How people live in Indianapolis? (Bloomington, Carmel: transplants, high crime, job market)

[Marina1686]

Hello

I'm very curious about how is a living in Indianapolis.

How is......
Cost and quality of living?
Crime level?
Wages?
Opportunities?
Traffic?
People?
Weather?
Is it family friendly?

I'm a 23-year-old student currently living in Miami, Fl, which I really hate. Reasons: weather sucks, cost of living is crazy, very low wages, people are rude and supercial, traffic and drivers are horrendous, not a family friendly city, lack of advacement and opportunities, high crime, full of low-income and welfare suburbs, and there's nothing to do if you are away from clubs and the night scene. I want to move as soon as possible I get my bachelors' or probably before that with my boyfriend, which he totally agrees for the same reasons.

Thanks I appreciate it

[krock1dk]

Indianapolis is very different from miami, not surprisingly.

Cost of living: excellent. Indianapolis is the most affordable large metro area in the country, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Crime: not as high as many cites, but high in inner-city neighborhoods within the I-465 beltway. Although the far north and far south and far west sides of Indianapolis are not bad at all. The East side you should stay away from.

Wages: right around the national average. Couple that with the affordable cost of living and you have almost the highest purchasing power in the country.

Opportunities: I assume you are talking about job opprtunitites. Its tough right now in this economy. But Indy has seen good job growth over the past ten years and will rebound when the recession is over. The Indianapolis-Carmel MSA has had the highest job growth in the Midwest for a while as does the state of Indiana believe it or not.

Traffic: not bad compared to metro areas of similar size. Indy people frequently complain about the alleged 'bad' traffic, but it isnt.

People: people in Indiana are 'friendlier' than in Florida and usually conservative

Family friendly: Indianapolis is 'family friendly' with nice things to do: Childrens Museum of Indianapolis, Connor Prarie living history museum, Geist and Eagle creek Reservoirs, museums, world renowned Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indy 500, NASCAR Brickyard 400, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers. Indianapolis is good to raise a family with the crime, cost of living and things to do.

[Grandma(in waiting)]

Weather: Indiana is a 4 seasons state. Summers can be hot and humid (although nothing like Miami's), winters can be cold with a few major snow events. Ice storms or at least moderate icing, in late autumn and spring, are common occurrences.

Everything else krock covered very well and I agree with it all. Indiana is a great place to raise children. It's very laid back and low key, and around the bigger cities and towns, the people are very friendly. I don't live in Indy, but I go there a lot and love the city. It has all of the big city amenities but with fewer big city problems.

If you move, welcome to Indiana!

[wh15395]

Cost of Living: Probably one of the cheapest metro areas to live in in the country.
Crime: Crime is bad around the middle of the city, but not downtown. The east side of Indianapolis is a bad area too. The north side of Indianapolis north of 82nd street is safe. Also, there are neighborhoods like Broad Ripple and Meridian Hills that are safe closer into Indianapolis. All of the outlying counties are safe too.
Wages and Opportunities: Could you be more specific on the jobs you are looking for.
Traffic: Traffic can be bad on the north side during rush hour and also downtown.
People: Friendly
Weather: In the sixties and fifties in the Spring and Fall. The summer is usually in the seventies and eighties, but can be hot and humid. The winter is cold, but not as much snow as there is further north.
Family: It is very family friendly, especially the suburbs.

[Marina1686]

Thanks for your responses. It sounds one the nicest cities together with Charlotte (I posted similar posts in other forums). It sounds really what we are looking for. My dad knew someone who lived at Indiana and talked about how nice people were in Indy compared to Miamians (which is nearly full of low culture chongos and chongas, even tough I'm hispanic. However, I don't belong to these crowds, I considere myself more conservative and home/family-friendly)...

Thanks

[Grandma(in waiting)]

If you move here, I hope you find you love Indiana as much as we do. No area is a utopia, but some places are definitely better than others. Indy is very friendly and has a live and let live vibe about it. We live in Bloomington and it's the same way there. But, everyone's experiences will vary. You're not going to find any area where people are going to be 100% enthusiastic about it.

If you have the luxury of doing so, it would be great if you could do a sort of mini-relocation to Indy and one to Charlotte (stay for a month or two to get a feel for the area). That would give you the very best idea of which place would be a good fit for you. There's nothing worse than moving to an area with high hopes, having them dashed, and then being stuck there. I'm not trying to scare you off. If you're like most of the out-of-state transplants (like myself) you'll love Indiana, especially the larger cities and towns, and what it has to offer. But it is a big change from southern Florida in weather and culture, so you'll need to acclimate. And please, do have a job lined up beforehand. Do not move and hope for the best after the fact. The economy is bad here, too, and (depending on your field of work) finding a job may take some time.

No matter what you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

[hindsight2020]

Coming from Miami I think you underestimate the culture and lifestyle change Midwestern winters will impose on your lifestyle. I think you're so fed up with the realities of Miami (I'm Hispanic as well and quite aware of the dynamics you are euphemistically hinting at) that you're not properly addressing the weather change. I lived in Indiana for 3 years and without equivocation we found it a suitable place to live if not for the weather. I'm not saying it's Minnesota, but coming from the south it will get old real quick. Just bear that in mind before you over-commit your emotions to the idea of a place that doesn't really exist.

Sans the weather, I really do second the other posters' positives about Indy and Indiana. It's not for everyone but there are truly worse places to be at.

May I suggest alternatively Dallas-Fort Worth or Birmingham, AL. The first one is a rat race, much like Charlotte is becoming, and Birmingham still has some regionalism you might find annoying as a Hispanic regardless of how white you look. But the weather change won't be a brutal coming from South Florida.

Good luck either way.

[jameson1]

Cost of living is great. Not too happy with the schools right now, including North Central. Super walking trail (Monon Trail), great Childrens Museum, plenty of free or low-cost activities. Super family city. Job market is tight and winter can be tough on cars, heating bill. Housing prices are a buyer's dream, really low for great quality!

[Marina1686]

Originally Posted by hindsight2020

Coming from Miami I think you underestimate the culture and lifestyle change Midwestern winters will impose on your lifestyle. I think you're so fed up with the realities of Miami (I'm Hispanic as well and quite aware of the dynamics you are euphemistically hinting at) that you're not properly addressing the weather change. I lived in Indiana for 3 years and without equivocation we found it a suitable place to live if not for the weather. I'm not saying it's Minnesota, but coming from the south it will get old real quick. Just bear that in mind before you over-commit your emotions to the idea of a place that doesn't really exist.

Sans the weather, I really do second the other posters' positives about Indy and Indiana. It's not for everyone but there are truly worse places to be at.

May I suggest alternatively Dallas-Fort Worth or Birmingham, AL. The first one is a rat race, much like Charlotte is becoming, and Birmingham still has some regionalism you might find annoying as a Hispanic regardless of how white you look. But the weather change won't be a brutal coming from South Florida.

Good luck either way.

I dont like Miami's lifestyle, it really sucks. The only thing Miamians worry about are parties and what to do in the weekend. Most of them don't care about a career, a good job, or a future plan as I do. They rather live in a bad neigborhhod such as Little Havana, but have a huge SUV, brand clothes, a boat, and party 4 times a week. Partying is a huge waste of money in Miami, it's really expensive and not worthy. Making friends here it's very hard because I'm not compatible with these party animals. That's why I want to move to a more conservative, career and family friendly city. I just want to get my degree and work in what I really like and enjoy.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Marina1686

I dont like Miami's lifestyle, it really sucks. The only thing Miamians worry about are parties and what to do in the weekend. Most of them don't care about a career, a good job, or a future plan as I do. They rather live in a bad neigborhhod such as Little Havana, but have a huge SUV, brand clothes, a boat, and party 4 times a week. Partying is a huge waste of money in Miami, it's really expensive and not worthy. Making friends here it's very hard because I'm not compatible with these party animals. That's why I want to move to a more conservative, career and family friendly city. I just want to get my degree and work in what I really like and enjoy.

Come on up here then! Sounds like socially, you'll like it ... but be prepared for a drastic weather change.