Opinions on neighborhood(s)?

My husband and I are looking to buy a house in the Indianapolis area. We very much like the area that is south of Garfield Park just south of downtown. I have also been told that Beech Grove is a good place. We're looking for older construction (maximum early to mid 1950's), sidewalks, mature trees, safety, quiet....basically where grandparents would live (but we're in our 30's!!). Any SERIOUS help would be appreciated. The above mentioned neighborhoods seem to be good examples and not ones that are one or two streets of good areas and then you are in a battle zone. Thanks!

I should add that I was born in and raised in Indianapolis on the west side. We're currently renting a house on the northside. We're aiming for center township since the property taxes are much cheaper then where we are (washington township). And, our maximum amount that we can spend on a house is 110k. So, the suggestions about the north side/zionsville are out of the question.

I think the area you are talking about around Garfield Park is Fountain Square area--that's a great emerging area! I haven't heard anything too exciting about Beech Grove, though! However, I'm a northsider and pretty biased! :) However, northside is growing like crazy so many areas are congested and or turning into strip mall cities (i.e. Carmel). One of the last safe havens is Zionsville. I grew up there and have since moved back. (I'm in my 30's too.) It has a reputation to be very expensive, and it is for the most part, but that's not to say you can't find a great home for an affordable price, especially with the housing market now.

If you want something pretty metropolitan, Fountain square may be your best bet. But don't get your heart set on an area until you take a quick trip to Zionsville. Also, don't listen to people if they tell you it is "far." For some reason many people have it in their head that its far from Indy, but from Zville to downtown Indy via I-65 is about 15 minutes max. Check out the downtown area, called the "Village," especially if you like older homes. Any Realtor can tell you too that the housing market in Zville is pretty much a "can't lose" because of the growing demand for housing and the towns plan for restricted growth so it can keep from turning into another strip mall city.

Thanks for your help. Our realtor loves Fountain Square but it's a bit too urban for us. We'll be driving through Beech Grove probably this weekend...unfortunately Zionsville is way too expensive for us. Thanks! Report It

http://www.city-data.com/city/Beech-Grov...

http://nuvo.net/neighborhood/Neighborhoo...

The Garfield Park area is in Center Township which has the highest rate of crime in Indiana. If you find a realtor and tell you what price range you would like to be in and exactly what you want they can find you listing as e-mail sheets with specs and pictures so you can weed out ones you wouldn't want to travel to see. I do have a good recomendation for you.
http://www.serviceadvantagerealty.com/

If you are looking for a historic urban area, it's easiest to narrow down by price range. There are several great old neighborhoods north and east of downtown especially. Consider Irvington (to me this is just the neighborhood you described), Little Flower, Springdale, Windsor Park, - such areas are rapidly improving so you get more for your money. But even Broad Ripple for some trendy urban charm though it's past popularity doesn't necessarily make it a "best buy." Then there are the historic districts such as Herron- Morton and the Old Northside which tend to be more pricey.