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Indy is often underrated in many aspects. Indy has a low cost of living, somewhat low unemplyment, and a strong sports market. Indy is a very strong average city. There are a lot of things to do in the downtown area, but nothing thats will blow you away. If you are into the Midwest Indy isn't a bad place to stop for a little while, but will grow old after a while. Columbus, Ohio seems to be a pretty nice city, but I would thing cost of living would be significantly higher, and probably not a whole lot better quality of life IMO. A really solid Midwest question.....both are good Midwest cities IMO.
Just would have guessed it was, mostly because cost of living in Indiana is among the lowest in the Country. However upon a closer look, it appears Indy and Columbus ,OH. are just about even, so my mistake.
I was born in Indy, lived there and then my folks moved to the burbs (three miles outside the Indy city limits). My entire extended family is pretty much still here, and their education goes from high school drop out to advanced college/technical educations. We all have jobs, some have great jobs.
Now that the shelter collapse has come and interest rates on shelter mortgages (ie: Homes) are extremely low (just said 30 year fixed rates for some are 3.99%!), Indy definitely would be a very affordable place to live. For $150K, you could pretty much live any kind of lifestyle you wanted in the city and live comfortably. It all depends on what one wants in life. $150K may not get you anything in some trendy, hip areas both in the city and in Carmel/Zionsville, but it will get you something within a mile of all those locations. This brings up another issue with Indy, we are a car focused city. There is a push to expand transit, and if the powers that be continue to push for a light rail system, it likely won't happen. Most people I've talked to support paying a little more in taxes for an expanded bus service in the metro area (including rush hour buses M-F from the burbs to downtown Indy), but most won't vote to fund a billion dollar plus fixed route train to bailout congestion caused by folks who knowingly moved to the suburbs of Fishers and Carmel knowing that the commute during rush hour is horrible (horrible as in bad for Indy, nothing like what I've heard about in DC, NYC, LA).
I've never been to Columbus, OH, and just recently drove through the city on the way to NYC. It was night, so I didn't see much. I'm more of a suburban/rural type person myself, and Indy offers a lot in that aspect. You can even live rural on some acreage in Indy and still have an OK drive to where jobs are (especially when compared to the two hour plus commutes I've heard from folks in big cities).
As far as things to do, does it really matter? Doing things almost always means giving someone else your money. If that is of the utmost important in ones life, doing things, handing over your hard earned money, I think either city will have you covered. A bar is a bar, a club is a club. A bar in Indy will have the same beer you can get at a bar in Columbus. A dance club in Indy will likely have a similar clientele as ones in Columbus. I always laugh when people compare the boozing/handing out areas of various cities, as if drinking a Bud Light in the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indy is just so vastly different than drinking a Bud Light in Columbus near Ohio State.
The only negative I have about Indy is that it is flat, and outdoor recreation that I like (hiking/walking in woodlands/hills/mountain areas) is far and few between locally (30 min drive or less). We do have some woodland parks in Indy, but of course it depends on where one lives and how they view driving if they view this as a negative. The best hiking in forest/hill areas definitely will take you an hour drive or longer depending on your destination. We have Brown County, Turkey Run, Shades, and McCormick Creek state parks in the central Indiana area. Drives are an hour to two hours. We also have the Hoosier Nat'l. Forest, another hour + drive. I know Columbus has the Hocking Hills area, not sure how far that is.
If your only desire is sports, both cities will have you covered with college level sports. Indy wins with NBA and NFL, as some citizens pay taxes to fund/support the teams. Columbus wins with the NHL, not sure if taxpayers have to pay for that or not. If you want bars/clubs, either city will be just fine. Restaurants aren't really anything to brag about. I've never cared about eating out that much, but I'm a picky eater and most everything I eat out I can make at home for cheap, and not have to worry about bad service, a tip, etc.. I know that there are good chain and non-chain pizza places in Indy, and I'm sure Columbus has the same. I see plenty of mom and pop food joint owners on my visit to Sam's Club. They have their flatbeds full of the same products I cook with.
With the above being said, I would just find out which job you feel is more secure vs. pay and benefits. Indy isn't very costly as I noted above, not sure about Columbus. If you make even just $40K in Indy you can live a comfortable life. If you want to live to the max, you can be like everyone else and max out the credit cards.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Light Rail/Streetcar/Rail Transit? Either city?
Is either city making any serious strides at all to having rail transit in their cities? I would think a rail line on a corridor like High Street in Columbus would be a no brainer. If Salt Lake City can build an extensive network, surely either one of these cities can.
Is either city making any serious strides at all to having rail transit in their cities? I would think a rail line on a corridor like High Street in Columbus would be a no brainer. If Salt Lake City can build an extensive network, surely either one of these cities can.
Indy is making "serious strides" with a plan in place, but who knows if the funding will be there. The problem the Indy rail plan will run into is that the powers that be want people who will live 25-40 miles away from the closest station to pay for it (and for most, the closest station will actually be the area they work at anyways). All the while, the rail will primarily serve what I believe is the most wealthy (residential wise) county in Indiana. I've spoken to a lot of people, and most plan on voting against the referendum in their county. So unless the residents of three counties, and at a minimum two counties, vote for it, it won't happen. Even then, I have no idea what the tax will be like if it appears only two counties will be on the hook for at least a billion dollars. That is basically the price tag of our NFL stadium, and it took a .5% food and beverage tax in all but two of the counties surrounding Indy, plus an increase in ticket taxes, 1% food and beverage tax, an increase in rental car taxes, and increase in hotel taxes for transactions within the city. Not sure if folks want to pay another 3-6% when they eat out in the two counties likely to vote for the plan.
Don't mistake me for someone who dislikes Columbus, it will always be home to me as I spent the first 22 years of my life there. I love it, but this forum is rank with with boosterism. I definitely rank Columbus and Indy above my current location in KC.
The purpose of a city discussion group is to have an honest discussion of the city, not to put forth a desired image of a city. Indianapolis, more than any other city I've seen, does everything possible to manage its image. When you deal with Indianapolis people, you'll find that the reality is suppressed and the image is violently defended.
Columbus is a much better city. Columbus gets a lot of things right that Indianapolis will always struggle with.
The purpose of a city discussion group is to have an honest discussion of the city, not to put forth a desired image of a city. Indianapolis, more than any other city I've seen, does everything possible to manage its image. When you deal with Indianapolis people, you'll find that the reality is suppressed and the image is violently defended.
Columbus is a much better city. Columbus gets a lot of things right that Indianapolis will always struggle with.
Really Greg, NAME ONE. Indianapolis and CBus are as close as it gets to similar cities in the US. Of course, you aren't a midwesterner, know nothing of the midwest and proven over and over and over how wrong you've been. Actually even when you Google stuff you get it wrong as proven over and over. Stick to California
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Light Rail/Streetcar/Rail Transit? Either city?
