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Given your age and desire for walkability/affordability I would recommend checking out Nashville, in particular the East End around Five Points. It's very walkable (Walk Score of 77) and has a young, progressive population. Nashville has a pretty decent job market as well.
Indy is not really laid out like a typical metropolis. Things are scattered. Indy also has an extremely high homicide rate as does many other cities in Indiana. (South Bend, Gary, Hammond)
Have you looked into western states? My brothers gf is a nurse and they moved to Portland OR from Indiana and love it. She actually got the job before they moved. They have lots of jobs there in medical.
Also, what about Albuquerque NM? Weather is decent year round, pretty cheap living too.
There is life outside of the Midwest, I recommend lots of research.
@Challenger76 Thank you that was very helpful. I've thought of Seattle and California but both are expensive =-/. Portland crossed my mind primarily because of the biking population.
If you can deal with the cold, Minneapolis or Duluth might fit. Also, somewhere in the pacific northwest, or mountain west would do well too. Montana maybe?
My suggestion would be the Dallas/Ft Worth area of North Texas, or the Houston metro area. The economy there is booming, jobs should be plentiful, and the cost of living in both metros is very low for a big city in the US. As for employment, both of those cities still have industry (not everything there has gone offshore like some areas of the rust belt), and both cities have a big convention and tourism business, so the hospitality industry there could have openings for you. I am not far from you in the mid-Atlantic area, so I can't comment about that region further; maybe some Texans can chime in and give more info about the possibilities for you in the area. I also prefer a colder climate with plenty of green, but you need to go wherever you will thrive. Succeeding in life is the name of the game. Good luck.
@Challenger76 Thank you that was very helpful. I've thought of Seattle and California but both are expensive =-/. Portland crossed my mind primarily because of the biking population.
Oh yes lots of bikes in Portland California is overall expensive but it can be affordable in places further from the water, like Fresno, Bakersfield. Those towns you have to do the homework on though because the bad areas are scattered. But CA can be affordable.
My brother did say Portland took some getting used to compared to the Midwest. Rent is about double BUT that's people they live in the heart of everything. If you don't mind living on the outskirts it's much cheaper.
I hope you find a city that suits you. Good luck!!!
@Challenger76 I don't mind being further from the water; yes I will definitely do my homework. Thanks for the insights you helped a lot! I'm feeling a lot more prepared.
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California is overall expensive but it can be affordable in places further from the water, like Fresno, Bakersfield. Those towns you have to do the homework on though because the bad areas are scattered. But CA can be affordable.
