What is crime really like in Broad Ripple?

There are also a few other walkable areas that aren't right in Broad Ripple. They don't have as much going on, but they're quieter. There's the corner of 56th and Illinois, with shops and coffee and a grocery; there's 49th and Penn with Patachou and Hubbard & Cravens; and the 52nd or 54th and College corners that have restaurants and a grocery. If I were you, I'd also consider downtown if you can afford it. Without pets or kids, it would be pretty easy to find a decent apartment near, say, Mass Ave, and walk around. If the transportation has gotten any better in the past few years, you can get a cheap (or maybe it's still free? I graduated in 2010) bus pass through school and not have to worry about driving to campus for your classes? I also heard something recently about a "red line" rapid-transit bus from the north suburbs to the south side of Indy. Not sure if that has happened yet.

Just for perspective and my personal experiece, neighborhood-wise:

I lived in Meridian Kessler for about five years, during which time I had a crackhead walk into my house to try and steal stuff (he came around a lot with sob stories, but got gutsy and walked in one day when he thought no one was home), someone broke into our car and stole my daughter's portable DVD player, my neighbor has his car windows shot out, a homeless guy was sleeping behind my house, and there was a string of daytime robberies going on for a while where people would knock on doors and, if no one answered, they'd just bust the door down and grab what they could.

When I lived in Broad Ripple, one of our cars was stolen and my neighbors had raging parties almost every night of the week. High school kids would go around and vandalize stuff. When I lived in Nora, someone set his apartment on fire and another person was drowned in the man-made lake. I also lived in an apartment building near St Vincent at the 86th and Ditch area for a while in the late '90s. It was awful. I didn't feel safe and my neighbors, who worked for the complex, were drug dealers.

I've been living in Chicago since 2011 and my husband's bike was stolen about two weeks after we got here. That was because our dumb landlady left the back gate open and would let anyone into the yard to look at her flowers. I ride the el to work every day, and take the bus. I've worked in the South Loop, North/Clybourn area, and Lincoln Park. There are panhandlers and crazy people, but I don't keep earbuds in, I pay attention to my surroundings, I stay in well-lit areas.

Whatever you decide on, you only have to stick it out for a year while you look for something you may like better. Good luck to you!

/r/indianapolis Thread