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Consider this and if you still decide to move to IN, you'd be a lot better off if you accept it for exactly what it is - midwestern, conservative, landlocked, with flat topography, not very diverse - in other words, everything that CA is not.
If you can genuinely accept all those things and stop trying to find your slice of CA in it - you'll be a lot happier, trust me. If you keep trying to replicate your CA experience there, you'll end up disappointed each time
Let me assure you as someone who moved to "a different place" many years ago and has seen many others come and go, continually harping on how things were better wherever you originally came from will alienate you quickly. I watched many people wash out and leave for just this reason.
People who can adapt and accept that different doesn't equal bad often find much to appreciate in a new location.
OP, you don't sound like that kind of person. Visit your parents a couple times a year and save yourself and others the aggravation.
I have family in Carmel and they love it. I have visited several times and I am planning a move there or somewhere in North Indy in the next year. I am a different demographic than you but have no fear of Indianapolis. Your wholesale rejection of Indianapolis because you prefer "suburbs" – despite other posters attempt to show you that the whole city is not skid row Los Angeles – is very rigid. I'm probably your parents' age or a bit more and Broad Ripple is attractive – and hardly threatening – to me.
You need to make a visit and tour around enough to get out of your comfort zone or resign yourself to bloom where you're already planted.
Give yourself enough time to make a trip up to Lake Michigan. Yes, indeed, it is a "lake." But it's unlike any other lake you've ever seen. The Great Lakes are inland seas. Catch it on a stormy day and see.
Yeah it may be tougher to land a job but you never know, couldn't hurt to apply if you see something that you think is a good fit. There may even be admin/office type positions at IU itself. As someone else said the low wages and unemployment definitely have to do with it being a college town.
I recommended Bloomington because it is the most "California" of any place in Indiana. You have things such as co-op grocery stores that you don't really find elsewhere in the state. It's a fairly progressive town. Also, the university attracts people from all over the country and the world. Not just student and professors but all sorts of people in different roles with the university. You will definitely meet other people from the West Coast.
Bluefox, I understood the recommendation. I've lived here for 15 years and 6 years previously. I didn't recommend it because I understand the local wages. Even at IU office/customer service type jobs start at $10/hour. Most of those jobs start at $10-13/hour. The "little" known secret regarding employment at IU is that a lot of hiring and interviewing is based on knowing someone or being the spouse/SO of a recruited/current professor. I applied for several positions a few years ago. Positions which I was more than qualified to fill, but which I would have been happy doing. I only got a look at my resume when I contacted someone I knew in the department. Even with the recommendation I never got an interview. My spouse did actually interview for a position at IU a few years ago. He was very much overqualified for the job. I don't know if they didn't make an offer because he was overqualified or if the team didn't realize what they had an opportunity to add a very experienced professional to the team for cheap.
I love Bloomington and can't really imagine living anywhere else in the state. That said, I don't think it would be a good fit for the OP because of the wages and cost of living. Getting a job in this town isn't easy.
Bluefox, I understood the recommendation. I've lived here for 15 years and 6 years previously. I didn't recommend it because I understand the local wages. Even at IU office/customer service type jobs start at $10/hour. Most of those jobs start at $10-13/hour. The "little" known secret regarding employment at IU is that a lot of hiring and interviewing is based on knowing someone or being the spouse/SO of a recruited/current professor. I applied for several positions a few years ago. Positions which I was more than qualified to fill, but which I would have been happy doing. I only got a look at my resume when I contacted someone I knew in the department. Even with the recommendation I never got an interview. My spouse did actually interview for a position at IU a few years ago. He was very much overqualified for the job. I don't know if they didn't make an offer because he was overqualified or if the team didn't realize what they had an opportunity to add a very experienced professional to the team for cheap.
I love Bloomington and can't really imagine living anywhere else in the state. That said, I don't think it would be a good fit for the OP because of the wages and cost of living. Getting a job in this town isn't easy.
Wow, too bad there's so much nepotism. I'll defer to your opinion about jobs since I'm not as familiar with that aspect that of Bloomington. I just think culturally it's probably the closest fit for the OP where the culture shock wouldn't hit quite as hard.
Give yourself enough time to make a trip up to Lake Michigan. Yes, indeed, it is a "lake." But it's unlike any other lake you've ever seen. The Great Lakes are inland seas. Catch it on a stormy day and see.
I used to live on the western shore of Lake Michigan in southeast Wisconsin. I think what you said is best summed up by a visitor to my home, standing out on the deck looking out over the lake saying, "Gosh, it looks just like the ocean!"
I used to live on the western shore of Lake Michigan in southeast Wisconsin. I think what you said is best summed up by a visitor to my home, standing out on the deck looking out over the lake saying, "Gosh, it looks just like the ocean!"
RM
There's even a big surfing culture there, isn't it ?
There's even a big surfing culture there, isn't it ?
Saw some videos.
Sort of.
While I wouldn't compare it to California's surfing culture, which I know well as I once lived right across the PCH from the beach in Montara (Half Moon Bay) CA, yes, there are surfers. However, the waves are rarely very big unless there is a storm. Lots of wind surfers, though.
Water temps are comparable to northern CA, too. Brrr.
While I wouldn't compare it to California's surfing culture, which I know well as I once lived right across the PCH from the beach in Montara (Half Moon Bay) CA, yes, there are surfers. However, the waves are rarely very big unless there is a storm. Lots of wind surfers, though.
Water temps are comparable to northern CA, too. Brrr.
RM
Yeah the videos I saw, everyone was wearing wet suits
There are jobs in Indy paying $15 and hour and more--Amazon Fulfillment was hiring at $12 to $18 an hour; a bank was hiring people to do data entry for $15 an hour. I had a job in real estate management that would have paid $20 an hour after training if I'd stayed on. There are beautiful wilderness areas and parks and trails within the city limits of Indianapolis. (The dunes sound great, but at three hours away, OP might only get there a few times a year.) There are food co-ops and farmers markets here even in winter. Broadripple has a community garden.
However, I don't know how common it is here, but almost everyone I've met is more interested in helping their neighbors and improving their community than in heading for the beach or training for a triathlon. (This seems to be more the case in Indy than Carmel.) One reason taxes are so low here is that there's a lot of DIY (many trees and flowers along streets were planted and watered in by volunteers, for instance)--and neighbors helping each other. A few months ago, someone on Nextdoor.com complained about a man living in an RV in a distant parking lot of an abandoned store. The post got about a hundred responses--95% of which were either "why is this a problem?" or "why don't you knock on his door and offer to help him?"
If OP can go with the flow and appreciate and participate in the available work, recreation and neighborly culture, a neighborhood like Broadripple or Fountain Square or Irvington could be a good fit. If not, she'll be happier in California: she won't fit in in Carmel and she won't make many friends in Indy with her current attitude.
Last edited by sheerbliss; 12-22-2016 at 06:29 PM..
I used to live on the western shore of Lake Michigan in southeast Wisconsin. I think what you said is best summed up by a visitor to my home, standing out on the deck looking out over the lake saying, "Gosh, it looks just like the ocean!"
RM
I love the Lake Michigan shoreline. One day when I'm rich and famous (:P) I'll own a summer beach house on the lake. Summers are hard to beat there and there is so much natural beauty and bucolic charm. It really is one of my favorite places in the country.
Hi. My mom is retiring to Muncie IN next year from CA because her husband has a home there and its way too expensive to buy a home here (in the safe, clean parts of california). She wants me to relocate to IN as well to be close to her. I havent been there myself but my mom has sent me videos and pictures from her recent trips. It seems like her city is a nice place to retire purhaps but not the city for me- a single 32 year old who is used to suburb living and would want to stay in a safe area close to good jobs and stores and resturants, and also meet people my own age. My mom suggested Anderson for me because its close to her town but after researching it, it still seems like a very small town (with a heck of a lot of registered sex offends!) where I might be limited on jobs and meeting people. It also didnt seem to compare at all with where Im from (Orange County). I was interested in Carmel. I was told its very expensive but when I looked at homes and apartments online they were all cheaper than CA. Maybe thats because the jobs there pay much less???? Thats important to know. Can you please tell me about Carmel? How competitive is it to find work there? What do the average office jobs pay (I have 15+ years office management experience and usually make $15-$20/hr in CA). I have tattoos... will most people be closed minded about that? In CA its pretty normal to have visible tattoos. What are the summers/winters going to be like? CA is 50 to 90 degrees most of the year... with a few days in 30s/40s and a few days in the 100s. 70 to 80 is pretty average most of the year. We also have low humidity and no mosquitos here so its easy to enjoy outdoor recreaction anytime of the year. What will I need to expect in transitioning there weather wise?
My wife and I moved here from Michigan. She got a job in a Dr's office making a little more than your low end. We live in Carmel. As far as weather going from California to Indiana, I doubt you will be ready but you will adjust. For us weather was no big deal. I have only worn a winter coat here a couple of days and its Xmas day. High is 43. My sister texted me a couple weeks back asking if we were getting dumped on. We had rain, they had 9 inches of snow in lower Michigan.
As far as fitting in with tattoo's. Carmel has lot of young people, a lot of snooty wealthy people too. But I have not had any problems from them being a middle class resident. There are home that are VERY expensive, but then there are homes that are very reasonable. In regards to outdoor activities? I noticed some saying how it's flat and boring blah blah blah. There is a lot to do here. Everything is close. Carmel has the MONON trail that cuts through if you like to jog, walk or bike ride. It stretches from downtown Indy up past Westfield ( a northern suburb of Indy that borders Carmel). We've had to adjust for sure. We went from 5 acres on an all sports lake to an apartment. lol But When we buy we hope to have a pool and a half way decent size yard for the dogs. There are outdoor things to do if you look for them. We found a place called Turkey Run state park. If you like to hike it's a pretty cool place. Downtown is close, and there are plenty of malls and shopping. So depending on what you like, it's not far. What I don't like is the lack of water. Being from Michigan, you can't drive in any direction where I'm from without running into water. I LOVE water, but I will get my fill when we rent our traditional cottage on a lake in northern Michigan in July.
As far as finding work? This area is just booming!!! They just keep building and building here. When we took our uhaul back, they had 20 trucks min in the parking lot from one way returns. It's like that ALL the time. If you have that much office management experience I doubt you will have a hard time finding work. Best of luck to you. Keep the group posted if you decide to come here. Oh and one more thing. If you are a good driver. Prepared to be angry........ A LOT.
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