There are two smaller, lesser known neighborhoods located off of Soldier’s Home Road, Glenwood Heights and Glenwood Meadow. Both of these subdivisions were developed by New Century Homes, owned by John King and Reed Kelso. They developed Glenwood Heights first, located off of Sagamore Parkway and Soldier’s Homes Road, which quickly filled because of a strong economy and a high demand for homes during the 1950s. Once complete, they crossed the street and developed the land on Cumberland Avenue and Soldier’s Home Road. Because of a slump in the housing market, it took longer for this neighborhood to fill during the 1960s and 1970s. Ultimately, both subdivisions were a great success and continue to be a wonderful place for West Lafayette residents to live.
Glenwood Heights, located behind Montessori School of Greater Lafayette, is a great, child friendly neighborhood. The 113 homes of the subdivision are a blend of one story, 2 story, bilevels, and trilevels. It is walking distance to Indiana’s top rated elementary school, Cumberland Elementary, however, there are no crossing guards at Soldier’s Home Road, so few actually walk. The neighborhood itself has very low traffic, sidewalks to encourage walking and biking, and multiple cul-du-sacs. Many young families live here, the average age of the neighborhood is 40, according to nextdoor.com. In the past this has been a great neighborhood for investors to scoop up low priced rental properties. Having a great location by the schools and Sagamore Parkways, and within the top-rated school system in the state, these smaller homes were typically easy to rent and return on investment was high. However, in recent years, as the demand for the school system rises and with the shortage of inventory, more and more of these Glenwood Heights homes are becoming owner occupied. The covenants and restrictions that had fallen by the waste side for decades were resurrected in the last 8 years as residents banned together to keep their neighborhood nice. There is a neighborhood watch that helps keeps residents safe and feeling secure. This is a great, affordable, well-kept West Lafayette neighborhood in which the homes are constantly being updated.
Glenwood Meadow is often mistaken as part of Barberry Heights Neighborhood because it has the same look and feel and is in close proximity. The subdivision includes houses on both sides of Cumberland Avenue, East of the school, the 3 courts off Cumberland Avenue, and Reba Drive and Linda Lane. These larger homes have a good mix of trilevels, 2 stories and single stories and the larger lots have nice backyards with large, established trees. The sidewalks make it easy for residents to walk to Cumberland Elementary School, and a crossing guard is stationed at Cumberland Avenue during the school year so residents can safely cross during the busy before and after school traffic. Because of its close proximity to the schools, and the increased need for family homes, many real estate developers have purchased homes in Glenwood Meadow and updated them to modern standards, a “flip” if you will. Home owners have also made capital improvements on their homes. As a result, property values have increased tremendously and demand for these 100+ homes in West Lafayette has increased. This neighborhood is very family friendly because it is walking distance to the elementary school and, as an added bonus, each house in the subdivision is unique.
Glenwood Heights and Glenwood Meadow are two great examples of comfortable, family friendly neighborhoods. As long as residents maintain these lovely homes as they have, these homes will serve residents for another 60 years.
