McCordsville, Indiana area). SW Hancock Co. (New Palestine, Indiana area--where I grew up and still live near) has had some slower growth, but good growth (no packed vinyl village housing additions, etc). The Pleasant View area has seen much slower growth than New Palestine. The thing is, that road I spoke of, 600 West, is a major road on the east part of Fishers, IN. It is called Olio Rd. in Hamilton County, and it runs from an I-69 interchange south to an I-70 interchange and actually becomes a more rural road, but runs into the Pleasant View I-74 interchange. If gas prices stay like they are, I don't see much of the growth in Hamilton County going further and further north. I see the more undeveloped areas (read: NW Shelby County and SW Hancock County) closer to Indy growing over the next two decades or so. I have no idea how long you plan on staying here, but this is something to consider if you think of raising your family here for say the next 15 or so years. The area of I-74 in NW Shelby County could be drastically different over the next two decades. Olio Rd./600W/700W (It is called 700W in Shelby County) is going to be a major roadway if we see growth in these areas. It already has two or three banks, a day care, and a small supermarket at the intersection with US Highway 52 in Hancock County. This intersection is just five miles or so from Pleasant View/I-74.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

[1026mommy]

thank you to everyone for all of the info! I appreciate it.

[domergurl]

New palestine too. Small town, good school system, on I-74 between Shelbyville and Indy.

[Ravekid]

Originally Posted by domergurl

New palestine too. Small town, good school system, on I-74 between Shelbyville and Indy.

New Palestine is not on I-74. Pleasant View is on I-74. New Palestine is about one mile east and five miles north of Pleasant View and is on US 52. However, it is a very short drive from New Palestine to one of two I-74 exits located in NW Shelby County. In fact, it is such and easy drive to I-74, that my folks are blowing my inheritance at Indy Live on an almost semi-monthly basis!!!

[MissingIndiana]

The drive from Indy to Cincy really isn't bad at all. Just a few things to consider. I'm not sure how soon you will be moving, but I-465 on the SW side of town is all torn up right now for construction and I'm assuming causes headaches in the mornings. Your husband would most likely have to drive through this every day if you lived on the south or SE side of Indy since I-74 doesn't run all the way through town. Also, the difference between traveling to Cincy from Fishers vs Greenwood is only going to be about 10-20 minutes more so you might also consider looking into that area. I mention Fishers and Greenwood, because the schools in the area might be a little better than places like Shelbyville or Greensburg and you would also be closer to a lot of different opportunities being closer to Indy. New Palestine might be another good option for good schools if you want more of a small town close to Indy as opposed to a suburban feel. Good luck

[cbwinslo]

Awww... I love that my hometown of Fairland is getting some love! That almost NEVER happens! If you have any questions about Shelby County (the county along SE I-74 that runs from just south of Indy to almost Greensburg, includes Shelbyville and Fairland), please let me know!

What exactly are you looking for in a new area? Home prices? Housing inventory? School systems?

[Clonegrad07]

I don't know if you're still looking, but I have a nice house for sale in Greensburg, IN. Which is about 45 minutes southeast of Indy. Great little small town and the house is in a quaint little neighborhood.

[pjstroh]

Most of the areas SE of Indy are pretty rural.

If you need strip malls and subdivisions I might recommend Greenwood as being a good choice that makes for a reasonable commute to the West Side and easy access to 74.

[MortonR]

I worked with someone who lives in New Palestine and commuted to our office near W. 10th St. and Country Club Road. All I can say is she had lots of issues with traffic, and not just when the weather was lousy.

I would not suggest that you live on the southeast side and commute to the airport, as it is not a 20 minute drive, even on a good day.

You're better off finding a nice home on the west side, like Avon or Plainfield, than living out near Five Points or thereabouts.

As for the drive to Cincinnati, it doesn't add a great deal of time to the drive leaving from the west side.

RM

[chalcedony]

Batesville is a prosperous community just off I-74 about halfway between Indy and Cincy (perhaps a little closer to the latter). I know it tends to rate highly in those "Best Small Town" studies and seems to thrive on a fairly recession-proof industry (caskets). Schools are supposed to be good there as well.