Avilla, a rural Midwestern town near Fort Wayne
The Town of Avilla is a growing rural community, with a population of about 2,600, nearly 25 miles north of Fort Wayne. “We have a couple of restaurants, gas stations and bars. It’s everything you’d think of in a tiny Midwestern town. Everybody leans on everybody when they need to, or even without asking,” says Nate Hicks, a local Realtor with Real Broker who has over eight years of experience. “We’re still close enough to Fort Wayne for the city stuff, and we’ve got great parks.”
Century-old homes near Main Street and newer homes in subdivisions
Traditional, two-story homes and bungalows were built near Main Street in Avilla’s center between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. These older homes share a similar price range of about $110,000 to $200,000. “Home prices are drastically lower than in Fort Wayne. They just opened new subdivisions, so new construction prices have driven that up,” Hicks says. “At the same time, the appreciation of the properties in Avilla has gone up considerably.”
Many ranch-style homes and New Traditionals are in new subdivisions. Ranch-style home prices range from around $140,000 to $350,000, some come equipped with attached garages. New Traditionals vary from one to two stories and are priced between nearly $180,000 and $470,000. “All the utilities are municipal-owned, so if we’ve got a random power outage, I know that [my friend] is out there fixing it right now. I can look out my front door and ask, ‘You want a drink? It’s hot out,’” Hicks says.
The CAP Index Crime Score in Avilla is 2 out of 10; lower than the national average of 4.
A historic restaurant, hardware store and grocers in Auburn
Albion Street is home to a few restaurants, such as St. James Restaurant, which is considered the oldest restaurant in Northern Indiana. St. James was a hotel during the late 19th century. In the 1980s, the rooms were replaced by a lounge and banquet hall, and the downstairs dining area was renovated. The Pizza Place is in a strip mall with a Do It Best hardware store. Aldi and Kroger are roughly within a 10-mile drive of Kendallville and Auburn, both of which have many restaurants and shops.
A dog park near a nature trail and activities in Eley Memorial Park
Crump’s Canine Corral dog park is in Ley Street Park, which features a nature trail. Eley Memorial Park’s playground, baseball fields and basketball and tennis courts are adjacent to the Avilla Community Center. Beginning on the third Thursday in June, the park hosts Freedom Festival, a three-day event series. Festivities include craft vendors, a hot dog eating contest and a car show. A fireworks display concludes the festival on the last night. About 12 miles away, Chain O’ Lakes State Park has several electric-motor-only kettle lakes and forested trails, varying from a mile to nearly 6 miles.
Attending East Noble schools and dual credit courses through Ivy Tech
East Noble School Corporation serves the area and has several elementary schools. Students may attend Avilla Elementary School before East Noble Middle School and East Noble High School. All schools earn B-minus grades from Niche. High schoolers can take dual credit courses, such as communication, through Ivy Tech Community College.
Commutes to Fort Wayne, manufacturing in Avilla and passing trains
State Highway 3 connects Avilla to Fort Wayne and Fort Wayne International Airport, which has 13 direct domestic flights and is nearly 30 miles away. Manufacturing companies, such as Accel International, are on Progress Way. Freight trains cross through southern Avilla. They may disrupt the flow of traffic on Hill Road and generate noise that may be noticeable from nearby farms and residences.
