Top schools, easy commutes and scenic parks in Wakarusa
Located in the center of northern Indiana’s Amish country, Wakarusa is a small town of about 2,000 people in Elkhart County. The community offers a relaxed pace of life with competitively priced homes, top-rated schools and scenic parks, all within a 30-minute drive of major employment hubs like Goshen, Elkhart and South Bend. “Wakarusa is a bit of that classic small town with a very solid downtown core and walkable neighborhoods surrounding that downtown core,” says Terry Mark, director of communications and public relations for Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s a little bit more of a bedroom community. Most people work elsewhere within the county or the region. A lot of community life is built around the high school and its sports teams, which enjoys a lot of support.”
Wa-Nee Community Schools offer college credit and career classes
Wakarusa is served by the Wa-Nee Community Schools District, which receives an A rating from Niche. Niche also recognizes Wa-Nee as the best school district in Elkhart County. “Nappanee and Wakarusa are connected by proximity but also by their school system,” Mark says. “The two towns are combined into one school system with the high school in Nappanee, but an elementary and middle school in Wakarusa. The school system is an attraction that’s cited by many people as what they like about the community.” High schoolers can take dual-credit classes and clusters of career-focused courses like business, agriculture and education.
Median home prices match nearby towns like Goshen and Nappanee
The quiet, residential streets are lined with sidewalks and mature trees. Homebuyers can find bungalows, Colonial Revivals and National-style homes from the early 1900s and midcentury split-level and ranch-style residences. There’s also a mix of New Traditional and Craftsman-inspired homes in housing additions and cul-de-sacs. Homes stay on the market for about 50 days on average, which is lower than the national average of 70 days. The median price for a single-family home is $330,000, about the same as in Nappanee and Goshen.
Downtown and Memorial parks are hubs for outdoor recreation
Wakarusa’s downtown park is a central locale for families with a wooden playscape and covered picnic tables. On the northwest side of town, Memorial Park features a walking path, butterfly garden, disc golf course and splash pad. Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake are about 20 miles away for lakeside fun and relaxation. The community is part of the Elkhart Heritage Trail, a 90-mile stretch of scenic roadways through Elkhart County and Amish Country. “It’s a self-guided audio tour with stories and folklore about each community, and it recommends stops for people along the way,” Mark says. “Every year, we promote the Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail. It’s a public exhibition where there are large gardens planted in quilted patterns.” Wakarusa has two gardens on the trail — one downtown, and another at Grandma’s Pantry on state Route 19.
A nostalgic candy shop and casual eats downtown
“One of Wakarusa’s top attractions is the Wakarusa Dime Store,” Mark says. “It’s a candy store downtown. People often find that it’s a nostalgic trip back to the past for them because they’ve got the kind of candies that they remember from growing up, but they’re harder to find.” The town has a handful of other casual spots, including Cook’s Pizza and Shortstop Inn. The Garage Coffee Shop, a cozy spot based out of an early 1900s car garage, is Wakarusa’s newest addition. State Route 19 has a handful of fast-food restaurants, a Dollar General and Grandma’s Pantry, a full-service grocery store. More shops and restaurants are in South Bend and Nappanee. “South Bend is kind of the regional capital of this area between having Notre Dame, a minor league baseball team and a vibrant downtown core with fine dining,” Mark says.
Easy drives to Goshen, Elkhart and South Bend job centers
Drivers can reach Goshen, Elkhart and Nappanee within a 15-mile drive, or roughly 20 minutes. South Bend and Notre Dame University are 20 miles northwest, or about 30 minutes. State Route 19 on the eastern side of town gets a fair amount of truck traffic from agricultural producers and manufacturers. The Elkhart-Goshen area is home to the third-largest Amish settlement in the country. Residents are cognizant of their Amish neighbors, who use bicycles and horse-drawn buggies to get around. Wakarusa has a CAP Index Crime Score of 2 out of 10, lower than the national score of 4 out of 10.
Fun on tap at the Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival
The Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival has been a sweet celebration and town tradition for over 55 years. “It’s usually held in late April and takes over the downtown for a weekend,” Mark says. “They’ll have entertainment and children’s activities like carnival rides and different artisan vendors. Traditionally, the Lions Club pancake and sausage breakfast is a big part of that.”
Written By
Leslie Klosterman
