Young couple is desperate need of help! (rent, crime rate)

[Spartypants]

Hello everyone! Pleasure to meet all of you friendly individuals

First time posting on this forum. Have come back to it frequently for reference into different states and locations. So basically here is the deal. My girlfriend and I have come across a situation that forces us to find a place to move to within the next month or two from Long Island, New York.

We are considering many different states in this order:

Indianapolis (We keep coming back to this one)
Arkansas
Kansas City
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Seattle Washington
Maine
Iowa
Idaho

These are pretty much the ones that have stood out to us. We came up with this list from the notion that midwest states are generally more affordable than the far east or west. Our needs are first and foremost Low rent. We are looking anywhere from the 200-500 range max with utilities included preferably. Financially we don't see ourselves capable of going over 500. Safe neighborhoods / possibly quiet. We do not want to live in a ghetto / high crime rate area as we currently deal with that where we live now. We like our walks at night far too much. We also have a small dog and cat that we would like to bring with us on our move.

My girlfriend and I are an interracial couple, so it has come to discussion that we prefer to live in a place where we feel safe and comfortable, where things of that nature do not matter to the general population. We intend on raising a family as well, and would like to inquire about good schools and areas to raise children.

We are in our 20's and are quiet individuals, but we also prefer to have the option of a night life and activities in our surrounding area that we may experience while we still can.

That's pretty much all I can think of on the top of my head. We keep coming back to Indianapolis because from what we've seen / read about it seems like a beautiful family oriented city. Rent is top priority as our income is not very high. I work with special needs individuals in a caregiving fashion and would greatly appreciate any information regarding agency's that I could apply to in advance. I suppose our overall question would be where the best or most logical place to move would be. One that is financially beneficial, possesses a plethora of activities for an active young couple, and has the potential to raise children in a stable environment where we can feel safe.

Thank you everyone for your time and any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Matt and Jess

[ckhthankgod]

To be honest, do not write off the Interior Northeast(Upstate NY, much of PA, even western MA), as it can fit much of your criteria.

[mayonaise]

Consider the Eastwood neighborhood of Syracuse. It's quiet, safe, and inexpensive in terms of rent. The downtown area has plenty of options in terms of nightlife, if you were to ever get out.

[Spartypants]

Funny that you say that, I actually used to live in Eastwood Syracuse. It was nice there, but found Syracuse to be too much of a college area for my tastes.

[indy771]

Forget about Seattle if you want a affordable city to live in. Since you're interested in Indy, have thought about Columbus OH?

[Minervah]

I was going to say the same as the previous poster regarding Seattle. It's a nice city but way out of your price range.

[Spartypants]

Yeah it looks like Seattle is getting the axe. From what we've researched, it seems we've narrowed our search to downtown indianapolis and Iowa

[slowlane3]

Syracuse statistically has even more snow than the dreaded Buffalo area, for what it's worth.

[Spartypants]

I liked Syracuse, but was very boring there (not meant to offend) and not really a place I can see myself staying in long term

[diablo234]

For what it's worth Minneapolis has many of the same qualities that Seattle has but it is also affordable for the most part.