Lived here my entire life...
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7/14/2008
Like any city in America, Fort Wayne has many positive and negative qualities.
Starting with the negatives, there is a noticeable lack of sidewalks/bike lanes along city streets, though recently, there has been a huge movement for recreational trails around the region. Another negative is the suburban sprawl, mostly on the west and north sides of the city, which has taken prospective businesses and residents from the core of the city, contributing to some urban blight. Also, the local economy has been hit hard in the last twenty-five years, with scores of manufacturing jobs leaving overseas, making high-paying jobs in the vicinity harder to find. Fort Wayne also lacks many museums or cultural centers, with the exception of The History Center, Science Central, and the museum of art. And, as many have mentioned, the winters are long, cold, dark, and gloomy, with summers usually hot and humid - not ideal for most people.
Educational opportunities along with crime are a bit vanilla in the city, and can go in either direction, depending on where you live, but overall, most area school fair reasonably well near the national average, and crime can vary dramatically from year-to-year.
As for Fort Wayne's positives, there is an enormous market in the local sports franchises (Komets, hockey; Mad Ants, basketball; IPFW Mastodons, basketball and volleyball; Wizards, baseball; Fever, soccer; Freedom, football) most of which are played at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Also, many people have cited the "dead" downtown, but in the last year, construction has begun on a new baseball stadium for the Wizards, Marriott Hotel, condos, and shops, as well as the revitalized and expanded convention center and Allen County Public Library, all hoped to bring life back to the core of Fort Wayne. Also, the community has backed a huge rejuvenation of the library system, the main downtown branch containing the second-largest geneology collection in the nation. Another huge positive is the very affordable cost of living and low-cost housing with the median home price hoving around $100,000. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, parks, and developing trails are also positives to the community.
Overall, I enjoy living in Fort Wayne; it has its high and low points, like any other city, and I truly think it depends on your personal likes and dislikes when it comes to Fort Wayne.
Michael | Fort Wayne, IN