Ellettsville's small-town vision: Vibrant downtown, affordable houses, parks and trails

Curtis and her family's home is a few miles beyond Ellettsville's town limits, but the Cook employee is invested in redeveloping the nearby town she calls home. She's on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors and is a founding member of the Envision project that's mapping the town's future.

Curtis said her family moved to Ellettsville instead of Bloomington because housing was affordable and the Richland-Bean Blossom school system has a good reputation.

Over the past few years, the town has been actively planning the steps it will take to embrace growth spilling over from Bloomington, where the cost of living is high and the finding a home is difficult.

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Chamber of Commerce President Dan Rarey said potential investors, contractors and entrepreneurs have been eyeing Ellettsville. "They're lining up," he said, "knocking on our door."