East Side

A diverse collection of homes on the city's east side around McKinley School gives walking access to a wide range of educational choices within easy reach of downtown and shopping areas. Charming Cape Cods and cottages, pristine ranches and a few two-stories are set among the tree-lined streets. The homes south of Wilson tend to be more substantial and reminiscent of the Jefferson Boulevard homes just yards away.

From her home on Hawthorne Lane, one woman can hear the roar from School Field football games on Friday night, the roar from Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday afternoon, and the roar of a lion from Potawatomi Park on Sunday morning.

The neighborhood – stretching north from Jefferson Boulevard to McKinley Avenue, between Greenlawn Avenue and Ironwood Drive – is otherwise pretty quiet.

"It's really quiet and convenient to shopping and that kind of thing," said a man who moved from the west side six years ago. "We love it here."

"Even though Ironwood is just a block away, you don't really hear the traffic," said a woman who moved in 1990 to be close to her work and her children's school.

"They went to St. Anthony's, and I wanted something close," she said. "I didn't want to be driving all over. I work downtown, so I needed it close and convenient. I always loved this little yellow house. I didn't know the neighborhood. It was a very good fit. It's very nice here."

"We like the residentiality of it, and it's close to everything," said a woman who moved in 18 years ago. "It's close to schools, medical, shopping. I can't think of a neighborhood where you'd have more choices for schools," including McKinley Primary Center, St. Anthony's Catholic School, Adams High School, Trinity School at Greenlawn and Starz Academy.

"We're not people who like to commute," she said, adding that her husband walks the two miles to the University of Notre Dame, where he teaches chemistry. "Another thing we liked about it is it had a mixture of ages: older people, younger people and people in between.

"Each block kind of has its own character, and the streets are not busy. It's a very comfortable, affordable way to live."

A woman who had a 5-year-old and a 5-month-old when she moved in, recalls the block parties.

"When they were younger, there were 14 children on the block," she said. "The people we bought from moved only two blocks away. They had 13 children in this house. This street has a history of a lot of children. When the kids were all little, we had a lot of grand block parties."

"When I moved in, there were lots of children in the neighborhood," she said. "At trick-or-treat, it was unbelievable. They all grew up together. There were a lot of elderly people in the neighborhood, too."

The area has a safe, cared-for look, with children from McKinley School often walking the tree-shaded sidewalks. Home prices run from the $90s to larger homes selling in the $200,000 range. Something for everyone!

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Department of Community & Economic Development
Division of Community Development
227 W. Jefferson Boulevard • Suite 1200 S
South Bend, IN  46601
574.235.9660 • Fax: 574.235.9469