Indiana...a depressing place to live?? (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne: sales, new house, property tax)

[baileyvpotter]

Originally Posted by sbayphilly

I really wish people could talk more open mindedly so I could get a proper idea of the different areas of IN I am considering.
My goal is to pick a semi safe (everywhere has crime) affordable area ,which has fair amount of diversity, some culture, decent schools and close to a college I can transfer from IVY TECH to. I am going to look for a site other than city data cause the negative vibes here ARE depressing.

I am not sure about every Ivy Tech campus in the state but here are some observations about 3.
1. South Bend. Close to Chicago (a plus)and Michigan, does get hit with lake effect snow, has public
transportation (I'd rate it just ok), as in any city there are good and bad areas, there are some nice
restaurants downtown and the Morris (concerts, Broadway shows) but the downtown area isn't crowded
at night, they do have several festivals (arts) and there is also neighboring cities such as Mishawaka
and suburban Granger.
2.Indianapolis. A large city with more options. Not familiar where Ivy Tech is there. There are more
options in dining and entertainment, the freeway 465 can get you around and is usually flowing very well
but I do get confused when I try to get around (that could be just me since I work better with a grid
system). Again, there are good and bad areas too.
3. Bloomington about an hour's drive south from Indy. IU is the center of Bloomington, many young
people, liberal, many bars which cater to students, housing/rent is a bit higher, walking and biking
trails, festivals, does have a mall (small). It is close to Brown County and the further south you
go from Indy the hillier it gets. Not immune from any crime problems but it is pretty safe.
Does have a good public transportation system.
Hope this helps.

[MissingIndiana]

Originally Posted by sbayphilly

I really wish people could talk more open mindedly so I could get a proper idea of the different areas of IN I am considering.
My goal is to pick a semi safe (everywhere has crime) affordable area ,which has fair amount of diversity, some culture, decent schools and close to a college I can transfer from IVY TECH to. I am going to look for a site other than city data cause the negative vibes here ARE depressing.

If you want to get away from the negativity, you might want to post your own thread with your own specific question. Threads with a title like this one that directly ask if a place is 'bad' in some way are an invitation for every troll and negative person to vent about how unhappy they are by conveniently ignoring every good aspect of the place and focusing purely on the negative things that, in reality, can usually be found in every state of the country.

As to your specific question, Bloomington would fit what you're looking for perfectly. So would Louisville. There is an Ivy Tech campus 15 minutes exactly due north of downtown in Sellersburg, IN and there are plenty of other good schools in and around the city to which you may be able to transfer credits.

As for the main thread and all the nonsense being spread around (see paragraph 1), how about a little data from a reputable source. Take it for what it's worth, but per the CDC these are estimated depression rates from state to state: Current Depression Among Adults --- United States, 2006 and 2008

For those out there that prefer not to read or try to learn whether or not a study is good based on confidence intervals, source of the information, bias, etc, there is a picture at the bottom that you can look at and make assumptions from. Just based on my initial scanning of the numbers it seems Indiana has a lower rate of depression than CA, FL, HI, and IL. Perhaps a person's attitude and mindset are determined by more than beaches, sunny weather, and multiple metropolitan urban options?

[Bart Burk]

Originally Posted by Interpol76

A new study shows that Indiana is one of the most depressed states in the nation. So, what do you people think? What makes this place so depressing to people??

Indiana called more depressed than most states

Northern Indiana is flat, the cities don't really have that much to offer and permacloud takes over from November to March. I plan on staying in Indiana, but it seems to me that Indiana has much more to offer south of Indianapolis. The scenery is beautiful and the weather is warmer in the winter. I'm hoping to wind up in the Louisville metro area someday.

[sbayphilly]

Thanks to all who responded, I did start my own thread (as that was a good idea) and I am looking into Bloomington. If anyone reads this and lives in the Evansville and Terra Haute areas I would appreciate hearing from them as well, Indianapolis is to large a city for my tastes (L grew up in philly but have always been just a country girl at heart) I have loved living in rural areas, small towns and most of all on my 17 acre farmette( that I lost in 2005 )since I was in the Navy and cant go back to big city living.

[mintgum84]

Bloomington is a dream town. Picturesque, liberal, college dominated. I'd love to work there - or study once more.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by sbayphilly

I really wish people could talk more open mindedly so I could get a proper idea of the different areas of IN I am considering.
My goal is to pick a semi safe (everywhere has crime) affordable area ,which has fair amount of diversity, some culture, decent schools and close to a college I can transfer from IVY TECH to. I am going to look for a site other than city data cause the negative vibes here ARE depressing.

what in the world are you talking about?? Open mindedly?

Bloomington is a fine choice, however, finding diversity and open mindedness out in rural monroe county. Good luck with that. Bloomington, the area around campus is truly a haven of open mindedness. You may find yourself even more bitter out in the hinterlands outside Bloomington having to trek into town to find that vibe you are looking for.

Good luck.

[candylikergirl]

Well I live in Indiana right now and yes there is some downfalls. But its thriving. I also live up in the North and this winter, yes it was really ruff but other winters it snows from December to February, it was only this year it has snowed to March. Also, there is some tornado warnings but there has never been a tornado that has destroyed anything. Ice may be bad but it isn't terrible, try Alaska. Also the mosquitoes, we are all allergic ( thats why we itch and get bumps) yes they suck, if you want to be itch free, try the fall or spring and no, it doesn't snow. What is wrong with you, autumn is life, yes you had some sucky times in Indiana but have you really thought about what you wrote? Your a whiny baby. I love this place, it was better than anywhere I have been before. Ever heard of sucking it up? Take a chill pill and understand that life can notbe easy, I took your crap til the Autumn thing. Seriously? GET A LIFE! God I can't stand people like you, criticize places you never understood. Grow a pair and them come back and tell me again.

[baileyvpotter]

The OP came from the Philadelphia area and has valid reasons to ask the questions she did. Some of the responses to her
wish list and concerns made Indiana sound unwelcoming.

[rrah]

Originally Posted by candylikergirl

Well I live in Indiana right now and yes there is some downfalls. But its thriving. I also live up in the North and this winter, yes it was really ruff but other winters it snows from December to February, it was only this year it has snowed to March. Also, there is some tornado warnings but there has never been a tornado that has destroyed anything. Ice may be bad but it isn't terrible, try Alaska. Also the mosquitoes, we are all allergic ( thats why we itch and get bumps) yes they suck, if you want to be itch free, try the fall or spring and no, it doesn't snow. What is wrong with you, autumn is life, yes you had some sucky times in Indiana but have you really thought about what you wrote? Your a whiny baby. I love this place, it was better than anywhere I have been before. Ever heard of sucking it up? Take a chill pill and understand that life can notbe easy, I took your crap til the Autumn thing. Seriously? GET A LIFE! God I can't stand people like you, criticize places you never understood. Grow a pair and them come back and tell me again.

Nice first post (sarcasm intended)

[negativenancy]

Originally Posted by candylikergirl

Well I live in Indiana right now and yes there is some downfalls. But its thriving. I also live up in the North and this winter, yes it was really ruff but other winters it snows from December to February, it was only this year it has snowed to March. Also, there is some tornado warnings but there has never been a tornado that has destroyed anything. Ice may be bad but it isn't terrible, try Alaska. Also the mosquitoes, we are all allergic ( thats why we itch and get bumps) yes they suck, if you want to be itch free, try the fall or spring and no, it doesn't snow. What is wrong with you, autumn is life, yes you had some sucky times in Indiana but have you really thought about what you wrote? Your a whiny baby. I love this place, it was better than anywhere I have been before. Ever heard of sucking it up? Take a chill pill and understand that life can notbe easy, I took your crap til the Autumn thing. Seriously? GET A LIFE! God I can't stand people like you, criticize places you never understood. Grow a pair and them come back and tell me again.

It doesn't sound like you live up North at all.

To be brief, it can snow much longer than Dec-Feb. This winter can get pretty bad up here (especially near the lake), and the ice can be scary. Typically we get a few tornado warnings during the summer. We had a smaller tornado touch down about a month ago. A few summers ago there was another one that touched down and took the room off a nearby school. You can always say "well at least it's not as bad as _____" but it's important to realize how life here can be.