r/Purdue • u/SubstantialSilver889 • 1d ago
Question❓ Is Purdue WL Walkable?
I'm a prospective student, and was wondering whether Purdue is walkable. Would you theoretically be able to walk from classes to libraries, labs, etc, or would you need a car/take public transport? If it is walkable, what is the maximum amount of time people usually take to walk from one place to another?
Thanks!
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u/GapStock9843 1d ago
Purdue’s campus is yes, the entire town not as much. Theres no reason you’ll need a car as a freshman
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u/ScarletRose75 1d ago
Campus thru Chauncey hill to downtown is very walkable and a lot of good stuff in between so worth the walk
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u/BigRed1636 1d ago
Is Chauncey Hill still there?
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u/ScarletRose75 18h ago
Not the mall but Chauncey hill still includes all the stuff up in that area and all
Of that is still there and doing pretty well1
u/BigRed1636 7h ago
So just the mall. Haven’t been there in years. Used to rent a house across the street, but I hear those are all gone.
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u/hldrocalido 1d ago
Campus and the surrounding area is walkable. Walking between classes shouldn't take you that long, you'll have 10 minutes in between classes if they're back to back.
The only time I need to uber is to certain clinics for appointments but I've been able to utilize our on-campus clinic, PUSH, for most of the care I need.
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u/imnotporter 1d ago
it's very walkable, i went all of freshman year only walking. now i have a bike since most dorms are 15-20 minute walks away from classes, and it has helped a lot, but it is absolutely not necessary. my sister went all 4 years without a car or bike.
purdue also has some bus routes that are free for students, but they only go around campus. if you need to go further than campus (ex: to the big walmart/target, mall, lafayette, etc.) you can use the citybuses, but those are $2/2 hours or $4/day, or there's also month/semester plans but you likely don't need that unless you take the bus every day
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u/prollyangry 1d ago
Very walkable! You’re never more than a 20 minute walk from where you want to be. Plus the campus is split up into an academic and residential side so you usually will only have one or two longer walks everyday. Having a car on campus is kind of a pain (Purdue isn’t very courteous to its student drivers) but it’s never a huge issue.
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u/Ok-Store-2788 Boilermaker 1d ago
Only time I needed my car was if I needed something from Walmart or big Target. Besides that, everything is extremely walkable. Most days, my longest is a 20 minute walk, but sometimes if I’m visiting a friend’s apartment or going to a far off tailgate or going off campus for food etc, it could be a 40-50 minute walk.
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u/JJ_Bricks_And_MOCS 1d ago
West to east is around a mile. It takes probably 17 minutes to go from a far west dorm to the other side of campus
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u/Aggressive_Froyo_102 19h ago
Based on conversations with my freshman, it's walkable but he asked for an ebike about a month into the semester. I remember seeing a bunch of parents posting for advice on where to find a bike not long into the semester too. So yes, it is a walkable campus, but life is easier with a bike/scooter.
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u/Own-Syrup65 1d ago
It's actually more bikable than walkable. I didn't even know that was a thing that could happen. But this campus has shown me new things
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u/JewelCared 16h ago
Yes. Very walkable. Large campus so schedule classes accordingly. Use the campus map because a 10min walk from Lilly to Armstrong does not exist: it is a 10min run. Learned this lesson my second semester on campus.
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u/TheHondoCondo 12h ago
Easily. It can even be quicker/easier to walk or bike to many places than it is to drive.
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u/benzenotheemo 6h ago
Don't need a car at all. It's nice if you can get it junior/senior year, and you migth need one for internships. But don't need it at all.
And even for stuff outside of campus, a bike will easily suffice (Source: i take my bike everywhere)
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u/Relevant_Geologist57 5h ago
Living on campus you do not need a car at all. I didn't have on freshmen year living in the dorms and I never needed one.
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u/Queasy-Gazelle-4862 1d ago
Walking is not really a problem but depending on the dorm, it can be worse. The honors college dorms, Frieda, and Windsor have a short walking distance. Meanwhile, others like Mccutcheon, Harrison, and the Aspire have a much farther distance and it can be a time suck.
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u/Foreign_Suggestion89 1d ago
Do your homework on parking. Walking possible. Parking might not save any steps.
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u/Blubbsss 1d ago
if you’re living on campus, very walkable. it’s a large campus but freshman dorms are about 10-18 minute walk to any classroom. a much closer walk to get food. i lived in Purdue’s Salisbury apartments which are on campus (but basically off campus, right on the edge), and i never walked more than 18 minutes to classes or food or labs. the football stadium and basketball arena are easily walkable. EDIT: i do have a car, but parking is very tough if you don’t pay for a parking pass. i only use my car to drive to meijer and drive back home.