South Bend, IN

[lovethequestions]

In terms of finding housing that allows pets--it may be easier (and not necessarily more expensive) to rent a house than to live in an apartment complex. My roommate and I are renting a 2-bedroom house for $700/month plus utilities, with pets allowed (and a fenced-in backyard), 7 blocks away from campus. I would recommend craigslist if you're going to rent. Last year I lived in Remington Court, which was relatively expensive for the size, and a 15-20 minute drive away, but was a nice well-kept place to live, with very helpful staff members. I would definitely recommend it if you have a car. It did allow pets, but the pet deposit was pretty high.

One thing to watch out for in housing is that the neighborhoods right next to campus are not necessarily the safest ones. There have been a couple of robberies and muggings on my street this year. So I would avoid walking by yourself after dark, and make sure to rent from someplace with a security system installed.

South Bend is a very cheap place to live--I think you could definitely make it on $20,000, even with car payments. I would definitely not recommend not having a car here, though, unless you live on or right next to campus. I do have friends who make it work and don't seem to mind, but the times I have been without a car, riding the bus has taken at least an hour or two out of my day (as opposed to 15-20 minutes).

[LateAntique]

Any Notre Dame admits looking for roommates for a house? I want to steer clear of apartments and I'm looking to get something with a back yard because I have a 2 year old beagle (who is very well-behaved).

[punkybugsy]

Ok, so I'm house shopping and making offers this week. What do you think of the following options: smallish fixer upper (nothing major.. but it needs work) in Sunnymede (what seems to be a really nice neighborhood) about a mile from school. Or larger, beautiful, updated home in River Park. I'm having trouble gauging how that neighborhood is.. nobody has said it's awesome, but nobody has said it is horrible either. It's about 4.8 miles from school. Prices are comparable between the two when you factor in taxes, ect.

[speaktoyou]

Ok, so I'm house shopping and making offers this week. What do you think of the following options: smallish fixer upper (nothing major.. but it needs work) in Sunnymede (what seems to be a really nice neighborhood) about a mile from school. Or larger, beautiful, updated home in River Park. I'm having trouble gauging how that neighborhood is.. nobody has said it's awesome, but nobody has said it is horrible either. It's about 4.8 miles from school. Prices are comparable between the two when you factor in taxes, ect.

What did you decide? I am sorry I missed this. River Park does have more issues than Sunnymede, but it's not the west side.

[srk]

any mech admits for the fall of 2010???

[readyforachange]

Ok, so I'm house shopping and making offers this week. What do you think of the following options: smallish fixer upper (nothing major.. but it needs work) in Sunnymede (what seems to be a really nice neighborhood) about a mile from school. Or larger, beautiful, updated home in River Park. I'm having trouble gauging how that neighborhood is.. nobody has said it's awesome, but nobody has said it is horrible either. It's about 4.8 miles from school. Prices are comparable between the two when you factor in taxes, ect.

One thing to be aware of with River Park is that there are so, so many homes for sale there... think about resale - how many homes will may compete with in the area when you do sell (driving down prices), as well as how many of your neighbors will most likely be renters (which may also affect home values). That's one big reason why I didn't purchase my home in RP

[joanlba]

One thing to be aware of with River Park is that there are so, so many homes for sale there... think about resale - how many homes will may compete with in the area when you do sell (driving down prices), as well as how many of your neighbors will most likely be renters (which may also affect home values). That's one big reason why I didn't purchase my home in RP

somebody this year? ill go to nd, plan to live on campus.

[schupjd0]

Looks like I'm going to ND this coming fall. Does non-crime-area housing exist for $450/month for one person? It does not need to be nice, per se, just so long as the ceiling doesn't drip water on me while I sleep.

[Sparky]

Looks like I'm going to ND this coming fall. Does non-crime-area housing exist for $450/month for one person? It does not need to be nice, per se, just so long as the ceiling doesn't drip water on me while I sleep.

On campus (for single students, which is actually on campus) there is housing for either 490/month or 590/month, all utilities+Internet included. 590/month is easily doable on the ND PhD stipend, and is so incredibly worth the extra 100/month. (The ceiling won't drip on you in the cheaper ones, but the electricity in the bathrooms has a habit of going out while you're in the middle of a shower. Also, more bugs.) That comes with at least one roommate, though.

Most of the off-campus housing immediately surrounding campus is undergrad apartments/townhouses and should be avoided at all costs. The nicer places in pseudo-walking distance* of campus tend to be 2+ bedroom houses thus more expensive (but easily doable under 450 if you find a roommate).

* because of the way campus is laid out, "walking distance to campus" and "walking distance to where you're going on campus" are two very, very different things and often render walking not so practical.

You will have better luck finding cheap housing if you are willing to drive a bit. Check out apartment complexes in Granger, Osceola and Elkhart (Granger is a more upscale community and will probably be more expensive, but is closest). Also, the ND security website links to past months' crime activity on a map, so you can compare various areas.

Castle Point is cheap but kind of a dump. I hear good things about University Park and Regency Club, but if you want to live alone both of those are over your stated price range. Regency is cheaper but UPark is on the bus line.

Edited February 25, 2012 by Sparky

[schupjd0]

Thanks for the info!

[Ari*]

Hello! I am considering going to Notre Dame for a PhD this fall, and I am addicted to salsa dancing. Can anyone speak to the opportunities for salsa dancing? Are there any clubs that consistently (weekly) have salsa/latin dance? This might seem a little bit silly, but it is such a great way to get rid of stress for me, I am not sure that I can live without it. Thanks!

Edited March 4, 2012 by Ari*

[Sparky]

Short answer: yes.

There are usually multiple opportunities to take weekly salsa lessons on campus. There's also a ballroom dance school just a couple of miles from ND that offers salsa lessons and, I'm pretty sure, at least one night of open dancing a week. IIRC there is a club that has a weekly salsa night, but that is not really my scene, so I'm not sure how current that info is. South Bend is a backwater, but it's not *that* bad. You could try Googling something like "south bend salsa dancing" to see what comes up.

[non humilis mulier]

Hey all, does any one have any experience raising kids in South Bend? Any tips for day cares, nannies, mother's day out, etc?

[Pepé Le Pew]

Hey all, does any one have any experience raising kids in South Bend? Any tips for day cares, nannies, mother's day out, etc?

humilis - I'm beginning Notre Dame this fall as well, and am bringing two young children. A friend is already in the Classics graduate program there, and his wife is a delightful babysitter (she's the only one we've trusted outside of family). Send me a private message if you'd like details.

[ellie811]

I've lived in South Bend since Aug 2009 while my husband is in law school. We're not crazy about South Bend, but Notre Dame has been great. We live off campus, about a mile south and it's been great. Close to downtown and campus, but quiet. Easy biking distance to campus. We love our apartment (a HUGE 2 bedroom in a 3 unit building) and we love our landlord. We're moving in mid August, and our unit will be up for rent at that time. I'm not sure what rent will be (landlord hasn't raised it since we moved in, despite improvements to the building/property), but I imagine it'll be less than $700 (includes heat, water, trash, washer/dryer in basement). It's a steal.

If anyone might be interested send me a message. Within the month we'll be confirming our move-out date and I can put you in touch with our landlord.

Any other questions about South Bend, ask away. (However, I'm not up on any nightlife or anything, my husband and I are pretty laid back with a tight budget)

[caedmon]

Hi all, I'm planning on starting a PhD at ND this fall, and I'm now wondering...

Is there a particularly good place to start looking for an apartment? Is there a way to find other grads to share an apartment/house with (beyond on-campus housing)?

[ellie811]

Is there a particularly good place to start looking for an apartment? Is there a way to find other grads to share an apartment/house with (beyond on-campus housing)?

Depending on what kind of apartment you're looking for, I suggest craigslist. I personally don't like complexes, I prefer apartments in houses.

Some good neighborhoods to look in:

- Northshore Triangle - big, old houses. About a mile from campus

- Harter Heights - super close to campus

- Make a square using Mishawaka Ave as the southern border, the river as the west side, Ironwood as the eastern, LaSalle as the northern. Generally this area has older houses and is safe and close-ish to campus. (I live in this area)

I'm not sure about finding other grads to live with, maybe check with someone in your program.

[ellie811]

Is there a particularly good place to start looking for an apartment? Is there a way to find other grads to share an apartment/house with (beyond on-campus housing)?

Also, my only experience with a complex is Riverside North. It's along the river west of campus, less than 2 miles from campus. I have a friend who lives here and says he likes it. The apartments are big and inexpensive. The neighborhood around the complex can get a little rough, but the apartments themselves are fine...it's a a good half mile to where I wouldn't walk alone at night.

[Loimographia]

Looks like I'm headed to ND as well! I'm just gonna put this out there, that if anyone else on the board is looking for a roommate, PM me! I'd go for the grad student housing, but I'm hoping to bring my (small, very adorable) dog with me, and the campus housing doesn't allow pets

[Bdeniso]

It also appears as if I will be attending Notre Dame in the fall. To answer above, I was staying with a comparative politics student on my visit and he goes salsa dancing every week with a group, so that is definitley available. From what I heard, renting an apartment in a house or a house it self is inexpensive and the better way to go. There are some complexes but they are either way too expensive or have a tendency to catch fire, so I will hopefully be looking for maybe a small house to rent with someone else.

[speaktoyou]

Depending on what kind of apartment you're looking for, I suggest craigslist. I personally don't like complexes, I prefer apartments in houses.

Some good neighborhoods to look in:

- Northshore Triangle - big, old houses. About a mile from campus

- Harter Heights - super close to campus

- Make a square using Mishawaka Ave as the southern border, the river as the west side, Ironwood as the eastern, LaSalle as the northern. Generally this area has older houses and is safe and close-ish to campus. (I live in this area)

I'm not sure about finding other grads to live with, maybe check with someone in your program.

I live in this same area.

About kids--I have three kids. We don't rent, we own our house. My kids go to public schools. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I didn't expect to even really like SB much when we moved here, but I really love it now.

[ThisSlumgullionIsSoVapid]

Any specific websites that people might be using to list houses for rent (besides craigslist)?

I'll be heading to Notre Dame this fall as well for the Sociology PhD program

[Bdeniso]

I havent found any good specific ones so far, but just looked around by googling. Looks like renting a house with some is the way to go though I agree. Hopefully there will be a good way to find a roomate!

[atiti]

I am coming to Notre Dame also this fall and it's for a one year masters program!I am an international student and i do not reside in the US (i live in a developing country where you do not go online to find houses-lol). What are the pros and cons of living on campus? would i be able to keep the campus accommodation during holidays? Thanks

[Pepé Le Pew]

hello atiti,

Since you have to do your housing remotely, and you're only going to be there for a year, it might be wise to use the Notre Dame housing. Some things to consider:

• it's simple to arrange (no landloards, leases, application fees or large deposits)
  
• many graduate students live on campus - you'll have a lot of company, and more a sense of community
  
• the costs are reasonable compared to similar private housing near campus
  
• your walk to class will be very short. as an international student you're unlikely to have a vehicle. so - given the heavy snow and mess on the ground through a good part of the school year, it'll be nice for you to not have to travel far to campus
  
• they certainly let you retain your rented rooms during the holidays! many graduate students are from overseas, and have a similar need to yours
  
• security is through on-campus cops. probably more dependable than city cops, who are responsible for a much greater area.
  

I guess if you were looking for a 'con' list: if you have more than three children or a very large household (unlikely it seems), the on-campus accommodations are not big enough. And your variety of housing off campus is greater. And - if you have tons of money to spend, you can get fancier housing off-campus.

good luck, and see you this august

Edited April 8, 2012 by Pepé Le Pew