Wow Columbus (Greenwood, Mexico, Nashville: real estate, apartment, crime)

[msamhunter]

Indiana City see many high skilled immigrants

Native hoosiers need to pick up the pace I guess.

[domergurl]

They are moving into my neighborhood in droves! Seriously, houses are on the market for HOURS, not days, not weeks. I don't mind at all! They are eager to meet everyone and become part of our community.

I think part of it is that given Columbus's location, many talented US grads don't wish to live in southern indiana. But hey, whatever. I welcome our new residents.

[Chicago76]

Originally Posted by domergurl

They are moving into my neighborhood in droves! Seriously, houses are on the market for HOURS, not days, not weeks. I don't mind at all! They are eager to meet everyone and become part of our community.

I think part of it is that given Columbus's location, many talented US grads don't wish to live in southern indiana. But hey, whatever. I welcome our new residents.

^Exactly. The primary issues are that Columbus 1) has a high need for technical employees and 2) isn't exactly an easy draw for many native born Hoosiers, much less an engineer living in Seattle or Pittsburgh. I think Columbus is a nice town, but it's not exactly a big draw for a highly skilled employee mulling over offers from around the country.

Foreign workers hoping for an H1B don't have the same leverage when looking for a good job.

[domergurl]

And to be blunt ... Columbus Indiana is a heck of a lot more attractive than the places many of these HB1 visa holders come from ...

The expats I find here that have the hardest time adjusting are the Western Europeans.

[Chicago76]

Yup. We had a lot of H1Bs where I previously worked. A lot of these folks would have gone wherever they could and yes, compared to home, it was generally much better, and Columbus would be too.

Russians used to paying ridiculous rents for a 600 sqft apartment in Moscow (some of the most expensive real estate in the world), an Albanian who did his PhD in Appalachia (generally not on an American's list of great places to live), Indians used to living in cramped conditions, people from Trinidad&Tobago, downtown Nairobi, Juarez Mexico (crime through the roof currently), and so on. For these types, the sedate, affordable, suburban existence you can find in Columbus is often a breath of fresh air.

Western Europeans, Japanese, someone accustomed to living in a major Canadian or Australian city...others from Rio, Buenos Aires, and even Istanbul...not so much. They would often find themselves bored to tears. Just like an engineer from Seattle, the Bay Area, NE, Chicago, etc.

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by domergurl

And to be blunt ... Columbus Indiana is a heck of a lot more attractive than the places many of these HB1 visa holders come from ...

The expats I find here that have the hardest time adjusting are the Western Europeans.

Greenwood has seen some grown in expats from India from what I've read/been told. There is said to be some issues of the younger male kids having issues in the schools with how they treat the girls. It is believed to be a cultural thing they are seeing at home and bringing it to the schools.

Columbus is really nice though. Everytime we go down to visit Nashville, we go over to Columbus for some great pizza at Zwanzigz. As far as Indiana living goes, Columbus is more my lifestyle. The only thing I really like is nature hikes, and Columbus has just enough in terms of shopping (wholesale clubs, hardware stores), dining out, and is close enough to wilderness areas...it would fit me great.