Greencastle Up and Coming? (Indianapolis, Bloomington: low crime, house, high schools)

[JudgeSmayles]

Hi All. Still on the lookout for the perfect spot for our family. Can I get some feedback about Greencastle, Indiana area?



Some of our "wants":


• We are seeking a relatively small town 's within an hour of larger city and services.



• Socially and politically reasonably centrist/independent or at least not extremely woke/liberal or religious/conservative.


• Good family town—decent schools, athletics, activities.


• At least moderately scenic and decent for outdoors activity.


• Low crime


• Good business climate (we would be bringing our own business)


• Prefer a town that was showing some growth or positive developments.



• Family house on acreage.


• Cost of living better than PNW



From a distance, Greencastle would seems to check most of these boxes, but I'd love to hear from someone who lives/lived there.



We would be coming from the West Coast so would expect some culture shock, but we are attracted to Midwest lifestyle.


How big a deal are the bugs, snakes, etc. in this area? Can we have dinner outside on a summer evening?


What are the middle and high schools like? Welcoming to kids who haven't lived there forever?



Any lakes nearby good for sailing?


It would seem like Depauw would offer the small town some nice activities—watching sports, some entertainment, educational opportunities?



Happy to hear about other Indiana towns you all think might better meet our needs.



Thanks!

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Greencastle probably has pretty much everything you're looking for in a small town. It has a small college and is only about maybe 30 minutes to the westside of Indianapolis and the eastside of Terre Haute. Maybe an hour or less to Bloomington and West Lafayette. The only negative about Greencastle I can think of is the winters can be very cold and windy and sometimes they get alot of snow and ice so be sure to bring a shovel and an ice scraper.

[rrah]

The title of this post makes me laugh. It might be a fine place for your family OP. It's a small town with a very small college. Up and coming--not so much.

Small towns, and not so small towns, in my experience, tend to have a bit of a provincialness about them. Often it's about how far your family goes back in the place or if you're connected to the college or university. I absolutely love Bloomington, but even in this bigger college town we encountered some odd distancing because we weren't born here or not connected to the university. I was looked at "suspiciously" many times living outside of town because I was from the "big city" of Chicago. I never mentioned it unless asked btw. With those that work for the university, there is a certain cliquishness. My husband grew up in a very, very small town. It's a thing. Even nearly 40 years later some members of his family see me as an oddity because I'm not from there. Throw in a small town in Indiana--be very aware of the possibility.

[JudgeSmayles]

Ivory Lee, thanks for the feedback. Hadn't considered that Greencastle might be snowier or colder than other spots in the region.



rrah, yeah, maybe "up and coming" was too strong a hope? I guess what I'd want at a minimum is a town that seems to be headed in a positive direction. I recognize "positive direction" is subjective, but I mean some growth, some new events, energy, etc.



I keep coming across positive reviews of Franklin. Can anyone compare or contrast Greencastle and Franklin?

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by JudgeSmayles

Ivory Lee, thanks for the feedback. Hadn't considered that Greencastle might be snowier or colder than other spots in the region.



rrah, yeah, maybe "up and coming" was too strong a hope? I guess what I'd want at a minimum is a town that seems to be headed in a positive direction. I recognize "positive direction" is subjective, but I mean some growth, some new events, energy, etc.



I keep coming across positive reviews of Franklin. Can anyone compare or contrast Greencastle and Franklin?

For starters, Franklin is double the size of Greencastle and Johnson County has 4 times the population of Putnam County. Greencastle is a pretty stagnant little town well removed from the population centers, whereas Franklin is adjacent to Greenwood/Whiteland and south suburbs. Franklin without question has more of the "up and coming" feeling than Greencastle does.

[JudgeSmayles]

Toxic,


Very interesting. Thanks. We are hoping to avoid one of those towns where the suburbs expand and swallow up quickly, so I figured we need to stay a little ways out of Indy.

[Toxic Toast]

Have you looked at Danville? I think Danville is less likely to be overrun by the suburbs than Franklin is, and is closer in size to Greencastle. Although, the closest suburb to Danville is Avon which is an infamously poorly planned suburb with awful traffic. So, I don't know if that is a turn off for you. I really like Danville, but I hate Avon.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by JudgeSmayles

Ivory Lee, thanks for the feedback. Hadn't considered that Greencastle might be snowier or colder than other spots in the region.

I didn't mean to say Greencastle is snowier or colder than other spots in the region. You didn't mention the weather in your op. I only mentioned it as a posible negative since you're coming from the West Coast, where the winters are generally quite a bit milder than anywhere in Indiana.

[JudgeSmayles]

Ok, I got you. Yeah, I recognize it would be a big change in weather. While we have mild winters, they are cool and wet and grey and we once went 8 months between 60 degree high days. Frankly we're willing to deal with a harsher winter in exchange for 30 more days of sunshine, a warmer summer, and at least the chance of a warm spring day.

[JudgeSmayles]

Toxic,


No, hadn't looked at Danville. will put it on the radar. Thanks.