Someone please talk to me about Muncie. (Anderson, Kokomo: hotels, to live)

[PerryMason614]

Originally Posted by MortonR

Hah! Slightly colder?

There is an imaginary line running through Lafayette through Marions and up that delineates the severity of winter weather, and Ft. Wayne is well above that. You'll have far harsher winters in Ft. Wayne than in Muncie or Indianapolis.

RM

Sounds like roughly the same line in Ohio, except it goes through Mansfield. Columbus is mild these days, at least to me it is. Mansfield is where the snow belt starts.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by ngrome

Or surrounding towns around Indianapolis. I'm looking for affordable housing for retirement all over the US, but in a decent not to isolated town, at least nearby some groceries and necessities, for $200,000 or less, preferably closer to $150,000. I see some in Muncie, but I don't know how the area is for what I'm looking for. I targeted around there or IN in general because I'm currently in the Chicago suburbs where it is not becoming affordable, particularly when I retire. Thanks in advance!

I've been researching the heck out of the Midwest for similar affordability and while Muncie has some don't think it's a great bet for retirement though healthcare is above average there with Ball Memorial's facilities.

I would recommend more options in Ohio like Toledo (stunningly inexpensive), Akron (has some great inexpensive neighborhoods), Canton (it's surprisingly better than advertised) and many of the inner ring suburbs around Cleveland like Cleveland Heights, Lakewood and Elyria.

[PerryMason614]

I don't know what your budget is like or how open you are to different locations, but I can't say enough about Sioux Falls, SD and Des Moines, IA. Both great places to live.

[indy_317]

If I had the choice between Muncie and Anderson, I'd choose Anderson. Both are flat-lined, rust belt cities. Muncie is kept alive by Ball State University. Anderson is kept alive by the casino, and somewhat by a little growth in manufacturing along the interstate. Anderson still has some nice areas. If one wants convenient access to shopping and dining, living on the east/southeast side of the area is best. However, some of the nicer, mostly older (with some newer construction here and there) stock housing is located in the separate municipalities (very, very small towns right next to Anderson corporate limits) of River Forest, Edgewood, and Woodlawn Heights. Being in Anderson also means trips to Indy and the closer suburbs are not so far of a drive when compared to making the drive from Muncie. You could also look at Huntsville, which is a small burg between Anderson and Pendleton.

Some of the other cheaper suburban cities/towns in the metro area are Greenfield, Shelbyville, Franklin, Lebanon, and Danville. These areas are slightly cheaper given that for those still working and needing to make a commute into Indianapolis, the drives from these areas are longer, thus demand is slightly lower because many people would rather have a shorter commute.

[HowardRoarke]

Originally Posted by PerryMason614

I like Fort Wayne myself. It's clean, livable. Nice city. But then again, I like that size city. I like the Des Moines and Sioux Falls of the world. Like the two I just mentioned, Fort Wayne has plenty of new development and it doesn't have that old, decrepit, abandoned feeling some other towns have that are the same size.

It's probably slightly colder there than it is in indianapolis, however. You're going to have more mild days during the winter in Indy I would guess.

I've witnessed the transformation in Fort Wayne since my first visit in late 2011. It's shocking in a way and ongoing. Latest major investment private there are private residential properties is 46802, millions flowing into that area just outside downtown. I remember what the area in around the former GE complex looked like, a post-industrial apocalypse type environment. Now with the ball park, retail, etc., investment, combined with the 46802 area being shined up, Electric Works, West Central being turned around, and future investment in 46808 near downtown, the transformation of Fort Wayne will be astonishing vs. what it was like 12-15 years ago.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by indy_317

If I had the choice between Muncie and Anderson, I'd choose Anderson. Both are flat-lined, rust belt cities. Muncie is kept alive by Ball State University.

It's because of Ball State that Muncie is the best of the Indianapolis satellite cities Kokomo, Marion, Anderson, New Castle and Richmond. Ball State brings Mid-Major football and basketball and national exposure to Muncie. Muncie has more restaraunts, bars, more shopping centers,and nighttime entertainment options than Anderson, Kokomo, Marion, New Castle and Richmond combined - or right near combined. About the only categories that Anderson beats Muncie is that Anderson is about 20 miles closer to Indianapolis, Mounds State Park, and the casino.

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

It's because of Ball State that Muncie is the best of the Indianapolis satellite cities Kokomo, Marion, Anderson, New Castle and Richmond. Ball State brings Mid-Major football and basketball and national exposure to Muncie. Muncie has more restaraunts, bars, more shopping centers,and nighttime entertainment options than Anderson, Kokomo, Marion, New Castle and Richmond combined - or right near combined. About the only categories that Anderson beats Muncie is that Anderson is about 20 miles closer to Indianapolis, Mounds State Park, and the casino.

All of those communities are rust belt cities. I don't think any of them are any better than the others when focusing specifically on just the city. I look at more what the county as a whole provides, and then then surrounding counties. Going two averaged sized counties out is really pushing it in terms of what people want (dining, nighttime entertainment, shopping) within a reasonable drive.

Ball State sports isn't much of anything. The only way Ball State is relevant is if they have a freak season where they dominate. The problem is, like many other teams now, if the lead players are that good, they will transfer or go pro. The entire concept of college athletics is changing drastically since the players are being paid now and the transfer portal. I don't see any college athletes transferring to Ball State hoping it gets them another 50K, 100K, etc. followers on Instagram. I laughed at "national exposure." I've never gotten this concept, even for much larger cities. Indianapolis hosted a super bowl and got "national exposure." How many Fortune 500 companies thought "WOW!" and moved the corporate HQ to Indy? What is this national exposure going to get Muncie in the grand scheme of things? Is national exposure what caused the factories to close down? Ball Corporation to relocate their corporate HQ?

If one wants more restaurants and bars, the handful of offerings Muncie is never going to be enough. A person who relies heavily on others to provide for their feedings and/or entertainment is going to get board fairly quickly relying on a city like Muncie. This is why I think Anderson wins overall, not because of what specifically Anderson offers in and of itself, but the surrounding counties. The reasonable drive to surrounding counties, especially Hamilton County and Marion County, provide an enormous amount of options that far surpass what is available in Delaware and its surrounding counties.

Now that the weather is breaking, I'm looking for some day trip ideas. I'll likely head up to Muncie here in a couple of months and see what I think. Outside of having a college, I don't think it will be much different than all the other cities you listed.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Muncie, Anderson, New Castle, Richmond, Marion and Kokomo are pretty much the same, but my point is it's Ball State that separates Muncie from those other cities.

[hapaleeretired]

If I were to move to Indiana from out of state I would be looking at Bloomington or Plainfield.

[Meridian12345]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

Muncie, Anderson, New Castle, Richmond, Marion and Kokomo are pretty much the same, but my point is it's Ball State that separates Muncie from those other cities.

Kokomo seems to have maintained a much stronger manufacturing base than those other cities. Anderson benefits from being in commuting distance to the growing job centers in Hamilton County.