I’ve taken a new job in Bloomington, Indiana and need some info. Looks like downtown apartments are small, expensive, and crowded.
It looks like there a some nice condo’s for rent in the Bachelor Heights / Bloomington Country Club area. Is that area nice / safe? Or what other areas are good to live in? I would like to be close to the B-Line Trail and stay under $1,200 rent. We will likely buy a house once we get settled and familiar with the town.
My daughter started at IU this year…still learning the ins and outs of the area, so can’t really help you with where to live, but can get you started on a ride. GTOScott sent me this ride earlier this year…GREAT ride, but bring your climbing gears! I’m a decent climber and was in a 34x25 on Boltinghouse Road and just grinding.
From the Indy area, but live on the southwest side so we ride down to Martinsville and beyond sometimes. Bloomington Bike Club looks legit for group rides and connections. Here is USA Cycling’s list of teams, with several B-town teams at the top. I know it’s hilly so lots of great climbing, but some issues with pickup trucks here and there. If you’re into mtbiking, Brown County is awesome with miles upon miles of trails ranging from beginner to expert. Great for running too.
Not sure about run clubs, but if you run around downtown or at Brown County, you’re bound to meet people.
Can’t say much about neighborhoods as I’ve never lived there. However, there is a cool, really small, sprint tri early fall called the Monsterman. Super steep climbs on both the bike and run make for a hard, fun race. PM me if you’re interested in group rides in the spring…trainer time is starting up with the weather starting to go south and daylight at a premium after work.
I’ll be working on Patterson Drive. So just south west of downtown.
I’d like to live away from down town but still within short reach of the B-Line Trail so I can commute. It looks like Adams Village Apartments is close to all these things and Wapehani Mountain Bike Park. Is that area safe / clean? All I have to go by right now is Google Maps / Street View. Planning a visit this Saturday
Proximity to Indy or Louisville not that important.
Grew up in Indiana. Sorry for your move. Truly. Going to be a lot of stupidity near that University.
-Guy who went to a way better public school in Indiana
I figure any university would bring a lot of frustration.
Currently I live in red neck small town with a coal plant. Currently I’m the big fish in a puddle. I look forward to having faster people to train with. Just need to find them.
Great move! B-Town is a great place to live (I relocated here in 2012 from Detroit suburbs). Since this is a triathlon site lets start in order:
Swimming - IU’s 50m outdoor pool is so nice and only $4 per visit (or less with a season pass). Plus I think IU has 3 indoor pools (the indoor SCRS pool has many gold medal Olympians to it’s credit). The YMCA on the south side of town also is a good place to swim. If you can afford the Renwick neighborhood just south of campus you’ll be close to the Y and IU’s pools as well as easy access to all the cycling roads on the north and east side of town. Spicewood and Hyde Park on the south east side are also excellent neighborhoods. All these locations offer easy access to the BBC’s (Bloomington Bicycle Club) club ride start locations too. Speaking of cycling…
The road biking is brilliant (both paved and gravel) and the mountain biking is even better!!! So many great roads to explore with punchy climbs and 40+mph descents (I’ve hit 51mph down Boltinghouse but don’t recommend it!). If you’re into gravel riding the forest roads around Lake Monroe’s North East and South East Sides are beautiful and challenging. McGowen hill (gravel road on NE side of the lake) is damn near impossible to climb with a cyclocross bike it gets so steep! The BBC’s weekly club rides tend to be mostly middle aged folks but the intermediate group is fast for 30 to 40 mile rides every week. You’ll easily find folks to ride with! If you’re into Mountain Biking so many options… Brown County State Park is an IMBA Epic rated system, the new trails in Yellow Wood State Forest (just outside of Brown County State Park) are very technical and challenging, Nebo Ridge & Browning Mtn. in Hoosier National are cool, and Griffin Bike Park in Terra Haute just opened and looks impressive! French Lick and O’Bannon south of B-town are excellent MTB loops as well. Lots of group MTB rides too (I typically ride with the Salt Creek Cycles crew). Bottom Line - get yourself a mountain bike and learn to ride it - you have world class trails to ride (or run) in your backyard! Back to road riding -check out the recommend ride route a few posts above - this will introduce you to many great roads and you can expand from there. Finally - The 60 mile “Gravel Grovel” race the Saturday after thanksgiving is the toughest cycling race you’ll ever do - sign up!!! I’ll see you there if the weather is good (I’m out if its raining!)
Running - get yourself some trail shoes and head to the 6.2mile loop at Pate Hallow (on Lake Monroe’s east side). This loop is hard with long steep climbs and blistering descents - just a beautiful run thru the woods - the hills are relentless. Work towards a 50 minute lap there and you’ll be ready for anything! The Tecumseh Trail Marathon near Yellow Wood Lake in the fall is a great event. All sorts of great paved paths to run on in B-Town too starting with the B-Line and Clear Creek system, The Y mentioned above has an excellent paved mile loop to run on and you can connect this with the Jackson Creek paved trail for a longer run. Bottom Line, all the hills in B-Town will work you over and make your race pace faster! FYI - if you do the 6.2 mile Pate Hallow loop you can poach a swim in Lake Monroe at about mile 3 when you hit the shore line. Makes a great workout if you like open water lake swimming (run 3 miles, swim a few laps across the cove and back, run 3 more miles). You can also poach a swim at the “CarTop” canoe launch site (However swimming in the lake open water without lifeguards around is illegal). I think there is a running club that runs every Wed. or Thur at 6:30 starting at the Big Woods pub downtown around 6:30pm. Many 13.1 mile and 26.2 runs in the area and Indy as well…
Register now for Indiana’s Ironman Muncie 70.3 and put it all together - one of the best event’s you’ll ever do (I’ve done it 19 times).
Welcome to B-town! Feel free to give me a shout for a ride or run tour when you get in town. (I’m getting old “46” and currently not in race pace form, but do well enough!) and definitely scope out the Renwick, Spicewood and Hyde Park areas for a house to buy or rent (really anywhere east of the YMCA is gonna be nice and safe and offer easy access for TRI training)
It sounds like there is trail after trail after trail in the area.
With respect to the Gravel Grovel… I will be visiting family in Florida, but I have actually traveled for the Death March event in March 2015. But that is the only riding or running I’ve done in the area.
My friends and I live in Dayton, Ohio. We travel to Bloomington a few times a year to participate in some of the excellent cycling events which are put on in the area. check out http://www.dinoseries.com/ I believe here you can register for both the Gravel Grovel, which was mentioned earlier, and the Death March. Both are 60ish mile off road/road/single track races. Also, each October there is the Hilly Hundred ride - a two day mass ride through of some of the hilliest terrain in Indiana. I cannot speak for regular group rides or runs, but I know these events are a lot of fun, competitive, and attract a great sense of camaraderie. Enjoy!
I’ll be working on Patterson Drive. So just south west of downtown.
I’d like to live away from down town but still within short reach of the B-Line Trail so I can commute. It looks like Adams Village Apartments is close to all these things and Wapehani Mountain Bike Park. Is that area safe / clean? All I have to go by right now is Google Maps / Street View. Planning a visit this Saturday
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Forgot to mention, B-Town is small so you can easily bicycle commute to Patterson Drive from anywhere in town and be at work in 20 minutes or less (even less by car) and Wapahani is a fun little park but is overshadowed by BCSP (Brown Co). I occasionally ride 4 miles from the east side (Spicewood, Hyde Park area) to Wapahani (about half is on a paved bike path which intersects with the B-Line). I’ll ride a few laps on the Wapahani trails and ride home for a nice workout.
Regarding the University - The only thing I notice is heavy traffic around the mall area, but other than that it’s a non-event. I wouldn’t call anything “crazy”. You will notice an abundance of exotic cars in town (Ferrari’s, McClarens, Porsches, Audi’s, Bentleys, Lamborghinis, etc…) driven by foreign country students. Popular restaurants and bars can get busy when the students are in town, but summers are nice and less congested… The students keep the town alive and make it very diverse and a little more liberal than the rest of Indiana. B-town is small but because of the University it has bigger city things like music, arts, theater, etc… It really is a great place to live!
Lots of nice housing around the Olcott Park area too… (that park has a half mile paved trail that connects over to the YMCA via the Jackson Creek Trail)
My friends and I live in Dayton, Ohio. We travel to Bloomington a few times a year to participate in some of the excellent cycling events which are put on in the area. check out http://www.dinoseries.com/ I believe here you can register for both the Gravel Grovel, which was mentioned earlier, and the Death March. Both are 60ish mile off road/road/single track races. Also, each October there is the Hilly Hundred ride - a two day mass ride through of some of the hilliest terrain in Indiana. I cannot speak for regular group rides or runs, but I know these events are a lot of fun, competitive, and attract a great sense of camaraderie. Enjoy!
From Fort Wayne IN here. DINO series has some great trail runs as well. I’ve done two of them with my SO and we’ve had positive experiences each time.
i’d also recommend looking into RAIN and Hilly Hundred
GTOscott hit alot of the big items. I’ll add in my 2cents
I would look for housing around Bryant park.
Biking: After winter, Wednesday worlds leaves from the sample gates at 6 (i think), Get ready, this is always brutal, there are some uber cyclist here. Scholars Inn cycling has Saturday and Sunday rides leaving from the downtown bake house at noon (will switch to earlier in the spring). Also, in spring the 10 mile Tuesday time trial will start back up.
Morgan Monroe state forest is easily my favorite to go ride.
Run clubs: BARA and Quaff on. Indiana Running company is the local run shop, they’ll know all the run times.
